#or am i getting lurked on and someone accidentally hit the reply button. who knows

[viewmonster-deactivated20230122]

hey i got a ghost reply on one of my posts is it all good in there mutuals. I didnt mean to make the text really big but i guess this is how the post looks now

[kusunogatari]

[ ObiRyū October | Day Twenty-Two: Shopping ] [ @abyssaldespair ] [ Uchiha Obito, Suigin Ryū ] [ Verse: Pretty in Pictures ] [ Previous || Next ]

Slouched on a bench, Obito sits and spins a loose thread from his current attire. It’s been a while since he updated his wardrobe...he’s had more pressing expenses for quite some time.

Of course, rather recently, the most urgent of them has completely disappeared. And thanks to the rather obvious clue left along with the payment made to his account at the hospital, he came to learn he had Ryū to blame for that. She’d claimed it to be a thank-you for his accidental saving of her life that night on the bridge. And though Obito had tried to insist he repay her, she refused...quite adamantly. Though he’d attempted to keep his ties to Itachi and the rest of his family from her, she’d come to question him about it, finding the bill on his entryway table.

Which wasn’t in any way her fault. It was right there in the open, and maybe he didn’t really mind her seeing it. What he did mind was her paying the hefty bill off completely. No strings attached. Apparently she’d been even further motivated by the lack of pity or help from the rest of his family.

The more she learns, the more she seems to be questioning her attachment to dear cousin Itachi. First came her realization that her money and fame as a model was what really caught his attention. Then her rash attempt at suicide...which Obito saved her from without even meaning to. And with his subtle worming into her life in order to usurp any facet of Itachi’s stupid, perfect life...she’s been slowly changing her tune.

Which was all well and good. Obito is no short of jealous of his cousin. That side of the family got all the money, the fortune, the good graces. When Obito has his accident, spent months in the hospital...did they even call? Offer a scrap of help?

...can you blame him for being bitter?

So, after meeting Ryū, he decided to take her uncertainty and just...urge it on a bit. Maybe Obito can’t take Itachi’s good looks or political career or his money...but he can sabotage his relationship. Which, he’ll admit, is mostly done out of vindictiveness...but also because Ryū doesn’t deserve to be treated that way.

...she’s already proven how selfless she is.

Which is why Obito has to be very...careful. Ryū is a sweet, kind, and admittedly beautiful girl. The fact that she’s even noticed him is surprising enough. But even beyond her debt of gratitude, she’s been befriending him! Actually wanting to spend time with him! Him! A wrong-side-of-the-tracks sort of guy. No money, no fame, with a bum leg and a scarred visage. But none of that seems to phase her.

...which is why he’s been attempting to squash a hint of a crush he seems to be forming. He tells himself he’s just lonely. He’s just...clinging onto her kindness. Thinks she’s pretty. He didn’t want to steal her from Itachi, just...break them up! Free her, and make him miserable! A relationship isn’t what he needs.

He...he doesn’t…

Heaving a sigh, he ducks further into himself, shoulders hunching into his sweatshirt. He’s actually currently waiting for her to meet him. She said she wanted to visit, and he gets embarrassed having her at his place, so...hence asking if they could do so elsewhere. What they’re actually going to do, he has no idea. But it’s a little after the time she said she’d be here, and she’s usually so prompt…

A tickle of worry blooms in his gut. Surely she’s just a bit waylaid, but...what if something happened? Should he call her? What if -?

“Obito!”

Startling, he looks over to see her jogging up to him. Dressed in a thick grey sweater dress, she’s got black tights and flat knee-high boots on as she waves to him. “...hey.”

“I’m so sorry, traffic was a nightmare - there was an accident a few streets from my apartment. You haven’t been waiting too long, have you?”

He shrugs. “Nah.” In truth...he was here twenty minutes early, a bit nervous of being late. Add in the time she’s late, and it’s...been a while. But he doesn’t want her feeling bad. Especially since her sheepish smile betrays she really is worried about it. “...‘sides, it’s a nice day. Good to be out of the house.”

That gets her to brighten, and Obito smothers the little jump in his chest at the sight. “Oh, okay! Yes, I love Fall...it’s my favorite season!” Her arms lift, giving a little grin as she shows off her outfit. “”Give me a pumpkin spice latte, and I’d be a poster girl for it, right?”

That earns a small chuckle. “You mean you haven’t done a shoot like that before?”

She pauses. “...actually...I have!” A laugh soon follows, and darn it there goes his chest again… “But that’s not why I’m here!”

“Then...why are you here?”

Mischief glints in her eyes. “Come on, I wanna take you somewhere.”

“...uh -?”

“It’s nothing bad, I promise. I’m parked right over here!”

After a pause, Obito gets up and follows, sliding into the passenger seat of her little silver car. “...you’re not going to tell me?”

“Not until we get there...I don’t want you bailing on me.”

“I thought you said it wasn’t bad?”

“It’s not! But I have a feeling I know how you’re going to react, so...it’s a surprise!” she insists with a little nod, pulling off the curb and back into traffic.

That makes him squint suspiciously. “...now what are you going to try to pay for?”

All she does in response is stick out her tongue, and he groans. “No trying to escape.” A finger pushes the door lock button, earning a snort. “You’re my friend, aren’t you?”

Something about the question makes his chest tighten. “...I think I don’t have much choice.”

“Well, friends do nice things for each other. So...shush.”

“When am I going to be able to do something nice for you?”

“You have!”

“...besides the bridge thing.”

“You still have.” At his perked brow in question, she replies, “...it’s been a long time since I’ve had a real friend. Someone who doesn’t...want something from me. Uses me. That, to me, is enough.”

...his stomach twists in guilt. In a way...isn’t he using her? His scheming to get at Itachi is relying on her leaving him, putting ideas in her head...would she be angry if she found out? It’s still partly for her benefit! But…

“...anyway, we’re almost there, so...just be patient. I’ll only torture you for a little while, I promise.” She pulls off and...into the mall parking lot? Once they park and head inside, she pulls him into a clothing store. Nothing extremely high end, but...still spiffier than anything Obito owns.

His heels dig in. “No...no, you’re not buying me clothes…!”

“Why not?”

“I have clothes!”

Ryū gives him a gentle look. “Obito...they’re falling apart.”

“You already -!”

“I know that! But you said it yourself: it’s my money, and I should use it on things that make me happy. And helping you makes me happy,” she sniffs stubbornly. “I could get more for myself, but work means I already have a full closet. C’mon, Obito...for me?”

His shoulders hunch again with a scowl. He doesn’t want to owe her even more than he already does…! She insists he doesn’t, but he’s not about to let her generosity go unrepaid. “...you could donate the money instead.”

Her expression flattens, pouting. “...if you don’t pick something, I’ll pick it for you, and you’ll be stuck with it!”

A bit of color sparks in his cheeks. So, what...he’s a doll for her to dress up, now? Part of him stubbornly insists he should be insulted, but...he knows well enough that’s not her intention. She really is just trying to be nice. Besides...maybe with some new threads, he’ll have better luck trying to pick up jobs… “...all right, fine. But this is going on my IOU tab.”

“You don’t owe me -!”

“Not listening,” he cuts in, walking past her into the store. At least nothing in here is stupidly expensive...he’d riot. But then again, she likely thought of that: that he’d feel uncomfortable in a place like that. He’s not his cousins.

For a while he just...awkwardly shuffle around, perusing as Ryū looks over things on her own. Then he grabs a shirt...and then some pants...and a few more things...until he has a whole armload, much to his dismay.

“Try them on!” Ryū insists, urging him to the changing rooms. “I want to see!”

Flushed and flustered, he awkwardly switches between wardrobes, earning smiles and thumbs-up each time.

“Get them all!”

“But -?”

“And look again, you might’ve missed something! Oh, and some shoes, too!”

Cut off in his retorts, he lets her steer him back into the racks, almost feeling like a kid being taken school clothes shopping by an overly-excited mother. A few more things join the pile, and Ryū seems to consider if he needs anything else.

“This is plenty,” he persists through clenched teeth, making her laugh.

“Okay, okay!” Still looking amused at his embarrassment, Ryū takes their selection to the counter and makes to pay as Obito lurks beside her.

As he checks their things, the cashier looks to the clothes, to Obito, and then to Ryū, expression clearly quizzical. Then a thought seems to click, and he busies himself almost hurriedly, avoiding their eyes.

Frowning, Obito mulls it over for a moment before the same thought hits him like a train, face exploding into color.

She looks like his sugar mama!

About-facing and mortified, he tries to fight the heat in his face as Ryū finishes up, hefting a few bags. “...Obito?”

“Heh?”

“Are you all right?”

“Fine! Er...fine. Just remembered I’ve got some...errands to run.”

“...oh! Want me to drive you?”

“No! No, that’s...that’s fine. I should head home first.”

Head tilting curiously, Ryū shrugs, accepting as he gestures to take the bags. “Well...we’ve got you some fresh clothes, and now I’m happy!”

“...thank you.”

She beams. “You’re welcome.”

The pair grab some quick lunch in the food court (which Obito insists on paying for), chatting leisurely amidst the crowds. A few people seem to stop and stare, recognizing the model from a distance but not daring to get closer with Obito sitting with her.

...and he can’t help a few subtle, warning glares whenever Ryū isn’t looking. She’s just out minding her own business, for Pete’s sake. Leave her alone!

“Well...anything else you want to do?”

“No, I...I better get home.”

“Okay…” Ryū sighs. “Well, at least it was a nice morning off.”

That gets him to pause. She...wants to be with him more? But he already told her he’s got errands...he doesn’t want her buying him anything else! “Uh...well, we’ll have to do something else soon. But no more shopping sprees.”

That earns a giggle, her mood (and his) perking back up. “Okay! I really do feel a lot better knowing you’ll have some better clothes, especially as the weather gets colder.” A warm smile lifts her lips. “You’ll have to wear some next time!”

“...yeah…”

They drive back to his apartment building, Ryū insisting on taking him to his door despite his refute. “Just to make sure you get in okay,” is her reason.

After a bit of thought, he realizes she likely knows he’s liable to be robbed with his arms full of stuff if he goes alone, trying to juggle his keys to the door. But once he sets things down, he shoos her off. His place is a bit of a mess, she doesn’t need to see it!

“I had fun today,” Ryū offers earnestly.

“Yeah...me too. You really didn’t have to -”

She cuts him off with a finger to her lips, winking. “No takebacksies! You’re stuck with it, I’m afraid.”

He just sighs.

“Well...guess I’ll see you around, huh?”

“Yeah. Take care, okay?”

“I will...and you too, Obito.” Giving him one last smile, she turns and heads back out, Obito moving to a window to let him see her get safely in her car and pulling away.

For a moment, he just stands and smiles, replaying the morning over in his mind. It really was fun...even if also embarrassing. But his pride can take a hit or two.

Turning back to his apartment, however...he slowly wilts as the silence seems to ring. Well...he better get those clothes washed and hung up. Besides...he has to pick out an outfit for next time.

     Sooo, this is a random snippet that's not necessarily "canon" in the Pretty in Pictures verse! There's a chapter up on this account, and also another snippet (from later on in the story) on the RP blog...which isn't posted here because it's gonna be in the fic later. I just had to write it out at some point cuz it was driving me nuts xD      ANYWAY, just Ryū bein' Ryū and spoiling her new /friend/...x3 At least, she thinks they're friends. Obito is having second thoughts, lol - she's still technically with Itachi at this point, and she's not the cheatin' type, so to her it's still 100% platonic. But that'll change later ;3c      But uhhh...yeah! That's all for today lol - thanks for reading!

[melacka]

A Blacklist Secret Santa!

Well hello there, @elizabethkween! A very merry Christmas from your Blacklist Secret Santa! Sending good wishes and holiday cheer to you and yours! (And also apologies for being a little late. My bad.)

So, I went looking through your blog and found some posts mentioning your love of AUs, so I have written you a Lizzington AU fic. I hope it meets with your approval!

Title: Chance

Summary: When Liz is stood up for a blind date she didn't even want to have, a passing stranger comes to her rescue.

You can find it here on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17154818

Or keep reading below...

Liz glanced at her watch furtively and sighed. She didn’t know how much longer she could wait it out. It was already getting to Desperate Loser levels on the pathetic scale, and she had been avoiding the waiter’s eye for the last 15 minutes. She couldn’t believe this was happening. She’d finally caved to the pressure of her colleague and agreed to this blind date. Meera had assured her that she’d known this guy for years and was absolutely convinced that they’d hit it off. She’d told Liz that he was cute, charming, funny. That he was a school teacher with no known criminal record, good credit rating, fantastic with kids, blah blah blah. It was just a pity that punctual couldn’t be added to that list. He was now nearly half an hour late. Liz had been through some pretty bad experiences in her recent romantic life, sure, but being publicly stood up by a blind date that she hadn’t even wanted to go on was a new low for her.

She accidentally caught the waiter’s eye and smiled confidently at him, groaning internally when he took this as an invitation to come over.

“Ma’am, are you expecting the rest of your party soon?” he said in a low, sympathetic tone that instantly enraged her. “It’s just that we’re rather busy and—”

“I’m so sorry I’m late!”

Liz looked up in shock at the man taking the seat opposite her. It definitely wasn’t her date. Liz had never met this Tom guy, but she’d seen pictures before and this man looked nothing like him. He smiled apologetically at her as the waiter made polite apologies and backed away.

“Traffic was murder and I believe I went to the wrong address,” he continued blithely. “I mean, what are the chances that there is a restaurant with almost the exact same name two streets over? Of all the luck!”

“Uh—” Liz said blankly.

“Just play along,” he said, leaning forward and dropping his voice to a whisper. “We can both leave in five minutes if you like. Let’s just make a decent showing of it for now, hmm?”

Liz made an effort to smooth her face into an expression of polite interest and leaned forward as well.

“It’s not that I don’t appreciate the theatrics and misdirection,” she whispered hurriedly, “and I am grateful for the intervention with the waiter, believe me. So, I hope you don’t think I’m being rude or anything, but who the hell are you?”

“I’m Raymond, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you?” Liz said incredulously. “Are you serious?”

“Well, I haven’t spent enough time with you yet to know if it will actually turn out nice, but I am an optimist by nature.”

“I don’t understand—”

“I passed by this restaurant approximately half an hour ago and happened to notice you sitting alone. And then when I walked by again just now, I saw you still alone and, if you will forgive me for saying so, looking quite miserable.”

“What?”

“Oh yes, quite miserable. I thought that I would come in and help you find your way through. Whoever was meant to be coming tonight probably wasn’t worth your time anyway.”

Liz glanced down at the table and bit her lip, deep in thought. She couldn’t decide if the man had been incredibly sweet or incredibly creepy by doing that. Who crashes someone else’s blind date, for god’s sake? On the other hand, he had turned up just in time to prevent her from having to slink away and never come back to this restaurant again. She quite liked this restaurant, she hadn’t wanted to follow through on that particular self-imposed ban.

“So,” the waiter said, having returned while Liz contemplated her life choices, “are we ready to order?”

“Just give us one moment, please,” Liz said, glancing up and meeting Raymond’s eyes. “I think we’d like to choose something from the wine list first.”

“Very good, ma’am,” the waiter said, producing one from behind his back and trying to hand it to her.

“Oh no, please give it to him,” she said airily, gesturing across the table. “I’m just going to have to trust you to make the right decision.” After the waiter had disappeared again, she held her hand out across the table and waited for him to take it. “I’m Elizabeth. It’s very nice to meet you.”

* * * * *

Liz had never had a more enjoyable date in her life. She couldn’t quite believe how her evening had turned out. She’d spent the whole day dreading this experience, with good reason, as it turned out. But now, she was sitting with a charming man, doing his best to be as unobtrusively entertaining as he could be. He was handsome, articulate, witty and well-travelled. Liz still felt the faintest stirrings of suspicion in her mind at just what had caused him to come to her rescue, but she waited until they were just finishing their dessert before asking.

“What really made you come in here tonight?”

He looked surprised. Granted, he had been in the middle of a story about the Galapagos Islands when she blurted her question out, but he regained his composure quickly.

“I told you, I saw you as I passed—”

“Yes, but why did you even notice me? Why come in?”

He laughed softly at that and gestured towards her dress. She looked down at herself, confused.

“The colour of your dress caught my eye as I passed the first time,” he explained with a chuckle. “Red looks marvellous on you, did you know?”

Liz gaped at him, a little stunned.

“And as I said before, when I saw you looking so absolutely devastated as I came back again, though clearly trying to hide it, I thought that I should take a chance.”

“Take a chance? With a complete stranger?”

“Isn’t that what you were doing tonight? You hadn’t met the gentleman you were supposed to have a date with before, had you? Weren’t you taking a chance?”

“Well, I—” she stammered. “That’s different.”

“Yes, but only by a matter of degrees. I saw you and was intrigued by you. A beautiful woman like yourself is bound to draw notice, but I happened to notice—”

“That I looked miserable, I remember.”

“No, that’s not what I was going to say. I noticed that you were still here. Still willing to take a chance, even in spite of the difficulty.”

“You realised all of that as you passed by the restaurant?” Liz scoffed incredulously. “Just how long were you lurking about out there? My date could have been in the bathroom for all you know.”

He laughed again and shook his head, looking at her in a way that she could only describe as warm.

“And that was a chance I was willing to take.”

* * * * *

After a brief verbal tussle over who was paying the bill, during which Liz tried to concede graciously when she realised it was an impossible fight, they stood on the street outside of the restaurant, looking expectantly at each other.

“So—” Liz said awkwardly. “Thanks for dinner.”

“It was my pleasure.”

Liz didn’t know how to proceed at this point. She’d never been in this position before and hoped it wasn’t going to become a regular feature of her dating life. She was also starting to feel the cold, having neglected to bring a coat with her tonight.

“Let me see if I can make this easier for you, Elizabeth,” he said gently. “Thank you for a lovely evening. It has been an honour to spend time with you.” And with that, he lifted her hand gently to his lips and pressed a featherlight kiss to her knuckles. “Good night.”

He was walking away before she could react. She stared after him in shock, watching until he turned a corner and was gone. Then she sprang into action, darting after him awkwardly in her heels.

“Raymond!” Liz called out, puffing a little in the cold and she walked quickly towards him. “Wait!”

“Elizabeth? What are you doing?” His eyes widened as she got closer and he realised that she was without a coat. He immediately pulled his coat off and moved to drape it around her shoulders. “It is freezing, Elizabeth. What can have possessed you—”

Liz passively submitted to his fussing and smiled in relief when he put his coat around her, pulling it closed and doing up the buttons as he continued to scold her.

“What can have been so urgent that you needed to rush out here in the middle of winter without a coat on?”

She didn’t reply, just continued to smile at him.

“Well?” he said impatiently. “If you’ve just come to smile at me, we could have done that in the restaurant.”

“I just wanted to thank you,” Liz said in a rush. “I was in a really bad way when you came in—”

“You’re welcome,” he said distractedly, rubbing his hands up and down her arms vigorously, still trying to warm her.

“No, I mean it!”

“So do I.”

“Raymond, please,” she said desperately. “Will you let me—”

“What?”

His hands rested gently on her arms and she decided to throw caution to the wind. Taking a step closer to him, she tilted her face up to his. She hesitated and met his eyes nervously. His eyes were wide in shock and she quirked an eyebrow in question before moving in the rest of the way. She pressed her lips gently to his for a moment before pulling back to check his reaction. He hadn’t moved at all and she felt her heart sink a little. Preparing to pull away again, he clenched his hands almost painfully on her arms to arrest her movement.

“Elizabeth,” he gasped. “What—”

Emboldened somewhat, she leaned forward again. Liz pressed her lips directly to his for a teasing moment, before parting them slightly and sucking on his bottom lip gently for a second. His lips parted and a pleased little noise slipped out. Liz felt a rush of satisfaction at the sound. She wanted to hear it again. As she pulled back again to look at him and saw that his eyes had drifted closed, she felt her heartbeat speed up a little. Seeing him looking almost vulnerable like that was a surprisingly pleasant sensation. This close to him she could smell his cologne clearly and the faintest trace of alcohol on his breath. She also noticed the fine pinstripe of his shirt and the high quality of his clothes. She hadn’t even thought to look when they were inside but now, she was fascinated by everything about this man. He let out a sigh and leaned his forehead against hers, eyes still closed. She closed her eyes too and pulled her body in closer to his, pressing against his torso slightly.

“Elizabeth?” he questioned, still not moving.

“I had a really nice time tonight, Raymond,” Liz whispered, opening her eyes and tilting her head back so she could watch his face. He opened his eyes and stared curiously at her. “And I wanted to thank you.”

“Is this how you thank all of your dates?” he murmured, nuzzling his nose against hers lightly.

“No, not really. This was more a declaration of intent.”

“Oh? And just what are your intentions with me?” he asked, a smile spreading across his face irresistibly.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Liz said carelessly. “Maybe dinner, or a movie, or coffee. I just really want to kiss you again.”

“Then kiss me again,” he said quickly, leaning in closer.

Liz just shook her head and stood back, gently removing his now very cold hands from her arms.

“Why not?” he said, sounding almost pleading.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, Raymond, but I haven’t had the best luck with men lately.”

“You’re going to compare me—” he began indignantly.

“And I fully intend to kiss you again someday,” she continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “But I’ve just had the best date of my life with you, and I wasn’t even able to enjoy it.” She traced her hand down the line of his tie thoughtfully. “The build-up was all wrong. I didn’t get to feel that expectation. The butterflies in my stomach at the thought of seeing you. The delicious anticipation of when you’ll kiss me. Or wondering if I’ll get up the courage to kiss you.”

“You got up the courage tonight,” he reminded her, sounding a little flustered.

“Yes,” Liz agreed solemnly. “And I look forward to the many hours I will spend thinking about it in the future. Hence my declaration of intent.”

“You still haven’t told me what you intend,” he reminded her.

“I intend to go on another date with you, Raymond, if you are willing.”

“Willing?”

“To take a chance on me.”

He grinned at her and she felt an answering grin on her face. She pulled out the lipstick from her purse and took hold of his hand confidently. Very slowly, she traced her phone number in big red digits on his hand.

“Call me,” she said when she was done. “And we can talk more about my intentions.”

He glanced down at his hand and then back up at her, quirking an eyebrow flirtatiously.

“Besides,” she said, starting to walk away, “you’ll be wanting your coat back someday.”

[areswriting]

a x e : xx

Jason and Sophie crane their necks to look at Elise, who holds a broken plastic fork between her fingers.

“Babe?” says Jason, reaching out to touch her face. He pushes her fallen, choppy hair behind her ear. “Are you okay?”

“I think she’s a little shocked,” Sophie says. We all look at her to see her smiling, pointing her intact fork across the table at Elise. She turns the utensil on herself and looks at Jason. “The reason that voice sounds so familiar is because it’s mine.”

Jason’s mouth falls open and he turns his attention to me. “I thought you said you two weren’t together—”

“Please,” says Sophie, wrapping her arm around mine. “We all know you don’t have to be with someone to, well, you know.”

“But you said…” Jason’s voice trails as he stares between Sophie and I, his eyebrows knitted, his mouth still hanging open.

“Come on, Jase,” Sophie sighs, exasperated. “It’s not like you went and told Abe the very moment you and Elise had sex.”

My eyes dart to Elise, who looks at Sophie with a resentful glare.

“That’s because we haven’t,” Jason says. I look at him. His entire face is red, and he looks only at his half-eaten dinner.

“Aw, Elise, I’ve never known you to hold out,” Sophie says sweetly.

“Some of us don’t drop our underwear the second a boy looks at us, Sophie,” Elise says.

“Yeah,” says Jason. “Some of us want to wait for the right moment.”

Now it’s my turn to look down, ashamed.

“That’s sweet,” Sophie says, and surprisingly she sounds sincere. “I think the important question is, who recorded us.”

“I mean, that is creepy,” Jason says. “Do you guys have any idea who is might be?”

I shrug, while Sophie says, “It could be anyone.”

Then it dawns on me—there are two names written all over this.

▲ △ ▼ ▽

I leave dinner early and head straight back to my room, my eyes focused on my phone. After a few seconds of scrolling through texts, I find the thread I’m looking for—but instead of sending a message, I hit the phone icon and the line begins to trill. Once, twice, three times before you’ve reached the voice mailbox of 802-555-9811.

I end the call with haste and start typing a message.

I know it was you who sent out that recording.

Hi, I have no idea what you are talking about.

Who are you? How are you spying on me?

Lol, ok I know I’ve been mysterious but trust me, Abram, I’m not lurking in the shadows spying on you. I’m hundreds of miles away.

Why should I believe you?

Because I think deep down you know that I’m not to blame for whatever happened?

I set my jaw. As much as I want Sylvia—or whoever she is—to be responsible for the recording, a big, growing larger by the second, part of me somehow knows that she isn’t. Even if all she has ever done to me is lie, I know her, and this isn’t her style.

But it could be someone else’s.

I thumb through my contacts until I find Ellie and I press the call button with more force than necessary.

Ring.

Ring.

Ellie’s face appears on the screen and she’s rolling her eyes. “Kai, if you’re calling about Brody—”

“Ellie, I need you to be honest, did you record Elise and me…indecently?” I ask.

There is a long pause that is followed by laughter. “Do I look like Gossip Girl to you? What are you talking about?”

I study her face for tells—but I’m looking at the girl who once said; it isn’t staking, it’s called fierce journalism. She doesn’t have tells.

“I know you are angry at me over Natasha—”

“First off, don’t say that name,” Ellie says with a look of disgust. “And second, I was angry, yeah, but I’m not anymore.”

“Look, you and I both know that you’re vengeful, so if you could just admit that this was your way of getting back at me—”

“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, Kai,” says Ellie, “I haven’t seen you since you and your brother Mason—”

“Jason,” I correct her.

She rolls her eyes. “Since you and your brother Jason were here after Thanksgiving, and the only time I’ve seen you and Elise together was during that facetime call back in December.”

I go from pacing to sitting on the edge of my bed, defeated.

“What happened?” she asks. “You look worried—and is your lip cut?”

“I took a high stick at practice,” I lie. “And someone recorded Elise and I...”

“Save the gory details, I think I’m picking up what you’re putting down,” she says.

“They sent it to everyone at school,” I say.

“That is pure genius,” Ellie says fondly. “I mean—that’s terrible for you, but that’s one way of getting information on there. You have no idea who it could be?”

I shake my head. “I thought maybe it was you, you’re the only person smart enough, and had a reason to.”

“I can’t believe you think I’d actually do that to you!” Ellie says, offended.

“I can’t believe you have the audacity to think you wouldn’t,” I say back. “You made YouTube videos bashing our English teacher in the ninth grade for giving you an A minus on a paper.”

“Touche.”

▲ △ ▼ ▽

A tall girl with long, curly, strawberry blonde hair eyeballs me as she walks through the classroom. Mr. Grant greats her as she passes him and slides into the seat beside mine.

“We haven’t met yet,” says the girl after she pulls a Tootsie Pop out of her mouth. “I’m Dominique Wesley.”

“Abram,” I say, watching as she suggestively places the sucker in her mouth, then against her cheek.

“Oh, I know who you are,” she says brightly. “I think everyone does after that video. I also think that we should get together sometime.”

“Excuse you.” I look up to see Sophie glaring down at the girl beside me. “That’s my seat.”

“I don’t see your name on it,” Dominique replies. “But there are a few empty seats in the back just waiting for you.”

“I’m going to give you five seconds to get up before I—”

“Before you what?” says Dominique, “Finally move and leave Abram and I to our conversation? I’m not going anywhere, babe. But you probably should. Class is starting soon.”

Sophie’s cheeks are the color of her hair and she turns her nose up at the girl before walking around us and to the back of the classroom.

“Where were we?” she says, tilting her head. “Oh, right, you were just about to ask me out.”

I laugh because I don’t know what else to do. Girls never gave me this much attention before and I honestly don’t know what to do with it.

“Did I say something funny?” she says, eyebrows raised.

I shake my head. “No, I’m just trying to figure out why we never met before. Are you new?”

“I was taking pre-calc last semester, but I had to take it with the other freshman,” she says, rolling her eyes.

“You’re—you’re a freshman?” I say, eyes wide.

She sits up and smiles proudly. “I’ll be fifteen in March.”

My breath catches in my throat and I feel dirty enough to need a bath in bleach.

“Wow, ok,” I say. I swallow hard. “It’s uh, impressive that you’re already taking Calculus. I think I was hardly passing pre-algebra when I was fourteen.”

“I’m extremely advanced for my age,” she says, smirking. “And not just with schoolwork.”

“All right, everyone,” Mr. Grant says. “Quiet down.”

The room falls silent as he takes his place in front of us holding a stack of papers. “We’ll be having a pop-quiz today. I know, I’m awful, but the good news is, you’re free to go when you’re done.”

He counts out enough quizzes for each row of students and hands them out, face down. “You can start once you get yours and you have until the end of the period to finish it.”

I flip my paper over and get to work on the first of ten questions.

I’m only on the third question when I hear a pair of heels clicking, and I look up to see Sophie making her way to Mr. Grant’s desk. I glance around the room to see everyone else hard at work, while Sophie hands her quiz off, completed.

She winks at me as she walks across the front of the room, quietly opening the door. I want to ask how she managed to cheat—then I realize just how much everyone seems to underestimate her; she didn’t cheat. She is just scarily intelligent.

Fifteen minutes later I find myself on my feet, offering my paper to Mr. Grant, who takes it with a smile. I feel several pairs of eyes on me as I walk to the door, but I don’t dare look back—because I don’t want to see that little girl put anything else in her mouth.

▲ △ ▼ ▽

(texts Brody & Abram)

dude why is ellie so petty?

she brought me coffee to school, saying it was a peace offering. well she put salt in it instead of sugar and when i took a drink and spit it out she said oh, was that salt im sorry it was an accident, kinda like how you accidentally kissed Natasha

lmao bro she’s the queen of petty she always has been

I’m following in those petty ass footsteps because here I am passive aggressively drinking it and looking at her from across the cafeteria.

i didn’t raise no bitch. You drink that bitter AF coffee ♥

i am. wyd.

Just got out of calc, about to find somewhere to baptize myself in bleach.

did you hook up w a bootleg looking girl or st?

no dude worse i got a semi talking to this hot girl in my calc class she was deep throating a sucker and then says lol i’ll be 15 in march omg fkin gross

omg right these children are out here catfishing us in real life wtf what happened to young girls having snuggle teeth and acne?

idk but I honestly feel like I need to go to church and apologize.

lol i miss you man.

Miss you more pookie

I wasn’t gonna tell you but I’m too excited not to. I’m gonna come to your game on Saturday.

I’m mid key smash when I feel someone sit beside me on the fountain. Locking my phone, I look up and I immediately scoot away from the girl who looks at me like I’m a four-course meal and she hasn’t eaten for days.

“You know, I’m impressed with how fast you finished that quiz,” says Dominique as she crosses her legs toward me. “Maybe I need some tutoring.”

“I’m sure Mr. Grant wouldn’t mind helping you if you’re having problems,” I say and I lean farther away from her.

“I’m not interested in his help,” she replies, smirking. “I was thinking maybe you could help me.”

“Abram—oh.” I look over my shoulder to see Elise rounding the fountain, her lips pinching into a thin line as she studies the girl beside me. “Never mind, I would hate to interrupt.”

I stand and grab my backpack. “You’re not—I was actually looking for you.”

She glances back at Dominique. “Are you sure, because you looked pretty cozy—”

“Please, save me,” I whisper against Elise’s ear.

She pulls away and smiles back at Dominique. “Sorry, sweetie, but he isn’t available right now. You can try again later—maybe once you’ve hit puberty?”

“I think she already has,” I say as Elise urges me away from the fountain and my dignity.

“Oh my God, Abram,” Elise snaps. “That girl is like twelve.”

“I know,” I bite back. “She was trying to show me how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop earlier.” I can’t help but cringe as I think about it, and I will myself to think of something else.

“I think she probably want to know how many licks it’ll take from you,” she says, rolling her eyes. “You seem to have a fan club now.”

“I think I’ve had one since that party—”

“God, shut up!” she says, walking in front of me and throwing her arms out. “What makes you think I want to hear about that? Or any story about you with any other girl?”

I stare at her, eyebrows creasing together. “Oh, but it’s okay for you to flaunt your relationship with Jason in front of me?”

“I don’t do that, Abram—that’s Jason. Besides, that’s different, I haven’t—we haven’t—we’ve barely even kissed!”

“So that makes it fair?” I say.

“I didn’t say that—”

“But you’ve implied it plenty of times,” I say. “Did you just want to fight with me? Is that why you were looking for me?”

“No, but I wasn’t expecting to find you with some freshman skank!” she shouts. “I thought you had standards—but I guess if you’d be into Sylvia, you’d be into anyone.”

I laugh dryly and shake my head. “Obviously I don’t have standards,” I say, holding my arms out toward her. I regret the words as soon as they leave my mouth, but I’m too angry to say sorry, even after her face falls. “Because if I did, I wouldn’t put up with your neck-breaking mood swings.”

Her lips part, but words are forestalled—because I’m not done yet.

“You know what? Never mind—forget that I was looking for you. I’m going to go find Sophie, because at least she is constantly a bitch and doesn’t lead me on!”

Without giving her a chance to respond, I walk away.