#if you don't have a breakfast club store bought is fine

[now-we-say-c0ral]

April 30, 2023

Woke up around 8:30am and still feeling unrestful because I kind of slept shallowly last night despite drinking a tablet of melatonin. I guess I have to up my dose tonight. I really plan to sleep comfortably before I start the new week.

Had a steamy morning cuddle and had regular cuddles after that. Won Wordle today and I got it in less than 2 minutes. Ed went down to put the bed sheets in the laundry because they're do for a wash. We went to Morrisons to get some groceries. I used Nico's bike since I didn't have one. I plan to buy one to be honest. It seems like a good option to use when getting to my new gym in Canning Town. What's stopping me is the risk of it getting stolen because bike thieves are apparently a thing here in Ed's area. We went to this asian shop because Morrisons were still closed when we got there and bought some pork buns which served as our breakfast. We got ourselves some goods once the grocery store opened and went back. Ed made some pork casserole which honestly tasted fine but he was aiming an afritada kind of taste but since it didn't taste like it, it's now considered a pork casserole.

I took a bath after lunch and watched some VGC videos of Aaron Zheng while Ed slept in the background. When he woke up I gave him the idea of how to rearrange the room and so we did and the room looked even better and it's not just me thinking that.

The breeze was gently making me feel this familiar feeling of summer in the Philippines and it really feels good on your skin, the kind where you just want to fall asleep because it's just so comfortable. I couldn't because if I did I'll have a hard time sleeping later.

Ed cuddled me while he played Mobile Legends with his friends on Discord. It was kind of cute when he gives me forehead kisses in between games. Another steamy cuddle session happened afterwards.

Ed asked if I wanted to come later with Merch and Cyneil to party. I didn't want to come because 1. I'm trying to be better with my finances and spending them on drinks defeats the purpose of it all EVEN THOUGH I WANT TO DRINK TOO and 2. I don't really mind if Ed goes anymore and I think that I wouldn't overthink later. He's given me a day yesterday and I'm good with that already. I don't need to feel like I'm having hawk eyes whenever he's away which embarrassingly enough is what I felt before. Everything's more stable now. Not totally but it's getting there.

Watched the 4th episode of Demon Slayer with Eddie after he's cooked his carbonara. Had some Filipino Ube-langka ice cream which wasn't that good and it just had langka bits to it that are very minute. Ed went to the club around 9pm and I slept with the aid of 3 melatonin tablets because I want to have a very restful sleep.

[dragonmuse]

@idfk42 Glorious! But now I want this story… the AU of the AU’s AU! How deep does the rabbit hole go?! (I don’t care, I’m here to the deepest point.)

@robinade I’m with idfk42, I love every iteration of this au, including the AUs of the AU (with an AU tangent 😆)

I think we all know what I've gone and done. It's time for another AU of the Au of the Au in bulleted list form. The rabbit hole continues every onward, I devour my own tail.

-The fearsome foursome stay friends naturally. Their ages are adjusted for this au so they’re all the same age. 

-Stede will not let Izzy get away with not applying for college. Izzy threatens, bluffs and eventually just writes the essay and fills everything out and lets Stede do what he wants with it. Faith and Mary work on theirs together.  Izzy gets into a decent state school with a scholarship thanks to some very liberal editing to his essay by Stede and his actually not awful grades. Faith and Mary get into a prestigious school close by. 

-”Where are you applying, Bonnet?”  “Oh, you know, just a few schools with good business programs.”  “You fucking hate business.”  “Yes, but my father-” “Yeah, no, where do you actually want to fucking go?”  Izzy, Mary and Faith bully Stede into applying to a fashion program under the guise of a ‘business for fashion’ degree which his father hates, but Stede has financial breakdowns of the industry that Izzy produced and convinces him it’s a smart move or at least is annoying enough that his dad agrees to make him stop.

-Look. Faith still dies. There’s no easy way to say it. Izzy has to call Mary and tell her and then won’t come to the phone at all. He assumes they’ll leave him alone now since Faith was the glue between them. 

-Instead, Mary and Stede show up with very nice luggage, pack all his shit and move him in quietly to Stede’s family’s second home until it’s time for school to start and they both lie more than they’ve ever lied in their lives so they can spend those three weeks together. Mary and Stede cry the tears that Izzy can't. They stumble through grief. They try to keep busy by kitting Izzy out for college, so despite being entirely broke, he shows up to his dorm with everything a rich kid could imagine you would need.

-Their friendship becomes an iron bond. They hold her memory between them.  Izzy, as he is practically designed to do, quietly swears his loyalty to these two fools for the rest of his life. 

-Stede’s college experience is very...eye opening.   And yet when his father demands that he marry That Girl or So Help You in the middle of his sophmore year, Stede goes to Izzy to help pick out the ring. 

-”No.”  “What do you mean no?”  “No you’re not marrying her.”  “Why not?” “Because I’m not sitting here watching you two be fucking miserable for the next million years. First off, it’s boring. Second, it’s pathetic. And third, it’s nauseating. I will puke on you, Bonnet.”  “There’s no need. I don't actually want...I mean, I do love her.”  “Yeah, so do I and you don’t see me proposing.”  “That’s different.”  “It’s not.”  

-Stede calls Mary instead and they talk about their options. They decide to fake a long engagement and that will get them out with their degrees at least.  Izzy, relieved, continues on with his very monastic life. He doesn’t have time to go find trouble because between making sure Stede passes all his math classes, spending hours in Mary’s studio space at her school learning a little second hand, doing his own schoolwork and stocking grocery shelves for spending money, who has the fucking time? 

-”I think I might be interested in men,”  “Yeah, no shit, Bonnet.”  “See this is why I picked you to come out to first. No drama. Just insults.” “Who insulted you?”  “I know how you feel about gay people.” “Trust me, you really truly fucking don’t. You want to go get a boyfriend, go get a fucking boyfriend.” Maybe I just want to...um. Get laid.”   “Say it with a straight face and I’ll believe you.” “I think the point is that I don’t have a straight face.” “Fuck off and go tell Mary, she’ll probably be supportive or something.” 

- They all graduate and Stede tells his father that he will not be getting married. His father can sort of stomach that, but then Stede says he wants to start a fashion line. As the designer. And that’s a bridge too far. He disowns him. Mary’s parents are slightly more forgiving, but they do decide she could use a year of ‘making it on her own and see how she likes it’. 

-There’s an apartment that Izzy gets them and there is a very frustrating couple of months as Mary and Stede figure out life without a lot of money. Izzy sits down and teaches them both to budget so there’s enough to pay the rent. They both say thank you a lot and try their best . Izzy still sort of wants to murder them both all the time.  He gets an accounting job and realizes that as difficult as the two of them can be, he can tolerate them far more than any of the stiffs in suits. They are actually, and don’t tell fucking Bonnet he even thought this, pretty good people.

-Mary charms and family connections her way into a job as admin assistant at a gallery. Stede accidentally gets a nannying gig.   

-In an incident that probably was inevitable, Stede and Izzy get two drinks in on a night Mary isn’t home and goad each other into a messy makeout. This being an area Stede actually has a head start on, he gives a persuasive argument into why they shouldn’t stop and Izzy caves. They start having sex with each other when they both feel like it.  They do not have feelings for each other. They still snipe at each other constantly. 

-Stede designs his heart out. He hustles a lot and finally gets a job at a big fashion house not yet designing, but at least in the realm. Mary shows her work in a small alumni show and sells her first painting. Izzy gets a raise and a concerned suggestion he use his vacation time once and a while. 

-Mary, who never does learn whatever lesson her parents were trying to teach her, is welcomed back into the fold anyway. When she meets a very decent man that she likes very much, she finally moves out and now in their late twenties, Stede and Izzy are left with each other. 

-This is fine. They both date periodically. But they are both not very good at it. Izzy gets sick of Stede moping about not making more progress in his career and sits him down again and makes him make a five year plan. Does Izzy have one? What does he need one for? He doesn’t have dreams. Dreams are for dreamers. 

-Stede makes clothes and makes clothes, filling their apartment with fabric and constantly asks Izzy for his opinions until Izzy starts having them. One very painful day when Izzy’s head is in his grief (like he’s going to stop grieving her. Someone has to do it), Stede presents him with an outfit. It’s not flashy or feminine, but it’s well made and flattering and the shirt is his favorite shade of blue. 

-Look. Izzy gets feelings. It’s a thing that happens to him. But not for Stede fucking Bonnet, okay? He tells Mary that when they are both very drunk and she doesn’t laugh in his face because she’s a very good friend.

-”Bonnet.”  “Hands. Are we being formal over toast again?” “Listen.” “All ears.” “I think we might be...in a relationship.” “No. Surely not?” “You’re wearing my shirt in an apartment we’ve shared for five years and you haven't used your own bed for two of those.”  “Is this your shirt?” “Yes- that’s not the point.” “It’s a little the point, I like this shirt.” “Fuck me.” “On the breakfast table?” “We only have one table, you fucking- stop it.”  “Stop what?” “BONNET”

-They do eventually agree that they have an informal, sort-of relationship. Nothing anyone is taking seriously.They will continue to date other people. 

-Stede shows at smaller indy shows. Then slightly bigger indy shows. Then he and Izzy write out a business plan and with all the optimistic energy only Stede can summon, he starts to look for investors. And gets them. His brand launches out of their apartment. The entire business is Stede, one part-time fashion student and Izzy. Izzy does not sew, but by now he’s experienced in a few aspects of business thanks to be very useful to his bosses. He can do the paperwork. 

-Thus supported, and with a gorgeous art piece by Mary for a logo, his work goes into two or three boutiques. Then four. Then ten. Then fifteen. Then a small bougie chain picks them up. And they can’t run it out of the apartment anymore. Izzy is doing Stede’s business more than his own job.  Stede opens an actual office with a workshop space. 

-”I want you to work with me.”  “Fuck off. I’m not your assistant, Bonnet.” “I said with not, for, you asshole. Be my business partner.” “Not qualified for that shit.” “Yes, yes you are. We’ll have to sign a contract and other things, but you do half the work. You should make half the profits.” 

-Izzy hates a lot about the fashion world, but Stede does most of the bits he doesn't like. Izzy stays behind the scenes and tries to keep Stede from accidentally bankrupting them. He’s got a generous heart and very ridiculous ideas. Izzy's heart is a stone and his ruthless practicality grows the business almost as much as Stede's designs.

-They keep living together. Why not? At least it’s someone who knows how you like your coffee or  tea in the morning. And the sex is pretty good.

-They go out to a local gay bar one night. They’re in their late-thirties. Mary is pregnant and most of the other people they know seem to be settling down.  

-There’s a person at the bar with long curly hair and the right kind of smile. 

-”I will not arm wrestle you over this, you utter pig.”  “Saw ‘em first then.”  “That is not how we handle things.”  “Please fucking tell me how we handle anything. I’d love to know if there were fucking rules to this chaos.”  

“Gentleman,” Eddy interrupts. “Both of you can buy me a drink. I’m thirsty as hell.” 

-The thing is that Stede takes Eddy home and Izzy is fine with it. Stede’s dated before. Dated people Izzy thought were attractive before. But this is different. There’s less room suddenly. The apartment that they’ve shared for fifteen years becomes smaller somehow. Izzy is always walking in on something or tripping over someone’s feet. Witnessing people fall in love in front of him in real time with no escape.

-He moves out. He has the money. He still sees Stede every damn day and they still eat lunch together, supposedly to talk business, but they talk about almost everything but. Mary has her baby and Izzy is informed he’s an uncle if he likes it or not. So he’s got a baby that he visits and a best friend and his business partner that he’s no longer fucking. He’s got a good life, okay? 

-He’s not sad. He’s not resentful. Maybe. Sometimes. He’s a little itty bitty bit jealous. Because Eddy is gorgeous and mean and funny. And Stede is more everything with them then he ever was with Izzy. It's like he's become the person he's always wanted to be.

-Izzy has Alma with him one day. Babysitting, because what else is he doing on a weekend? Might as well. She’s strapped to his chest, facing out and obviously being very charming as women keep smiling at him like he’s performing some kind of miracle instead of grocery shopping. There’s a guy by the melons. Young, cute. With another guy. They’re clearly together and having a very adorable time about cantaloupes or some shit. 

-”Hey,” the cute one said as he went by. “You or that baby know how tell when one of these is ripe?”  Izzy picked up a melon and tapped, handing it to him with a nod, “Tap this and listen, you want it to make this kind of sound, that’ll tell you. Baby knows fuck all except out to pull out hair.”  “She’s cute for a hair puller.”  The other man laughed, “you would know, Luc.” “Shut up, sweetie.”  

-Izzy leaves, but it’s his local grocery store and he runs into the couple or just the cute guy on his own a few more times. The cute guy is...flirting. Definitely. And he does it in front of the other guy.   

-”Mysterious,” Eddy laughed at him as he tried to get Stede’s opinion on the problem. “You’re a fucking silver fox, Iz. Guy just wants a piece and clearly his partner doesn’t give a damn.” 

-Izzy is not a silver fox. He’s got less silver than Eddy. But. He’s had a dry period, ok? Fucking Stede reliably had made him a little lazy about finding new people or something.

-He tentatively flirts back next time and the cute guy (“I’m Lucius, by the way, watch the teeth around my neck, I’ve got a day job.”) responds hard. 

-Mary, Stede and Eddy demand details. Demand to meet him, but Izzy holds back for weeks. Months. It’s the first thing he’s had to himself in years and he feels protective of it. But one can’t hold out forever.  Of course they all like him, Lucius fits into their little horror show of a group as if he was born to be there. 

-And the thing is that Lucius teaches Izzy a lot about how relationships can work and that you only get the things that you ask for.

-So he gets Stede alone one night, and he, very painfully and only after a few shots of bravery, just asks. And Stede kisses him the way only Stede knows how to do. It’s a teenage kiss in it’s own way, messy and rich with memory. 

-It’s a long negotiation. A complicated dance, but Izzy’s good at keeping plans and keeping track.  He wears her ring around his neck, Lucius’ cuff around his wrist, Stede’s fashion wherever the man is moved to put it and Eddy’s mark on his neck (“Not the fucking face, I’m a business man, for fuck’s sake.” “Yeah, no one here cares.” “I care”) and he’s about as marked as a man can be.

-and sometimes, when he's finally alone as he still is sometimes, he takes out a sketchpad and he draws a few things. cartoons of a group of kids, falling into each other and the right time.

[letsdiscoverkitty]

Hey Kitty. I'm sorry to bother, I know everybody is coming to with all things University etc. so I hope you don't mind me jumping on the bandwagon. Could you possibly tell me about your experience with moving in day/Freshers week? What kind of activities were on and how did you find your flatmates? I'm very nervous, I'm 21 so hearing how you got on might help me feel a bit more prepared. Thanks for your help! Can't wait to hear all about your University adventures :)

Hey there, of course I don’t mind you asking, I love getting asked questions (especially non-ED related ones!). I am no expert on the Uni process but having gone through a fresher’s/move in, I might be able to shed a little light on what it might involve. Firstly I just want to say that I know you are worried about going and being ‘older’ however I can promise you that there will be many others who are the same or older - that’s the great thing about Uni, there are people from all different backgrounds and no one cares about your age. If I think back to the flat that I was in in York, I was 19 at the time (so I will be 22 this time around), and there were 12 of us and I think, if I am remembering rightly there were 3 or 4 18year olds, 2 of us were 19, then a few were 21 and then there were at least 5 that were over 21! As for how did we get on? there were a few international students who were not as sociable however in general we all got on quite well, I got on particularly well with one girl. We were all on different courses so that was nice too. Twelve was a lot for one flat but it was a huge flat with a massive kitchen that also had a sofa and TV, dinning table and breakfast bar (sadly I think this was pure luxury and from what I saw at Bristol is not the same across the board)

Okay so moving in, from memory I think we had to book a slot for the day that I was given for my move in (each college at York had different move in days to stagger it). I actually got an email from Bristol today telling me that when accommodation is allocated and accepted in late August, you will be able to book a time slot for the day/time that your residence is having move in (it usually happens over a weekend, with international students moving in a bit beforehand). When I arrived we had to queue a little but when we were next in line two or three of the second/third years that were helping out helped me unload my bits and bobs with my parents whilst I went to register at the little desk they had and I was given my ‘welcome pack’ which had my key card in as well as the freshers wrist band I had bought in advance and general bits and bobs about the halls/fresher’s week. Oh and a T shirt :) As I now had my key we all managed to lug all of my belongings up to my flat (I had a top floor flat but it was only 5 stores tall and we were lucky enough to be on the side of the block that had the elevator!). So I put my bits in my room and a few of my other flat mates were arriving so I said hello and then my parents took me out for lunch and to do a food shop/help to get the staples in as it was quite a way to the nearest supermarket. On return I think everyone had now “moved in” and we met with our STYC (second/third year that was assigned to our flat) who talked to us about what to expect from the next few days and tell us what he would do with us etc. That night we had a very quiet first evening and our college (York worked in colleges) hosted a little meet and greet with a DJ in a marquee. Most people were very tired and overwhelmed on this first day so hardly anyone stayed out late, although there were of course a few who did. 

As for the fresher’s week, we had a general timetable that told us what was going on and where (welcome talks, fire safety etc) as well as particular times to go to our new departments to register and pick up key materials/meet staff and students. Other than that we were free to explore and do what we wanted. In the evening we had scheduled ‘typical’ fresher’s evening things. For us this was again done by colleges and some nights the college’s would both have one of the events together to help people to mix. From memory we had a night club underground where you had to dress up as an animal, a toga party, a ‘black tie’ night at revolution, a bar crawl, a night of fireworks/theme park (think coconut shies) ...Personally I had quite a nice experience of freshers, we had a good mix of people in our flat and our STYC was the best. There was hardly any pressure to drink (I rarely drink so maybe had one or two?) and there were a few nights when some of us chose to stay in because we were so tired haha so we missed the bar crawl and the one that was the night after that. I think there is a lot of pressure put on people around fresher’s especially  when ‘everyone’ says that fresher’s is all about the drinking etc and yes there is that element of that, but there are people who don’t want to drink or don’t drink much and there are loads of things for them to do (adding to the fresher’s week I think we had a games night one night when there was also a silent disco going on). 

Other day activities I can remember included the fresher’s fair (where you literally sign your life away to every single society and end up getting millions of emails!) which is good fun, as well as little things run by your department. The first week is about everyone kind of settling in, getting to know a new city and people and ‘finding your feet’. I am not going to lie I was terrified! however it was so much better than I thought it would be and it was fine :) I hope this helps calm your nerves a little? I know every uni will be different so maybe, if you felt like it might help, you could do a little online check to see what they are offering or what they have done in past years. Your Uni will contact you with details a bit nearer the time, and will keep you well informed :) If you feel worried about any of it I would definitely send an email to the relevant department. Anyway, I hope this helped a little and I am wishing you the very best with your uni experience. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, it will honestly be okay and you can do as much or as little as you want to. Take care xx

[theactor007]

So I need to rant again cause my tolerance is out the window. So little while ago I posted about my shift lead who was lazy and got away with everything. Well guess who got a FUCKING PROMOTION! Yep, you guessed it. Ms. Lazy herself. She is now a co manager for the store which means she makes as much as the AGM. The same AGM who busts her ass to keep the store running, the same AGM, who goes above and beyond for her staff, actually gives a damn. The same one who keeps the store running. Who cared when my we put down my dog. Who bought a coworker a tree for her kids so they can have Christmas. So Dee becomes co-manager. Much to the chagrin of literally everyone. So fast forward today. It's been a long add night with the club having an event, lot of stuff going on, etc. One of our duties is to make breakfast sandwiches. They have to be done by the time the manager gets there to open the store. It's all fine and good, but it's easier when you don't have to worry about guests or etc. Because the manager is there to run the register while you finish up. Well they have to be there by 5. (4 if your the gm). But hey guess who coming in? FORTY ONE MINUTES LATER, she finally walks in. No calls, no texts, nothing to say hey I'm on the way. I finally called round 5:30 cause you know the hell? If I were to do that, I'd have a write up waiting for me on the clock in computer. Like you're a fucking manager for Christ's sake. Fucking act like one. Lazy ass. This is the last straw. I'm done with this hell. I'm done busting my ass every night to get shit. I'm gonna apply at wawa. They said they were hiring. It'll be a ten minute bike ride. I'll save enough for a car. And maybe an apartment. But I'm not staying at my current job. Fuck that.

[dragonmuse]

What do you think would happen if young Izzy and Faith met Alma's crowd? Obviously this would have to be pretty AU, timelines all over the place, I just really wanna see Faith and Alma hanging out and what Izzy would make of the everything. Bonus points for teenaged Izzy meeting Stede and hating him in a "your dad is trying way too hard to be down with the kids, it's embarassing" way.

(ok so sorry anon,but  I thought about this a lot and the timeline thing kept screwing me up and then I just had another thought that I decided to pursue. Instead of Alma, what if Stede and Mary collided with Izzy and Faith? They were all about the same age after all and maybe...) 

“Is this Roosevelt High?”  

The girl was polished, dark hair blown out and swept away from her forehead. Dark blazer over a crisp white t-shirt tucked into jeans that were also creased. She looked like a magazine cover. Faith crossed her hands over her chest, drawing her flannel closer around her. 

“Yeah. You looking for someone?” 

“We’re supposed to have a debate thing here?” She shifted uneasily under Faith’s gaze. “In the auditorium. Right, Stede?” 

Faith hadn’t even noticed the guy, who couldn’t have looked more out of place if he’d tried Khakis, polo shirt, sweater tied diagonal over his chest and a wave to his blond hair that might’ve been ironed too. He was in the girl’s shadow, lingering behind her like he might disappear. 

“Right,” he offered quietly.  

“I’ll show you,” Faith decided. She had to go back into the building anyway and get the textbook she’d forgotten. And eventually to collect Izzy, who had landed himself in detention for the umpteenth time. “Come on.” 

“I’m Mary,” the girl said as she kept pace with her. “That’s Stede.” 

“Faith.” 

“Thank you, Faith,” Mary said politely. “We tried to ask a few people, but no one would talk to us.” 

“Yeah, cause it looks like you got spit out of Preps R Us. The preps don’t hang out on the steps, especially not once school lets out and they definitely don’t waste time talking to the wastoids that do.” 

“Oh,” Mary laughed. “Did you hear that Stede? We look preppy.” 

“Of course we do,” Stede sighed. “Can’t look preppy enough for our school, too preppy for this one.” 

“You don’t look preppy enough?” Faith asked incredulously. 

“We go to Hopkins,” Mary said, like that was an explanation. 

“Where’s that?” 

“It’s a private school,” Stede got ahead and opened the door for her. That was nice. Weird, but nice. “Notoriously snobby. Mary and I are generally considered...undesirables.” 

“Losers,” Mary corrected. 

“Yeah?” Faith laughed. “Me too. But I’ve never ironed my jeans.” 

“My mother does it,” Mary pulled a face. “It’s terrible, isn’t it?” 

“I like it,” Stede said with a loyalty that Faith could respect. “You look very smart. What do they know?” 

“Sorry,” Faith said into the ensuing quiet. “You do look really nice. I love your blazer.” 

“I love your dress,” Mary smiled and it wasn’t mean or mocking at all. “And your boots.” 

“Thanks, my boyfriend got me the boots.” They were Docs and Izzy had definitely stolen them, but it totally counted and they were badass. 

“Faith!” A call came down the hall. 

“Speak of the devil,” she grinned and turned on her heel. “I thought you were locked up for another hour.” 

“Slipped the noose.” Izzy strode toward them and Stede took an instinctive step back. Annoying, but hard to blame him. Izzy just moved with menace, he didn’t really have another speed. “Who the fuck are they?” 

“This is Mary and Stede. Just showing them the way to the auditorium.” She leaned in for a kiss and he gave it with a grin. 

“Saint Faith, leading the lost?” he teased. 

“Fuck off,” she pushed at him with a laugh. “Come on, it’ll just take a minute. Guys, this is Israel.” 

“Nice to meet you, Israel,” Mary said quietly. 

“Call me Izzy.” Izzy gave her a look. “What’s with the paint?” 

Faith hadn’t noticed, but Mary did have flecks of paint on her hands and a few on her shirt now that Faith was looking for it. 

“She’s an artist,” Stede said staunchly as if he was daring Izzy to make something of it. Faith winced because Izzy would love to make something of it. 

“Yeah? What kind of art?” Izzy said instead of jumping the guy so that was good. 

“Oh, I paint abstracts and landscapes,” Mary’s enthusiasm was clear. “Sometimes surrealism, whatever I can try.” 

“She’s good,” Stede put in.  

“Huh,” Izzy glanced at Faith. “That’s-” 

“He draws sometimes,” Faith tattled on him without hesitation as she headed down the hall. “He’s good too, but he won’t take an art class cause he’s stubborn.” 

“Faith,” Izzy growled and caught her around the waist. “Quit.” 

“No. You should show people more. It’s good. You do those cool cartoons all the time.” 

“I love cartooning,” Mary said enthusiastically.  “It’s hard to get the forms right.” 

“It’s just doodles.” He shrugged.  

“That’s how it starts.” Stede snorted. “She doodled in the margins so much that they bounced her out of Biology and put her in an art class.” 

“I left of my own volition, Bonnet.” 

“Volition,” Izzy repeated with a hint of a sneer and Faith elbowed him in the ribs. 

“I hated bio,” Faith offered. 

“The worst,” Mary agreed. “Chem is better.” 

“Yeah, it’s mostly math.” 

“You like math too?” Steded asked faintly. “Help. I’m surrounded.” 

“Not into numbers?” Izzy snorted. 

“No. We don’t get along,” Stede said breezily. “Lucky for me Mary is a good tutor.” 

“We do an exchange. He gets math help, I get someone else to read the horrible books they assign us and write my essays.” 

“Huh, you wanna write my English essays?” Izzy asked her. 

“Your funeral,” Faith laughed. “Not like I’m any better than you.” 

“You use nicer words.”

“Sweet, but still no.”

“You two are cute,” Mary laughed.  

“Are not,” they said at the same time. 

“How long have you been dating?” Stede asked. 

“A year,”  Faith frowned. “More than a year.” 

“Year and a half in three weeks,” Izzy offered. 

“Huh, yeah that sounds right.” 

“Wow,” Mary whistled. “That’s a long time. We’ve been going out for like three months.” 

“Oh,” Faith blinked. “You’re dating?” 

“Yes?” Mary frowned. “Do we not look like we are?” 

Considering they had been talking about ten feet away from each other and seemed about as warm as an ice cube. No. No, they did not. 

“What do I know, we just met,” Faith smiled. “Here’s the auditorium.” 

Stede went and tugged at the door. Locked. 

“I swear it said today,” he frowned. “Didn’t it?” 

“That’s what I thought.” Mary unzipped her little purse, rustling through it. “Mr. Vree was pretty clear about it.” 

“What’re they here for again?” Izzy asked. 

“Debate club thing.” 

Izzy let go of her waist to tug a flyer off the wall, “Hey, geniuses. This your debate thing?” 

Stede took the flyer, read it over and sighed. “Darn.” 

“Darn,” Izzy repeated flatly. “What are you, six?” 

“Mary, look at this,” Stede handed her the flyer, ignoring Izzy entirely. Bold move. 

“Oh no,” she groaned. “Next Thursday? How did we miss that?” 

“We can get the subway back. What a nuisance.” 

“Ugh, I’m starving too. I was really counting on some pizza.” Mary stuck the flyer back up. 

“Come out with us,” Faith offered. Izzy made a soft choking noise. “We were just going to get something to eat. Right, Israel?” 

“Yeah,” he said, resigned. “Sure.” 

Which was how they wound up in their usual booth, but instead of facing each other, Faith and Izzy pressed up together on one side and watched in mutual amusement as Stede and Mary attempted to share the small space on the other side without actually touching each other. 

It might’ve been awkward, except Stede had apparently never learned about awkwardness and just asked Izzy like it was totally normal thing to ask him, 

“So how did you decide on Faith?” 

Faith very diligently did not look at him, not wanting to influence how Izzy answered. 

“She decided on me,” Izzy replied, arm going around the back of the booth, effectively around her shoulders. “And I’m smart enough to know a good thing when it’s on offer.” 

“That’s...romantic,” Stede decided. “Isn’t it Mary?” 

“Certainly more romantic than shaking on it.” 

“Listen,” Stede paled. “I just thought it made sense at the moment.” 

“You shook hands on dating?” Faith blinked. 

“We kissed later,” Mary rushed to say. Then flushed a deep pink. "We were in public."

“Of course, that makes total sense.” Faith assured her like she and Izzy didn't routinely make out pressed against the lockers.

“In any case,” Stede cleared his throat. “It’s all worked out now. Just two normal couples in a normal place.”

“Where did you people come from?” Izzy stared at them.

“Prep school,” Mary said wryly. “Not the moon, no matter what Stede sounds like, I promise.” 

“What are we supposed to be talking about then?” Stede asked like he was actually baffled. 

“Dunno,” Faith said, feeling a bit bad for him. “Iz’s friends talk shit about each other and run their mouths. My friends talk about their grades or boys.” 

“It’s not all shit,” Izzy said half-heartedly. “Sometimes it’s baseball.” 

“Do you like baseball?” Stede asked.

“Fuck no. Boring ass game.” 

“You go to movies a lot?” Faith asked Mary. 

“Sometimes. I liked Clueless a lot.” 

“It was kind of great,” Faith grinned at her and they were off the races. 

It turned out that Stede did not get out of the house much, but had a lot of opinions about B-movies that Izzy viciously disagreed with. They got a little loud, but they both seemed to be having a good time about it, so Faith left them to it. It was kind of nice to see Izzy talk to someone that wasn’t her or one of his gang.

Mary was fascinating. She was definitely rich though she wasn’t talking about it, and polished in a way that Faith couldn’t hope for. But she was also funny and sweet. She liked the same kinds of things Faith did, except for music maybe. By the time they’d destroyed a few pizza slices, they were leaning their heads together so Faith could see Mary’s sketches as Izzy tried to pretend he wasn’t equally interested.  

“Hey, Mary,” Stede said quietly. “Your curfew.” 

“Oh damn,” she looked up at the clock. “Shit, shit, shit.” 

“We can make it if we leave now,” he said sincerely and in the first tender move Faith had seen from him, he reached out and gently touched her wrist. “Promise.” 

“Thanks,” she exhaled shakily. 

“Here,” Faith said impulsively, taking up Mary’s pencil and writing quickly. “That’s my number. Don’t call after eight, my dad is a total fucking asshole about it, but we should hang again.” 

“We should,” Mary smiled shyly at her. “Thanks. It was really cool to meet you.” 

“You too.” 

Then they were on their feet. Whatever distance was between Mary and Stede before disappeared now that they had a common goal. They moved as one, conferring over subway lines and walking briskly out the door. 

“They were cool,” Faith said mildly. 

“He’s a total nerd,” Izzy snorted, but he was following them with his eyes too. “Think they know how to get home?” 

“They seem okay,” she frowned. “Think they know how to avoid getting jumped?” 

“Absoutly the fuck not.” He glanced at her. 

“We can just stay behind them,” she decided, sliding out of the booth. “Just to make sure. No need to get weird about it.” 

Stede and Mary did make it onto the right subway car without clocking their tail. And a few days later, Mary did call. 

There was no reason to be friends with them. It was far away and hard to plan where to meet and sometimes the culture clash was so hard that Faith felt it in the roots of her teeth. The four of them were just very stubborn, she thought, unwilling to let go of a spark of connection in  a sea of loneliness.

Izzy never complained about heading out to the center of a part of the city that seemed to physically reject them. Just put on his cleanest t-shirts and read whatever book Stede had thrust on him so he could argue bitterly with him about it. 

And Faith and Mary confided so much in each other that it felt religious. Confession and care wrapped into one. 

Imagine a museum, full of art. A tough kid with a shock of black hair lingering in front of a painting while a girl in a blazer tells him about the artist. On the bench in the middle of the room, a red headed girl wrapped in flannel has a textbook open as she explains equations to a boy wearing loafers and a bemused expression.  

Imagine that after the museum, the tough kid teaches the kid in loafers how to climb a fence and pick a lock. They all spend a long night on a playground, telling secrets on the swings. It’s a cold night, but none of them feel it, warmed by the quickfire fellowship of a friendship that never was.