#she also used to eat my snacks when I got off the bus at her house

[garussy]

Tuffnut: I heard of people letting kids do stupid stuff to learn a lesson.

Ruffnut: I think someone we knew once let a kid burn their hand on the stove to learn a lesson!

Fishlegs: that was you two..

Tuffnut: OH YEAH!

Tuffnut: did Gustav ever recover from that?

Gustav, somewhere in the back: no!

Ruffnut: good.

[swiftgreatest]

Everything Has Changed | Eddie Roundtree x Fem!Reader

request by anon: "hi!:) i dont know if you take request but i would love to see eddie’s blurb where he mets his old friend from his hometown on tour and falls in love with her"

a/n: hello, thanks for request. i love your idea!! i loved write this, i really hope u like this, give me your opinion about it!!!

words: 2.3k

After hours and hours on the rond the band finally arrived in Seattle for one week with three shows in the city. All the audience was excited for this, as it was the first time Daisy Jones and The Six would be in the city and the three shows were sold out, this was one of the most talked about subjects at the moment.

Eddie was accustomed with this commotion in the cities where the band performed, hysteria everywhere, people following the bus of the band and camping at the front of the hotel, it wasn't something new for him, the band was on tour for several months.

The travels from one city to another were very tiring and boring sometimes, there wasn't much to do on the bus aside from look at the landscape, drink sth, smoke or take drugs. Sometimes Eddie used the travels to write letters and make melodies for his bass, he always wanted to write his own lyrics but he didn't have much confidence in himself, until his childhood best friend helped him with this. She encouraged him and said she was his number one fan.

The bassist catches himself remembering her sometimes, he misses her and all the things they did together, she was his favorite thing in Pittsburgh. He constantly wonders what she is doing now.

– – – –

Eddie sat in one of the empty booths of a snack bar, he and the band got off the bus and he was starving for some real food then ran out to find a snack bar and entered the first one he found.

As he looked at the menu, a waitress appeared to take your order.

"Welcome!! What would you like to order?"

"I would like some-" Eddie couldn't speak anymore after looking at the waitress who was looking at his order book. "Y/n? It 's you?" He recognized her, it was her! His childhood best friend, sweet Y/n!

"What?- Oh my God, Eddie jt's you!!!" The girl opened a smile that filled her face. She couldn't believe it, it was like a dream, her childhood best friend and secret love was there, in front of her. It's Eddie, her Eddie. O mean, he was taller now, long hair, expensive clothes, looked more confident but he still being the boy she ran away from home with to go to rock concerts in the early hours of the morning.

"I can't believe it!" Roundtree said while standing up and hugging the girl. She was taken aback by the hug but put her arms around him. Eddie couldn't even explain how much he missed it.

"Dude, how long! You're in Seattle all this time?? How I never found you??" You asked him, you've so many questions.

"No, I live in Los Angeles. I've come to work, in truth it's a long story and I-" They were interrupted by the rumbling of the bassist's stomach, oh he was so hypnotized by you that he had forgotten how hungry he was.

You laugh and he blushed with shame "Let's take it easy, sit and tell me what you want to eat and when I come back we can talk, right?"

"Right!" He sat down again and said his order to the girl.

"I'll be back in a few minutes!" You left and Eddie didn't take his eyes off you, you caught his attention, he couldn't believe he found you, you were so different, but what could he say, it's a long time, you two were different now but some feelings are still the same and still making his heart speed up.

– – – –

You was watching the boy in your front devour the food you brought, you worried about him because of all this hunger but he explained the reason to you. He also explained everything that had happened to him after you moved from Pittsburgh with your parents. The Dunne Brothers, new members, The Six, Billy, Daisy Jones, Honeycomb, Aurora and he tell about the others, Camilla, Graham and Warren, you are close in the past.

You're so happy for Eddie, he did it!! Realized his dream and looked so happy with the band, you remembered all the times you listened to him write or play something on the guitar and bass, it was so good, just you and him, listening to him sing to you and only for you.

"Eddie I'm so happy for you, that I don't even know how to express this. I'm so proud of you, you did it" You had a proud smile and looked at him with admiration.

This was so precious and valuable to Eddie, no one ever looked at him like that, no one ever admired him like you did, no one ever encouraged him as much to follow his dreams as you did, you always supported and helped him, he would never get over it or forget it. He entwined his hand in yours, it was so good to be with you.

"I'm so happy to give you prod, you always support me, and you make many things for me Y/n, you help me to be who I am and I will always be grateful for it" He cuddled your hand.

"You don't have to thank me for being who you are. You're talented and it comes from you naturally"

"And you? What have you been doing?"

You explained what happened after you moved from Pittsburgh. You spent some years in a small town with your parents until you got tired and moved alone to Seattle, you wanted new air, and the air of the big city was what you needed. You became a waitress, but you were also doing other things. You are a dancer in a dance academy and you were trying to win a scholarship to some college to become more professional in dance.

"That's amazing Y/n!! I always knew that you would be a star of dance one day"

"Oh let's not exaggerate, I'm still a little star who is getting to know this world of big stars and constellations"

"To me, you are and always have been a big star. My big star"

Oh God, didn't he realize how much he messed with you, how the way he looked at you and the things he said made you have an outburst. How could he never realize how in love you were?

"Thank you, I don't know what to say" You were going to say something but were interrupted by your boss telling you to get back to work. "I need to go Eddie, the work calls me".

"When is your turn ending?"

"At five" It was still three o'clock in the afternoon. "There are two hours left, you don't have to stay here waiting for me"

"I don't have any problem, I have been waiting for this for years, some hours won't kill me" He smiled and you smiled back. Your smile lights up his life since childhood and still.

– – – –

After two long hours of work, you finally end with your work, take your things to leave. At all this time Eddie was still sitting at the same table, sometimes he asked something to drink but only to talk with you. You smiled every time you passed by him or when you caught him staring at you, have been many times.

You both left the snack bar and walked the streets while talking, telling new stories, thoughts and problems too, it was as if everything was in the right place now, just you and Eddie keeping each other company and being honest.

Everything has changed. You and Him may have changed on the outside, but you still had a lot of your old version of the past inside of you. The same feelings still haunted you both and you still don't know how to deal with this like when you were young.

Every smile, word, memory, joke and thought connect you more and more, as in the past, or even stronger than that, you didn't want to leave this. After that reunion, Eddie promised he would never go away from you again.

– – – –

And he kept his promise, for the first he called you to go to a concert of his band, he didn't have to insist, you were crazy to see your friend on the stage and the band too.

While at the concert you admired him, you can't take your eyes off him, Eddie got a special place for you in the front of the stage. You loved the concert, they've so many good songs and the energy was from another world, unexplained.

After the end of the show, you met Eddie on the backstage, you hugged him even with him sweating and he hugged you too, holding you so strong as if he was afraid you would go away from him.

"I have some people here who need to see you" He led you into a hallway with dressing rooms and you were so involved that you didn't even realize that you entwined your hand with his. He led you into a room where Graham, Warren and the keyboard player, Karen, were.

The boys ran to you when they recognized you, you hugged both. They're so different but at the same time still were your friends from school. You introduced yourself to Karen and she was really nice with you, you like her.

"So you mean Eddie found you and didn't tell us? You were keeping her from us just for you weren't you brother?" Warren joked and Eddie gave him the middle finger.

"We have to make up for all this time" Warren said "And you know what's good for bringing people together?" He asked and after no one answered he shouted "A party!".

Everyone got excited and shouted together with him, and that's how you ended up at one of the famous band parties. You have fun all night, talking with several people, drinking, dancing and especially you did all this with Eddie who didn't leave you at any time and you didn't leave him either.

– – – –

It was like this all week, you went to the band's second concert and you see Eddie everyday since you reunited. You give him your address so he comes to see you everyday. He came early and his excuse was he didn't want to stay away from you. He took you to your work everyday.

When he didn't show he stayed with you in your house, you cooked together, Eddie was so good in the kitchen. You and him do other things like play games, watch movies, listen to discos or just talk and admire each other.

You didn't realize that, but anyone besides that can realize this, the way you look at each other, how you act towards each other, is like you have your own language and your own world.

You were so used to each other that you didn't even think about what would happen when the last show of the band was done and they left town.

One day before the last concert, Roundtree realized what was coming and that almost drove him crazy. He got nervous and so many thoughts appeared in his mind. What would you two do? Are you still friends? He didn't know what to expect, but one thing he knew. He couldn't lose you again, he couldn't live without you anymore and he was determined to do something to let you know about it, even if it changed everything.

– – – –

This is the last concert of the band in Seattle and you were there like the others, but this is different, is the last time Eddie would be in your city, you pretended it wasn't affecting you. When you realized that, you cried, you didn't want to let him leave, but what could you do? This was his dream and you couldn't ruin it just because you love him more than anything and didn't want to live without him.

The bassist noticed you were different, quiet and thoughtful, and he knew the reason, he tried not to show that it affected him too. The concert went so slowly for him. He didn't want it to end but he also needed to talk to you and couldn't hold back any longer.

After the show he took you away from others, nothing of parties or drinks for you two today, he has something different for today, something that will change your lives, for the better or worse. Roundtree took you to the roof of the concert hall, this is like a flashback from when you climbed the roof of his house to see the stars and smoke. All these memories come to you, just make you more sensible and you were holding yourself to not cry.

"I know I'm leaving tomorrow and this could change everything between us, but this doesn't need to change, I still with you, I'll be far away but I'll call you everyday, send letters and come to see you every chance I get, I won't let nothing keep us apart" He held your face with his hands " I was stupid enough to let you go once and I will never make that mistake again. Everything has changed. But I still love you. I love you all this time, keep this love with me and now that I've found you it has come back strong and clear, nothing will change my mind and if that's going to change all between us, even if it's for something worse, I'm sorry but I won't hide it, not anymore.

You didn't realize at what moment the tears started to fall down your face, you're so happy and emotional that you couldn't contain yourself. He looked at you worried, cleared your tears and when he goes try to say one more thing you kiss him. Nothing could change this, nothing could separate you now.

And this only proved that even though everything had changed, you two were still the same, and still loved each other in the same way.

– – – –

hello people, if u like reblog and like pls? my request still open and i loved write thisss

masterlist

[angstyaches]

apologies if this is a mischaracterization of him, but "9: a whiny, "Ugh, my tummy hurts..." followed by a huge belch" feels very Charlie-core to me 👀

Ah, the boys 🖤

Word Count: 3,000ish

CW: Shayne's disordered eating and food hang-ups, hunger pains, dizzy/weakness, slight angst but mostly fluff.

___

“Oh, and Charlie!” Ingrid’s voice called out from behind them, all the way back in the kitchen. “Char?”

“Keep walking.” Charlie’s hand closed around Shayne’s arm, tugging him through the doorway and onto the front porch. “Pretend we don’t hear her.”

Shayne frowned. “What?”

“She’s about to tell us five hundred things she needs us to get in the shop. Keep walking.”

As much as he relished catching glimpses of Charlie’s more despicable side, Shayne found it physically difficult not to turn around and wait for whatever Ingrid was going to say. Even when it wasn’t specifically his name she was calling.

In the end, he didn’t have to. As Charlie was unlocking the car, the front door of the house opened again, and Ingrid padded out onto the porch in her fluffy pink slippers.

“Charlie!” she called out, with no idea that her son was purposefully ignoring her.

Charlie’s gaze caught Shayne’s over the bonnet of the car. “Yes, Mum?”

“I need you to pick up some cornflakes, an air freshener for the bathroom – the lavender one, alright? Not the lilac – and some of those…” Ingrid made a gesture through the air, beginning with her fingertips joined and then drawing them apart. “Those long toothpicks.”

Shayne shrugged slowly as Ingrid glanced at him.

“Skewers,” Charlie sighed.

“Skewers.” Ingrid threw Shayne a smile. “Can you boys remember all of that?”

“Yes,” Shayne said.

She blew them a kiss as they climbed into the car. Charlie huffed while he turned on the engine, but Shayne could tell that his boyfriend was clenching his teeth.

He watched in amused disbelief as Charlie reserved Trevor’s car out of the driveway and straightened it up in the direction of the supermarket.

“What?” Charlie asked, double-glancing at Shayne.

“Why are you mad? We’re going to the shop anyway.”

“Yeah, but if she needs that stuff so badly, why couldn’t she go herself?”

“Because… we’re going anyway?”

“That’s not the point,” Charlie said. “Anyway, sorry. Bad mood gone. Hey.”

“Hey,” Shayne said, stomach fluttering. They’d been reunited for about an hour and a half now, but so far, they'd been with Trevor and Ingrid. He wondered if Charlie was also thinking about pulling the car over so they could have a proper hug and maybe a kiss. Wondered if he should suggest it. But no. If Charlie wasn’t suggesting it, he definitely shouldn’t be suggesting it.

The drive to the supermarket was painfully short anyway, considering that the destination was, well, the supermarket. Shayne had been so preoccupied with the thought of being alone in the car with Charlie that he hadn’t given much thought to it, but as soon as its glowing lights and obnoxiously large signage came into view, it felt as though he had absorbed the bad mood that Charlie had so proudly cast off.

“Why do we even need snacks?” Shayne pushed his hands into his pockets as the glare of the supermarket got closer.

He glanced over at Charlie as they walked, probably looking far more anxious than anyone walking into a supermarket had the right to. He could have stayed in the car and waited for Charlie to come back, but he’d missed him, and didn’t want to be separated from him already. He was itching to hold hands, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to risk getting any extra attention from everyone else.

“What do you mean? Snacks are life!”

Shayne blinked, unsure of what other answer he’d been expecting.

“And I’ve barely eaten today!” Charlie threw Shayne a pointed look. “And I bet you haven’t either. You don’t even have to tell me.”

Shayne returned Charlie’s loaded look with a blank one. Spending most of the day without eating, unsurprisingly, affected Charlie a lot more than it did him, but pointing that out was never a good idea.

“But your parents are… making dinner,” Shayne pointed out instead, using the lowest voice he could manage. Ingrid had gone into great detail about the fajitas they were making, double- and triple-checking that Shayne would be okay with the spice level they'd picked out. At this very second, in fact, she and Trevor would be getting ready to serve them up, with the intention of some of them going in Shayne’s mouth, and the thought made him want to dissolve out of existence.

“Aw, lovely. This has nothing to do with dinner. Snacks perform a completely different task,” Charlie said. “Snacks fill a completely different void. You ever heard of the expression ‘dessert stomach’?”

“No?” Shayne said, resisting the urge to add that he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear of it. He was relieved, however, as Charlie reached over to him and linked their fingers together.

“It’s a phrase people use for when they’re already full but really want dessert. Like they have a whole extra stomach where they can fit dessert,” Charlie grinned. Clearly, this was a concept that delighted him as much as it made Shayne want to crawl into a hole and disappear. “Well, I have a theory that after the regular stomach and the dessert stomach, there’s also a snack void.”

“A snack void,” Shayne repeated numbly.

“Yep.”

“Which means…”

“Which means that no matter how much dinner or how much dessert you eat –” Charlie planted a hand on his belly, one eye twinkling under the glow of the inside lights while the other was shaded by his own face. “There’s still infinite space for snacks. A snack void.”

Shayne raised an eyebrow and glanced to the side, on the lookout for anyone nearby who might be perceiving them. At least he could be thankful that Charlie was rubbing his own stomach, and hadn’t decided to demonstrate using Shayne’s.

“Why… Why do I go out with you in public again?”

“Because you love me,” Charlie hummed, scooping his free arm around Shayne’s waist for a moment as they passed through the automatic doors and into the shop. The palm of his hand briefly grazed Shayne’s stomach as he let go, and Shayne felt an unexpectedly pleasant flicker in his chest.

“Shut up,” he grumbled, tightening his grip on Charlie’s hand. “I suppose you want a basket?”

Charlie scoffed. “Don’t say that with so much disgust! Yes, I want a basket. In fact, let’s get a trolley. I’m feeling lazy.”

___

“Oh, my god, the roast chicken smells so good,” Charlie whispered as they rounded the top of the aisle, bringing the trolley within sight – and scent – of the hot food counter. “I can’t wait for dinner.”

“Mmm,” Shayne said half-heartedly. He didn’t like lingering on the thought of eating the Waters’ food, but he didn’t like glossing over his gratitude to them, either. He felt the need to hold Charlie’s hand again, but Charlie was preoccupied with pushing the trolley.

“God damn it, I’m about to spend way too much money,” Charlie grumbled. They had just turned down the snack aisle, and he was already tossing two tubes of Pringles into the trolley. “This is why they say you shouldn’t shop when you’re hungry.”

“Mmm.”

Charlie looked up at a can that was still on the shelf, and tapped on the round face of the Pringles mascot with one finger. “Mr. Pringle knows what he’s about. Ooh – I wonder if he knows about the snack void. Wonder if he knows it’s been keeping him in business all these years.”

Not for you. Shayne felt a shiver down the back of his neck when he looked too closely at any of the brands on the shelf, so he kept his gaze fixed on the floor, glancing up just frequently enough to avoid looking too awkward. Not for you, not for –

“Lovely?”

Shayne’s head whipped towards Charlie.

“Are you okay?”

Shayne nodded.

Charlie was holding two brightly-coloured packets in his hands. “So, they have sour cola bottles and sour strawberries. Which do you prefer? This feels like something I should already know, I’m sorry…”

Shayne felt an almost painful tingling in his cheeks as he tried to consider Charlie’s question. He swallowed, dreading that he was about to start spouting saliva like he did when he was on a demon’s trail…

A shiver of cold went down the back of his neck, and he swore he heard a sharp, familiar intake of breath –

“Should we just get both?” Charlie shrugged, already gesturing as though to throw both packets into the trolley. “Let’s get both.”

Shayne turned his face away from Charlie and swallowed again. There was a woman at the other side of the aisle, reading the back of a box of cookies. Further down, a couple with a toddler were pointing at chocolate bars and placing a few of them in their basket.

With a flash of panic, Shayne wondered if there was any way these people could tell that his mouth had just started watering at a sealed packet of sweets.

They’re not even looking at you, he screamed inside his head, but it felt like screaming into a void.

“Hey.” Charlie touched the side of Shayne’s arm. “I’m sorry.”

“What?”

“Was I too pushy about the jellies? I’m so ready for dinner at this point, so I think I’m getting a bit impatient.”

Shayne shook his head. “You weren’t pushy, Charlie. I promise.”

“Really?” Charlie’s elbows were resting on the handle of the trolley, and he was looking up at Shayne for a change. “Well, you’ve got that look in your eyes. What are you thinking about?”

Shayne swallowed. “It… probably wouldn’t make sense to you.”

Charlie smiled as he straightened himself just slightly, and started to slowly move the trolley forward with his elbows. “It might still help to say it out loud.”

“I just… I can’t believe so many people are in here, picking out food, in public.” Shayne put a hand against the side of the trolley, partially to help steer it away from the shelves, but partially because touching it while Charlie leaned into it felt a little like holding Charlie’s hand. “Like, they know everyone can see them. They know everyone knows they’re thinking about eating that food, and they just… They don’t care? That doesn’t make them so embarrassed they could just melt into the fucking floor?”

Charlie looked up with a signature expression that used to mean we need to send you to therapy, but which now meant thank fuck you’re in therapy.

“It’s… just stressing me out a little bit.”

“A little bit? You’ve been popping your jaw non-stop since we came in.”

“No, I haven’t.”

Charlie raised his eyebrows.

“No, I fucking haven’t.”

“You don’t even notice you’re doing it anymore?”

Shayne shrugged.

At the end of the aisle, Charlie planted his feet in place. Shayne felt the trolley resisting his pull, and turned around to see his boyfriend’s blonde hair sticking out over his forearms, face buried next to the handlebar.

“Love, what’s wrong?”

Charlie heaved his head up a couple of inches. “I… don’t really feel good all of a sudden.”

Shayne’s heart twisted harshly. He kept the trolley steady with one hand, in case Charlie slumped forward and ended up on his face on the floor, but with the other hand, he cupped the exposed back of Charlie’s neck. He didn’t feel particularly hot, or clammy.

“What…” Stay calm, stay fucking calm. “What feels bad?”

“Everything,” Charlie groaned rather unhelpfully, and Shayne had to fight not to roll his eyes.

“Do you want to just leave everything and get out of here?” Shayne was fully prepared to abandon the trolley in the middle of the aisle if Charlie needed them to.

“Are you crazy?” came a weak protest as Charlie lifted his head. His eyes were delicately shut, as though scrunching his face up at all might upset some unseen balancing act he was performing. “Have I taught you nothing? Snacks are life.”

“Yeah, snacks are life, snack void, etc.,” Shayne agreed, sighing as he slid his hands onto the handlebar. If Charlie was well enough to complain about having no snacks, he was probably well enough to make it to the till and to the car.

___

As soon as he was in the driver’s seat, Charlie lowered his head to the top of the steering wheel. He let out a pinched, drawn-out whine.

Shayne shifted helplessly in his own seat.

Was he coming down with a migraine? Shayne’s own head was spinning slightly from coming out of the harsh overhead lights, so it was possible, if not inevitable.

“Shit,” he whispered. He reached for the back of Charlie’s head again. Considering massaging the back of his neck. Settled for running his fingers below the hairline. “Love, do you have your medicine with you? Are they – are they in your backpack?”

He was ready to get out of the car to retrieve the meds from the back seat; he could even go back into the supermarket and buy something from the freezer to put on the back of Charlie’s neck to relieve the pain –

But before he’d even gotten his seatbelt off, Charlie groaned and shook his head.

“It’s not my head, lovely. Just… I think I just need to eat.”

Shayne blinked, his brain still bogged down by the migraine-relief plan even as Charlie sat back in the driver’s seat, pressing a hand to his belly. Shit. He had mentioned not eating much that day, and Shayne had stupidly brushed it off as unimportant.

“Ugh, my tummy hurts, I –”

A long, strained belch interrupted Charlie mid-whine. His eyes widened as though he were as surprised as anybody, and although he lifted a hand to cover his mouth, he did so after the fact, as though he could grab the sound out of the air and push it back in.

“Oops,” he mumbled behind his palm.

For some reason, Shayne felt the need to look towards the dashboard instead of continuing to look at Charlie’s face. He reached across the seats and felt for the pouch of soft, puckered fabric where Charlie’s hoodie sat against his stomach. Almost immediately, he felt Charlie’s hand on top of his, pressing it into place.

Shayne cleared his throat. “You okay?”

“Mmm.” Shayne couldn’t tell if Charlie was responding yes, or just groaning out of pain. Or relief. Or something else.

“Hungry…?”

“Hungry,” Charlie agreed, dragging Shayne’s hand lightly back and forth. “It feels a little better after that burp, though.”

“I… would imagine so.” Shayne frowned as Charlie reached for his seatbelt. “Are you going to be okay to drive?”

“It’s just a few minutes.”

Shayne didn’t like it, but without knowing how to drive himself, he didn’t have any other solutions to offer. “Okay.”

They were about to pull out of the supermarket car park when Charlie’s phone, nestled in the mounted stand below the dashboard, lit up, displaying the word ‘The Mother’ and a photo of Ingrid in a paper Christmas hat.

“What did she forget?” Charlie mumbled.

Shayne glanced at Charlie’s face and started raising a hand towards the mounted phone.

“No, no, no, don’t answer it.” Charlie took one hand from the wheel to gently nudge Shayne’s back. “We’re on our way home. We’re not going back in.”

Every second that passed without one of them tapping the green icon felt like sandpaper on Shayne’s skin, but he folded his arms and looked out the passenger side window. It was both a relief and a worry when the phone’s buzzing fell into silence.

“Charlie.”

“Yeah, lovely?”

“Are you mad at your mum?”

“No, I just – I mean, yeah, maybe. A little bit.” Charlie sighed. “She… Earlier, the way she was talking to you about dinner –”

Shayne’s heart sank. This was his fault.

“I’ve tried telling her that she needs to be a bit more… tactful about these things, but it’s like she either doesn’t listen to me, or it all just goes out of her head the second you’re in front of her, and it just – it’s frustrating, you know? It doesn’t seem to be that hard for Dad…”

Shayne’s throat tightened. Trevor didn’t unintentionally trigger him because Trevor steered clear of so many topics that it felt like they’d barely spoken to each other the past few visits. Ingrid was bound to stumble into tricky territory, given how much effort she made to make Shayne feel included.

“Love, that’s… that’s my shit to deal with.” Shayne swallowed. His stomach, like every single one of his emotions, was tangled up with gratitude and self-hatred. “I don’t expect other people to make it their shit to deal with.”

Charlie opened his mouth but didn’t say anything. He looked pale and miserable and utterly lost, and Shayne hated that he had contributed to that in any way, just by existing, just by being in his life, just by insisting that he love him and want to keep him close –

“I’m sorry I’m…” Stop. Shayne shook his head at himself, fighting against the voice that told him he was a burden. Dug through the sick feeling in his stomach until he found that flicker of warmth. “Thank you for worrying about me.”

“You’re welcome.” In the scarlet glow of a traffic light, Charlie turned his head and half-smiled. “I’ll ease up on Mum, if that’s what you want. I think I’m especially cranky right now because I’m hungry.”

“That’s fine,” Shayne breathed. He had done much, much worse than ignore a phone call while his mood was being infected with hunger. “I have a question.”

“Mmm?”

“Does everybody have a snack void,” Shayne asked, “or do you have to be, like, some kind of super-elite person to have one?”

“Oh,” Charlie whispered, turning his eyes back to the road as the light turned green. “Interesting…”

[bts5sosempire]

as yours (ix); stranger danger

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: sukuna ryomen x reader

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬: 2,103

𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭: fluff, comedy, a hint of violence, college au, mention of gang fighting/ involvement, a sprinkle of angst (future updates), cursing and swearing, slow-burn relationship, SIMPKUNA, tw: eating disorder (only for this chapter, skip it if it makes you uncomfy until you see another DOT)

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲:  "as a child, you have harbored a massive crush on Itadori Yuji; it wasn't until that college happened you dared to ask him. Trying to give him a letter, the one who you ended up giving to was no other than his no-good twin brother, Sukuna Ryomen."

𝐚/𝐧: we getting to the midpoint of the story, about to go up a notch, and mc's constant denial of attraction towards Sukuna. The fact that I fucked up on using Shimei's first name, not her surname, which is Honoka, and we are already this far into the story, so bear with me and my stupidity. Plus, I changed some things up, too, in some parts that are minor and nothing too serious in the story.

chapter 8 ✿ chapter 10

Shimei looks at herself in the mirror and eyes her partially nude figure; she smooths a hand down her flat stomach, and dissatisfaction comes across her face, she turns to the side, and her expression is more evident. And below her feet were wrappers of snacks she had just consumed previously. Without a thought, the urge to puke was intense that rushing to the bathroom was a priority. Shimei flipped the lid open and threw up any content she had been eating; it was not even an hour before the acid could digest the food.

The sound of her gagging was evident; Shimei cried while wiping tears away. Her stomach hurts from so much exertion that by the time she was done, she stood up and washed her face and rinsed her mouth. 'Why can't he look at me the same he looks at her?' Shimei's thoughts keep drifting to Sukuna and his lingering gazes that were always present to you no matter how much you loath it. She thought that a person like you didn't deserve it. 'I should be the one he looks at!' Staring back at her in the bathroom mirror was someone tired and worn out, with dark bags clinging underneath and gaunt cheekbones. 'I tried to do everything to make him look this way, but it's always her!' Shimei then tried to make a hairstyle that resembles yours, practicing her smile, trying to match it too eerily, and she turned her face from side to side see which features that she had that could be altered to match yours. But obsession comes with a price—her sanity.

With a frustrating scream ripped out through her, Shimei realized that you're far different from her, born from a good family that supports your education. Anger and jealousy shook her body so much that Shimei shattered the mirror with a closed fist and tore some skin from her knuckles. She swipes any of her beauty products or personal care onto the bathroom floor as it clatters loudly.

.

At your table, nobody utters a word about the resort situation, not even Maki; the very breath of mention sends her skin running red hot. You didn't want to talk about it since Sukuna was handling the problems; you wonder what he talked about that left the manager shaking like a leaf afterward.

Your phone buzzes with text messages, and you look at it to find a miss call from your mom also.

Monday, December 23rd, 20XX

[Mom: Your sister is missing. The daycare said they don't know who took her. Before they got to her, she left with someone on the bus. -Sent: 5:06 pm]

Reading the texts sent your heart to a drop, and you paled immediately; your hands shook with fear that everyone at the table was alerted when you abruptly stood up, causing the chair to fall off with a thud. Your friends called out to you, but you started sprinting home as you pushed people aside. 'Fuck! How could they be so careless?!'

Yuji and Shimei saw your figure running across the campus at full speed that even your friends were struggling to chase you and calling your name repeatedly.

.

Your body was pumped with adrenaline from running and hailing the first cab you saw (or jumping in front of it like a mad woman) to go to the daycare center where your sister was supposed to be. By the time you have arrived, blurs of red and blue sirens caught your field of vision, your mother helplessly crying, and your father's forlorn utterance while trying to calm your mother down. The cops were doing what they could by saying they were looking for her.

"Mom, Dad," you called out to them once you made it near enough. When you extend your arms to hug her mother, she pulls you down and tightly grips you while crying on your shoulder.

"Haruna is so small; I don't know if I could handle the thought of knowing if something bad could happen to her (Name)." Your heartbroken mother continuously cries.

"Did anyone see who she walked out with?" You asked, and your mother shook her head, and so did your father when you turned to look at him. The cops handed you a few photos of your baby sister interacting with a person who squatted down to her height; you couldn't see the person very well, seeing as their face was obscure, but the stature was a male.

The next one was the stranger picking up your sister by lifting her over the waist-length fence at ease; you notice how far away Haruna was compared to all the other children in the photo.

In the final photo, they both head toward the bus stop, with Haruna occupied by some small keychain and him holding her hand, but something caught your eyes. It was a tattoo.

"Is this all?" You ask the cop, feeling quite frustrated with the lack of evidence. They give you a few words of confirmation since the camera wasn't located around the whole premises; it was revealed under muttered breaths that a few of the cameras were nothing but props. 'What the fuck? How could this daycare still be running if they can't even have proper security?' Frustration turned to anger; you're kind of mad at your parents for choosing this daycare when you made it clear that it wasn't safe from all the reviews that had shown the negativity when helping your parents research where to drop off your sister. But since all the other daycares were too expensive to be decent, they stuck Haruna into a cheap one.

.

By the time you and your parents made it home, it was already near 10 pm. Your friends were waiting and sitting at your doorsteps; you had left your bag and school work behind during your emergency. You usher your parents inside first and tell them you will be inside a few after talking to your friends.

"We heard what happened," Panda spoke up quietly. Words do travel fast sometimes. You took a long shaky breath and wiped away any tears that threatened to fall. Shifting around and wrapping your arms around, you wanted to reassure them about the situation, but knowing them wouldn't make it better. They could try to comfort you, but it wouldn't also make it better.

"I hate this feeling," you softly said, the feeling of discontent and fear settling on your nerves, "I don't know why this is happening, but I want her back safe and sound." Like your mother said previously, Haruna was such a small delicate child who could barely harm anything due to her size. An adorable toddler who hasn't been taught to fear the world or develop a sense of danger. Your fingers keep digging through the clothes of your elbows, wanting to pick the skin off.

"(Name) we will be on the lookout too," Maki said; even though she was always stern, the expression of trouble was painted across her face, but you know exactly why she said that. You remember Maki telling you about her twin sister Mai, who now went to a different college and had a fallout during senior graduation. Maki didn't go into great detail, but you get the picture, her desire to rekindle her with her twin and wanted things to go back to how they used to be. So far, the dream was out of reach; Mai had refused to reconcile at any cost. Maki couldn't do anything other than grant Mai's wish and let it be.

.

You couldn't sleep; it was past 1 am; you tossed and turned in bed, waiting for sleep to catch you or just anything. But your eyes drifted to your window and saw sprinkles of snow salting the outside world. You wonder if Haruna is warm or being kept from harm. Pushing yourself up from your bed, your phone lights up. You saw the notification message pop up.

[Sukuna: Open your window. -Sent: 1:47 am]

Rushing out of bed, you went over to it and saw Sukuna, who was waiting for you in the snow; his face was dusted pink from the cold, with the tip of his nose and ears turning red. You didn't see him today since he last texted you hours ago from before, saying he would be gone for a while. But seeing him now is also surreal; you unlatched your window open. Pushing it open, the cold air breeze through the room, and you shook lightly at the temperature.

Sukuna made their way up to your bedroom window; he had no difficulty getting up. Uraume had told Sukuna through a phone call that your little sister went missing, so he ditched any plan he had that day and drove across the city for hours to comfort you. His heavy boots made it inside, and snow littered your floorboard; Sukuna gripped the window sills and heaved his body inside.

The man lets out light puffs of hot air as it evaporates, and the light coat of snow that managed to get him during his ride dusted itself onto your floor also. The first thing Sukuna did was bring you close to him; he refused to let go even when you tense up. It didn't take long for Sukuna to figure out who was behind the kidnapping; with all sorts of connections around him, pulling strings was easy. He felt your arms around him, and you relax gradually, making Sukuna hold you even tighter. He buried his nose into your hair and rubbed a hand against your upper back.

"I'm scared." You confess to him in a horse hush whisper. For some reason, it's easier to talk to Sukuna; you wonder if it was the way you're falling for him without knowing. Or was it the sense of security he brings whenever he's nearby? Perhaps it's both, or you're not sure at this point with your mind jumbled up about your sister's kidnapping.

"And I promise you I would bring her back," using his low gravitating voice, Sukuna guides you back to bed. He settles you inside the seat and sits by the edge of the bed, his eyes looking outside the snow before it flits back at you. Sukuna could see the tiredness in those orbs of yours, how the rims are also red. Even though he waited for a while until you fell into a deep sleep, he brushed your hair away from your face.

Sukuna pulled out his phone when he felt a buzz; what he read made his face instantly sour.

[Unknown: How's the miss you like doing? :) I thought you would like to know about her little sister's well-being; she's obedient after a few scares. -Sent: 2:43 am]

[Unknown: //sent attachment// -Sent: 2:44 am]

Sukuna opens the attachment and sees Haruna sleeping with her body curled up in a corner; they don't even give her proper warmth. He quickly sent the number to Uraume to track the location down but realized it was signal blocked, and he clenched his jaws in dissatisfaction.

[Unknown: I wouldn't do that if I were you, what you do depends on what happens to the pretty miss little sister here. You wouldn't want her to hate you if something terrible happened, right? -Sent: 2:46 am]

Even the number has a tracking service.

[Unknown: Meet me on Christmas Eve, I'll send the location. If you can accomplish this, I'll let you walk home with the little girl as a present for her family. Wouldn't it be great, though, to be more well-liked than before? This could make them in your debt forever, even that woman you have been pining for who knows how long. -Sent: 2:48 am]

If Sukuna could feel the bastard grinning through the phone, he could. The rat keeps slipping through the crack; he would ensure to exterminate it this time. Maybe playing too easy has made this fool too egotistical.

Taking one last look at you, he went out through the same way where he came out.

.

You woke up hours later to see it was near 7 am; your mother would've woken you up an hour ago and chastised you for not being up on time. But today, she didn't.

Yawning, you stretch out in bed and suddenly remember that Sukuna was here; you look out to the window and notice it is closed, and there are a few foot towels on the floor to soak up the snow that had melted.

[invisibleraven]

"I saw that you were almost out of shampoo, so I went and got some for you." / Jayla

When Julie first went off to college, she was pretty nervous about living in the dorms. She had never shared a room, let alone with a complete stranger.

However, fate proved kind with Kayla. She was sweet, quiet, and genuinely easy to talk to. Before Julie knew it they were as close as anything, happily eating together most nights, studying in the evenings, and going out on weekends.

Of course, school had to come first, and some days Julie and Kayla were like ships passing in the night, able to say hello and goodbye, and not much else.

It only got worse as mid terms loomed closer, and Julie barely saw her bed, let alone her roommate. She was surviving off granola bars and bottled water, living in the same sweats and flannel for days as she scrambled to study and still attend class and get assignments done.

Thankfully one day classes were cancelled thanks to some building reno and Julie determined to have a self care day. Doing laundry, cleaning her side of the room. She had music playing as she tidied, wishing Kayla was there to dance with-the benefits of rooming with a dance major meant she always had someone for emergency dance parties.

Finally Julie was satisfied with the room, her clothes were ready to go to the dryer, and the last thing she needed to clean was herself. She fetched her shower caddy but groaned as she saw the state of her shampoo. With the hectic pace of the semester lately she hadn't had much chance to go stock up on supplies. Thus she had no way to wash her hair-and she needed to wash it.

Julie was just debating going out to the local Trader Joe's to buy her preferred brand or heading down to the college's little store to get a generic shampoo-murder on her curls but it meant avoiding a bus ride and real pants.

"Oh hey roomie!" Kayla said as she came in while Julie was angrily looking for pants. "Whatcha doing?"

"Need to go shopping so I can shower," Julie grumbled.

"No you don't," Kayla replied, holding up her reusable grocery bag and pulling out Julie's shampoo. "I saw that you were almost out of shampoo, so I went and got some for you."

Julie's lip quibbled at that, she wasn't used to friends being so thoughtful, aside from Flynn. "You didn't have to do that."

Kayla shrugged. "I was going out anyways, needed to stock up on snacks for tonight, major study sesh needed."

"History or Theory?' Julie asked, sliding the new shampoo bottle into her caddy.

"Both unfortunately," Kayla scowled.

"Well let me get scrubbed up, and I'll come back and help you study," Julie said. "We can do face masks and mani-pedis during, or after too."

"That sounds great honestly," Kayla said. "I got drinks and and I'll share my snacks, I even got those awful crispy onions you like."

"You're the best," Julie said with a grin, leaning in and pressing a kiss to Kayla's cheek, blushing furiously as she pulled back. "W-was that okay?"

Kayla was also pink, but she had a sly smile on her face. "Well it might make studying a bit more distracting, but it's fine. Maybe we can do it again... after exams?"

"Sounds good," Julie replied, and grabbed her stuff, rushing off to shower. Continuously touching her lips as she got clean and grinning at the promise of using them on Kayla's in a few more days.

Needless to say their vow to wait until after exams didn't last long, and maybe they got less studying done then they should, but they both did well in their courses, so Julie figured it was worth it.

Especially since she got a girlfriend along with her grades.

[maireadralph]

This seemed easier than running out the word count limit on the replies on the previous Cat post 😅

@solcaeruleus

I wish Lady was this easy about pills. She used to be in the first months after adoption. But here we are 2 years later and Her Majesty won't even eat her favourite wetfood if it contains HALF a crushed pill for travel sickness. She'd rather suffer on a train than take her meds. Stubborn.

I had to give my previous cat, Cherry, pills and other medication by force, she didn��t enjoy the experience so I tried doing things differently with Smudge. As he’s very food motivated I’ve abused that to my advantage and I’ve yet to force a pill down his mouth. He gets dry food daily so to him wet food is a huge treat. His medicine is also stored in the same tin box as his treats so he has no idea what he’s going to get 😆. What’s funny is that he’s learnt where his plates/glass bowl is kept and will happy scream when he sees me reaching into that cupboard.

If you’ve not tried it yet may I recommend trying a fish wet food for tablets - the stinker the fish the better? Cats are very sensitive to smells so if a favourite food smells “off” they wouldn’t touch it - this is the same reason an elderly cat goes off their favourite food, it doesn’t smell the same to their aging nose.

Actually I wish Lady was as good about travelling as Smudge is, too 😂 Your fur son seems so laid-back and accepting of a LOT and while my fur daughter is like that about cuddling, she should meet Smudge and learn a thing or two from him 🤭

The goal was always making vet trips as easy as possible for both of us and honestly Smudge’s travels are all practice, approximately 5 years of practice.

I wish he’d be okay with being in a car/taxi as it would make vet and cattery trips much faster buuuuuut he HATES them and will often SCREAM the entire time….soooo it’s almost twice the travel time on various public transport. Luckily his vet is one bus journey away, unfortunately the cattery is 40 minutes by car it’s 1-2 hours depending on making the train connections.

On the flip side if I feel he needs a break I can let him out of the carrier (he’s always in his escape proof harness of course - his middle name is Houdini for a reason) for a cuddle, walk, water or snack. I recently got him a Cat Pack (Cat Backpack) and he seems to like it better than the previous carrier, it might also help that there are tuna treats in one of the pockets that he can smell though the fabric 🤭

Sometimes I like to mix it up when I have free time and instead go to the park, cafe or just sitting at a bus stop for as long as Smudge is can handle. As soon as he indicates he’s had enough it’s back in the pack to go home for a treat. It all adds up to him not associating the harness/carrier with negative trips and makes it easier for everyone. My husband has had to bring Smudge to the vet as I had work and there was little to no fuss.

[thisnightissparkling089]

Everything with a 4!

Alright, back to my regularly scheduled program😅

4.) which cryptyd being do you believe in?

I had to google this🙈 I was going to say aliens, but then I saw the list of characters. So I'll say Chupacabra because, why not.

14.) do you love the smell of earth after it rains?

It's not my top favorite scent, but I do enjoy it!

24.) if we were together on a rooftop, what would we be doing?

Psychoanalyzing Chenford and discussing what we wanted to see in The Rookie going forward.

34.) is there a song you know every word to by heart?

All Too Well (Taylor's Version) it took me years to get it down, but I finally got there😅

40.) did you have any snacks today?

Salt and Vinegar chips. I was too overwhelmed to make breakfast this morning, and couldn't realize why I was so irritable and on edge until I looked at the clock and realized it was nearing 12:30 and I hadn't eaten anything yet. So I snacked on some chips while I made a sandwich.

41.) how do you take your coffee?

At home: 2 Stevia packets and a tablespoon of creamer. Right now I'm using Eggo waffles creamer. It tastes like the milk after you eat french toast cereal bites.

At Dunkin: 3 cream, french vanilla swirl, no sugar.

Oh, and it always has to be decaf. For some reason caffeine majorly spikes my anxiety. I'll say I can handle it once every few years and inevitably that day will end in a panic attack and tears😅

42.) an app you frequently use besides this godforsaken site?

Facebook and Instagram

43.) what’s your take on spicy foods?

I'm all for some heat and a good kick. But I still want to be able to taste the food, not burn my taste buds off.

44.) you get a free pass to kill anyone, who is it?

Whoever invented insurance companies. The whole thing is an absolute racket.

45.) can you remember what happened yesterday?

Yes, because it wasn't a great day. Going to use this to get real for a moment. I found a lump in my left breast earlier this week, and went yesterday to get it checked. My doctor did detect a mass. She's fairly certain it's just a cyst and benign, but I have to have a 3D mammogram and Ultrasound to confirm.

I also was supposed to have a follow up with my pulmonologist to discuss my latest CT Scan, which I know showed improvement, but I didn't get a full explanation or plan of action because I was supposed to have an in person appointment yesterday. Well he canceled, and now I'm leaving for vacation without any updated insight to how my lungs are functioning.

2 days after I get back from vacation, I'm scheduled for a Pap smear, mammogram, ultrasound, and a pulmonology appointment all on the same day🤦🏼‍♀️

46.) favorite holiday film?

Already answered, but it's The Holiday!

47.) what was the last message you sent?

"His every day breakfast request! It used to be poptarts, but now it's chocolate chip pancakes"

We watch our neighbor's son in the morning and get him on the bus, so she can get to work. One morning my husband asked him if he wanted to make chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast, and that's been his go to breakfast for months now lol. That was in response to his mom saying he told her he likes breakfast at our house better😂

48.) when did you first try an alcohol beverage?

13. It was a wine cooler at a family gathering and I felt like a big shot. Looking back, if my first sip had been something like whiskey or vodka, I would have been turned off a lot longer, ha.

49.) can you skip rocks?

I've never tried, but I'm also not coordinated, so I'm gonna say no.

Thank youuuu, friend! I always enjoy these☺️

[pbandjesse]

My head is aching pretty bad. But it was a good day. I feel happy but also just really sun tired.

I woke up this morning and felt okay. I liked my overalls. And I was happy that James was driving me to work. It was nice to sit with them. We stopped for breakfast. And then we got to camp.

We made a pit stop at the art building so I could get my walkie and some bug spray. And then they dropped me off at the office.

I was a little upset when Elizabeth let me and Celia know that our cleaning staff had put away all the tables and chairs we had put out. So we headed over there to redo that. The bleach smell made me feel a little sick but it was fine. We did the work and headed back to the office.

I would get on the gater for Dachelle and Nick to go and set up the zip line and then we went to drop off water coolers at all the sites we would use today. Nick gave me a refresh on how to put the harnesses on. And then we were off. Back to the lodge for waters.

When we got over there we saw the bus was there and was backing up so far we thought they were going to go over the cliff. We literally were covering our mouths it was so scary!! But they got it and it was fine.

Nick, Dachelle, and Sarah would fill the waters and went to take them everywhere while I stayed at the lodge with Elizabeth.

The group was so nice. A special needs school form the city. I worked with them when they came last year and I recognized some faces. Once it was time to go out to the programs, after handing out a little snack, we walked across camp. They had an hour and a half of zip and an hour and a half of archery. Which was great. A lot of time but that worked for this group. Gave us a lot of wiggle room.

Helping with the harnesses was good. The first round went fine. I had some really nice interactions with the kids. With one little girl who was super scared gave me a big hug before she blew us kisses and then went down the zip. So proud of her. Honestly super proud of everyone who did zip that was scared. A lot of them were very nervous but everyone seemed to love it. Even if they were scared.

One of the boys told me I had a pretty smile. And another told me he remembered me and that was cool.

I was getting very hungry though and was glad it was lunch time. We walked them half way, the little girl who hugged me insisted on holding my hand too, but I had to say goodbye at the office so I could get my lunchbox I left there.

We had a nice long lunch. I had my stuffed pasta. Accidently cursed in the office again (we got a talking to about this this morning), when I called our kitchen/bathroom combination "The Bitchin". And after I ate I went up to the art building and set up my hammock to just rock for a half hour. Which was excellent and perfect. Love hammock time.

After lunch I went to meet the group. They weren't quite done eating yet so I sat outside and watched a video on my phone until it was time to go. I also just chatted with a few of the boys. It was a beautiful day. Dachelle was gathering the group and I would follow her, but would turn back with one boy to use the bathroom before we caught up with the group down the path.

Second round of zip hurt my arms something fierce. A combination of standing below them on the hill, them being taller then me, and just having to do it over and over. My arms were burning about a half hour in. I would have to tap out when they would get tangled and had to ask Nick to help because I was struggling so hard. After a few minutes I was able to get it together again and got everyone harnessed who wanted to go for a second or third time, but I was still really sore. I was really proud of this group though. They were so much fun to hang out with.

I would walk the group back to the office and sent them to their cabins to change to go to the pool. I chatted with Elizabeth about what needed to be done before James came to get me. She would send me to the fort to help clean up archery tag. So I went up there. And helped wind up the ropes they had used. And then I said goodbye and went back to the office.

Where my beautiful husband was. Talking to Alexi. And then we headed out.

This is where my headache started. But I knew we had dinner with family. So once we were home I would take a shower and lay down until it was time to go.

And the ride home was fine. It was nice just talking about our days. James had a strawberry tiramisu chilling in the fridge at home, which was a gift for Charlotte. Because it's her birthday!!

When we got home I did get that sheet and got dressed and felt a lot better. Still sun tired with a little head ache. But I was glad to be in bed for a little bit.

We would head Fulwilers' and it was really nice to see everyone. We would go to ciprianas for dinner and we got a whole bunch of small plates and we shoot them all of the pictures from the honeymoon and gave them the souvenirs that we got them. And I got to try these amazing fried cheese balls that were feta and ricotta and we're so incredible! Like not what I was expecting at all but we're so good. And it was just nice sitting outside and everything felt pretty good and light.

Tucker got a bottle of rosé for the table and we were sitting near charlottes Masters program thesis advisors which was very funny. And it was also Hopkins graduation day, which always coincides with Charlotte's birthday so she actually graduated 4 years ago from Hopkins on her birthday. So that was cute. And then we went back to the house to have dessert.

James is tiramisu came out so good. It was definitely my favorite of our desserts tonight. And it was just nice sitting and talking. Charlotte doing her silly baby voice that she uses when she talks about her cats. And she told us about the apartment her and Kelly just got that they're going to move into at the end of the summer. And everything was really nice. But I was getting very tired and my head was hurting still so I really was glad when James said it was time for us to go home.

When we got back here I got changed and eventually James would bring me an aspirin. I fed the fish and I have basically just been laying here trying not to stare at my phone too much because I'm sure that the blue light is not helping.

I'm going to go and brush my teeth and get ready for bed now. I don't have to be a camp tomorrow until 1:00 p.m. So I'm going to hopefully accomplish some stuff here. And I hope that the groups that I work with in the afternoon are really nice again. I hope that is a beautiful day. And I hope that you are all doing great. Sleep well everyone. Be safe.

[childwelfareworker]

Day 1

It was Friday afternoon, 3 PM.

It was my first day as a residential advisor. I was told to report to the female dorm that housed young ladies ages 12-17. I had experience working with a younger population at the previous nonprofit, but those young people eventually went home for the evening. There was no going home. This facility WAS their home.

I walked into the cottage and it was complete chaos as the young ladies had just arrived home from school and were all over the place. Some in the dining area eating their snacks. Some in and out of their rooms conversing. Some talking to the Program Manager about their behavior levels and inquiring if they would be attending the outing that night. I spoke to the first adult I saw and introduced myself. I was taken to the Program Manager's office and introduced to her. She appeared to be engaged in several conversations at once attempting to give her attention to every young lady that was in her office. She excused them and gave me a brief run down for the day. She was getting ready to leave for the afternoon and the weekend but she informed me that I would be responsible for transporting a young lady to a church. She was going to be attending a weekend camp for foster youth. She stated that she would be the only one attending. Now that I think about it-- I wonder why she would be the only one attending if ALL of them were foster youth?

The young lady I was supposed to be working with was running late and due to traffic we had to leave immediately. I waited for the young lady to gather her things. Her pace gave me the impression that she was not thrilled about going.

Once we got into the van I allowed her time to settle in before I started speaking with her. This group home didn't allow electronics so if I was able to grasp it, I could have her full blown attention. She sang along to a few songs on the radio and she actually sounded pretty good. I had already been told her name, but I introduced myself to her and informed her that I would be working on the weekends. I asked her what grade she was in and if she enjoyed school. I was easily able to build rapport with her, but I didn't want to press her about her family history and what brought her into state custody. I asked her was she excited about camp and she stated that she wasn't, but also didn't want to sit in the group home all weekend because she wasn't on level to go on any outings.

We arrived at the church and she became withdrawn, but attached to my hip. We checked in and I realized I didn't know any of her information, and she had completely shut down. I used my cell phone to call the center to get her information. They asked about her medication and I was informed that it was in her duffle bag. I retrieved her medication and was shocked to see how much medication she had. I would later learn that she was diagnosed with manic bipolar, ADHD, ODD, and depression. Once she was registered she was informed to wait around in the lobby until they were ready to do orientation. I asked her if she wanted me to wait with her and she did. We lounged for approximately an hour and then the staff started registration. I stayed with her until she boarded the bus. I told her to have fun as it was her first time and camp and to make a lot of memories. I encouraged her to be open to trying new things and to just enjoy being a kid, even if it is for a weekend.

I went back to the facility and was introduced to the rest of the girls.

On Sunday, I was directed to pick the young lady up at the church. Apparently, she didn't have the best reputation amongst the staff and they weren't exactly excited about her returning to the facility.

She had the biggest smile when she stepped off the bus and saw me. She ran over and gave me the biggest hug. She immediately started showing me everything that she made at camp and admitted that she had a great time. Her favorite part was creating a "life book". She was explaining that she would have to add the pictures to the life book later but she was excited about the progress that she had made on it.

She started to share her life story. She told me that she was originally from NY and her family moved down south. She stated that she was a twin and that she could not seem to get along with her mother. She stated that she was deemed an unruly child and was placed in state custody. She could be described as a bully (which was surprising-- she was tiny), and had an issue with authoritative figures. She was a sophomore in high school and made decent grades. She wanted to be a pediatrician when she grew up. She had the same zodiac sign as my mentee and they had a lot of the same characteristics. She quickly became one of my favorites.

When she arrived back to the facility, I understood why the staff wasn't enthused about her returning.

[casspurrjoybell-29]

Forgotten Ties - Chapter 12- Part 1

*Warning Adult Content*

There was a flash of bright light and Skye looked away, and then there was rumble as the ground shook followed by gunfire.

Skye pressed his hands over his ears and watched in awe as the trees he'd leapt through the branches of just a few weeks ago began to brutally uproot themselves and lunge towards the soldiers.

Nim was grabbing kids and pulling them away.

"Run," Skye saw one of the soldiers turn towards them, hesitate with her gun raised and then turn her back to them as she focussed on the threat in front of her.

They ran.

It wasn't very far back to the house.

Skye wished it were further.

Joanne opened the door and ushered them in but Skye could still hear screaming and gunfire from down the street.

"What happened?" Peter asked.

Marigold shook her head.

"The Fae. We can't stay here. They'll find us again. We have to leave."

"We'll get you out in the van," Joanne said.

"Where should we take you?"

"I'll lead the way on foot," Nim said. "I'd take up too much room in the van anyway."

"Everyone get your things into your school bags," Marigold called out. "We're leaving in five minutes whether you're ready or not."

"No," Miya wailed, tears in her eyes. "I want to stay here."

"Miya," Marigold said in a voice that was gentle but firm. "If we stay here, they'll come and take us again. We have to leave."

Miya was still crying but she went to pack her things.

Skye didn't go to school, so he'd already packed his things into his schoolbag.

He went and got it from the bedroom and then watched as Marigold and Peter gathered some more food and pots and pans from the kitchen and shoved them into garbage bags.

Skye found some fruit snacks in the larder and shoved them into his bag.

The rest of what was in there was also mostly just food he'd been hoarding, some of it since before they'd even seen that creepy interview on TV.

It wasn't long before everyone moved outside and they started trying to figure out how to fit everyone and everything onto the bus.

"I'll go on foot with Nim," Skye offered when they started talking about having to leave some of their stuff behind because there wasn't enough room.

"Can you keep up?" Joanne asked. "Besides surviving jumping off of roofs, I honestly don't really know what you can do. I never really did get to know you, Skye."

"Yeah, I'm good at lots of things. Running, jumping, reading..."

"Really? Because I got a phone call from the school and they didn't seem to think you were very good at reading."

Skye gave her a shake of his head.

"I can't believe you would focus on that at a time like this. We have to leave before we get murdered."

Joanne sighed.

"You're not wrong."

"Please don't eat my fruit snacks."

"What?" Joanne asked but Skye was already running off to join Nim.

Nim was taking his clothes off while simultaneously trying to cover as much of his nakedness as he could because he was handing those clothes over to Marigold.

It was very interesting to watch, for multiple reasons.

"You're coming with me, are you?" Nim asked.

Skye nodded.

"Okay," Nim said, covering his cock with his hand as he got down on the ground. "Be careful," he added before starting to shift.

As the van started up with everyone loaded on board, Skye could still hear the fight going on down the street.

Thankfully when Nim started running, it was in the direction away from the gunfire, though from the circuitous route he took it seemed like he'd just been intentionally avoiding it.

Nim was a big, powerful beast, his muscles moving with speed and precision.

Skye wasn't that.

He wasn't strong at all.

When you didn't weigh much, it was just easy to run fast and not get tired.

For a while, anyway.

Eventually he started to struggle but he had a plan for that.

He kept his weight light and leapt onto Nim's back, causing him to stumble for a moment.

Skye held on with his hands and knees and kept his chest close to Nim's back and the burden hardly seemed to slow Nim down at all.

Nim had made the whole thing look effortless but by the time they finished their journey at the end of a one way street that led up into the woods, he was panting heavily.

Skye climbed off his back and gave his furry head a pat.

As soon as Marigold brought Nim his clothes back, he ducked behind a tree and shifted back.

He had his pants on by the time he came back out.

Skye collected his bag from the bus.

His fruit snacks were still in it.

He gave Joanne a nod of approval, though she just looked confused.

There were a lot of hugs and crying and saying goodbye to Joanne but Skye didn't really have any feelings about all that, so he spun in a small circle while he waited instead.

When it was time to go, Nim led the way.

As they started walking, Skye ate his fruit snacks.

They got stuck in his teeth but today had been a hard day in many ways.

Skye tried to console Miya by feeding her a fruit snack but that only seemed to upset her more.

Marigold was trying to calm the kids down and convince them this would be fun but that wasn't working either.

They weren't moving very quickly and before long Nim was carrying three of the kids.

Skye tried to carry Miya for a while but she bit his shoulder twice and he didn't get very far before he got tired and had to put her down.

He wasn't very strong.

For a while, he was given the job of designated flashlight holder but everyone got annoyed with him because he kept forgetting that making sure that everyone could see was the whole point.

He wasn't trying to be unhelpful, in fact, he was trying very hard to make himself be the opposite but the whole thing was like a puzzle his brain had to be actively focussed on or he'd just aim the flashlight where he needed it or entertain himself by waving it around in circles.

He handed the job off to Jay and he did much better at it.

Skye offered the fruit snacks to the rest of the children, even though he wanted them all for himself and some of them did take one.

When Skye offered one to Nim, he opened his mouth and let Skye put the fruit snack in because his arms were busy with carrying children.

"How are you holding up?" Nim asked.

"My feet hurt," Skye said.

Nim nodded.

"There's a bit of that going around, I've heard."

"Is it much further?"

"I won't lie, it is. I wanted to make sure nobody would stumble across us by accident at very least. And now, after what happened, I'm hoping they'll be too busy to put much effort into looking for us."

"The Fae saved us, huh?" Skye asked.

"Yeah. I've never heard of anything like that happening before. Of them directly weaponizing their creations like that."

"They protected us," Marigold said as she caught up to them.

"If they're willing to fight for us, what will that mean for all of this?"

"Bet it escalates things," Nim said as he readjusted his grip on one of the children.

She had fallen asleep against his shoulder and being jostled around didn't wake her.

"That could be bad, I guess but when we're outnumbered and outgunned, I'll take it."

"I don't know what to think," Marigold said. "On the one hand, I agree but on the other, these things can go wrong. The Fae made vampires, after all and they prefer the taste of hybrid blood."

"You're not wrong but for now I'm just happy we're here instead of sitting in that park or on a bus getting shipped off to who knows where. There's that saying about the enemy you know being better, but sometimes the enemy you know is so fucked that you'd rather take your chances with anything else."

"It's all just things to think about, anyway," Marigold said.

"For better or for worse, we don't have the power to change any of it. If the Fae decide to fight back, that's their own choice."

"Unless we die," Jay cut in. "If I die, I'll let the Fae turn me into a tree and then I'll protect you all. I saw them trying to shoot those trees. Fucking idiots."

"Jay, don't swear," Marigold scolded.

"Why?" Jay asked. "Who cares anymore?"

"I care," Marigold said. "Why?"

"Because I'm not ready for you to stop being a kid just yet."

"Well, I'm still a kid but I'm not a little kid," Jay said. "There are too many kids here for all of us to be little kids."

"Okay but set a good example by not swearing."

Jay sighed and rolled his eyes.

"I don't think it matters anymore but fine. If it'll make you happy."

[chaoticwitchgrimoire]

Day 2: Have you had any spooky encounters?

Yes akjfakjsdgf I looooove telling this story. It's long so I'll put it under a cut. This is the first time I ever witnessed a shadow person. I know people have different words for them across different cultures, but when this happened, I was fully convinced we just saw a ghost.

This happened when I was 11 in middle school. It was December and the sun set pretty early. I would often go to my friend's house after school (me and two other girls) because they lived in the neighborhood behind mine. So I'd get off at their bus stop and we'd do our homework together. Her siblings always had extra curriculars after school and both her parents worked, so you can imagine that as 11 year olds we felt pretty good having the house to ourselves.

This friend, we'll call her T, always talks about this ghost in her house named Cody. She claimed that Cody was already there when she moved in that year. I always thought she was joking or making it up. She had such an outgoing and funny personality, I just went along with it because I thought she was cool. I didn't really care either way.

Now, I want to talk about her house, cus it's pretty weird. That house had not been owned by someone like ever. Families often moved in and out pretty quickly (as did T's family). The neighbor acros the street, B, was also our friend, and would tell me stories about that house. The first time I went over there, I was really surprised by the amount of mirrors. Every room had a mirror. All of the closet doors were mirrors, there would be huge mirrors spanning the length of entire walls in some rooms, and the only room without a mirror was the basement. T said that the mirrors were installed into the walls before they even moved in, and since they were renting, they couldn't do anything about removing them.

There's always been a sense of uneasiness about her house, but I always wrote it off as simple paranoia. I was 11 after all, hanging out at a friends house without adult supervision which my parents never knew about.

There came that day in December. We were sitting in T's room doing our math homework. I'll show this little drawing of how the room was laid out.

T shared a room with her sisters, so there was a lofted bed on one end, and then another bed facing the mirror across from it. There was only one outlet and it wasn't connected to the light switch, so the light always had to be turned on from the source. There was a single large window on the south facing wall (with the mirror closet being on the north wall).

I sat with my back to the window and B was sitting perpendicular to me on the other side of the bed. T left us to make some snack while we worked, and while she was away, it got darker in the room. I asked B if she could turn the light on since she was sitting next to it. She reaches over to turn it on and freezes. As I look up, I see exactly what she's staring at.

Reflected in the mirror, standing next to me was a completely shadowed out figure of a full grown man. He was entirely backlit from the fading glow of the sun setting outside of the window. B is up in an instant, screaming as she flees the room. I snap out of it and follow her, stumbling down the stairs into the kitchen where T was freaking out about why we were screaming. B tried to explain that we just saw a ghost in the mirror, which T BURST OUT LAUGHING!

She said, "Yeah that's Cody! I told you he always appears in the mirrors."

We finished our homework in the kitchen. It took us a few months before we could sleep over at T's house ever again and we exclusively hung out at B's house after. We stopped hanging out there when we were home alone.

Some other random things that would happen: the printer would print blank sheets of paper when no one was in the office (this was before bluetooth printing); we'd be in the middle of watching a movie when suddenly the TV would turn to static or shut off entirely; we'd be eating in the kitchen and the living room TV would turn on or lights upstairs would turn on; random lights turning off.

That was the first and only time I ever actually saw Cody for myself, and I made a point to not ever look directly in any of the mirrors after that.

I fully believe this encounter prepared me for the myriad of normal weird ghost shit that happens when you're a theatre major in college, so that's exciting at least 😂

[joshuasearing]

Wednesday 14th June 2023

Hey journal sorry i have not wrote In here for a few days. Anyways I am only going to talk about the last two days as tbh that’s as far as my memory goes. So yesterday I started the day of by going to work for 7:30am I ended up being late as I felt really bad mentally in the morning. Anyways work was ok yesterday however it was really quite meaning there was not much to do. At one point I covered someone’s break on finish and I did finish on the line at work. Then after ten minutes someone replaced me and I went back onto fries. Fries was ok yesterday however because it was hot it did get to much sometimes meaning I had to step away occaitonally also I was eating ice cubes and drinking plenty to help me cope that little better. Also at one point they allowed me to go for a 10 min break as they were blowing labour. Anyways shortly after I got back down to work they were talking about sending people home however loads of people were saying no as they needed the money however I hinted that I wanted to go early and they let me go early. The thing is I’m good on money I can finish early and still be ok. After this I went to the bus stop and got the bus to the gym once I got into the gym I did a leg session after the leg session I decided to go into the cafe linked to the gym and I got myself this scone it was lovely they warmed it up for me and gave me butter with it. After this I walked into town. Once I fly into town I went into primark and I ended up buting myself these pink joggers and a grey button too and a black button top. After this i walked to men kind and got Caitlin this massive funky pop that she has been wanting for such a long time she looks at it and mentions it every time she goes in the shop. So I decided to get it for her. After this I went to Starbucks and got myself this medium caramel frappe and went upstairs with it and wrote in my journal. Caitlin met me upstairs in Starbucks and when she came upstairs she realised the menkind bag right away. She really appreciated the gesture m. Anyways after this we got the bus to her house. Once we got to her house she had a private and confidential letter, for her therapy and talks with mental health team. She is yet to tell her mum about it and doesn’t want to tell her mum about it as she doesn’t think she will understand, so when her mum asked what the letter was about and asked to see it Caitlin refused. This upset her mum as she feels like she is keeping something away from her and she just wanted to know m. Anyways this caused her mum getting angry and Caitlin going upstairs. After this I went upstairs and spoke to Caitlin about it and made sure she was all ok. I explained how her mum may of been feeling and that’s why she reacted in a angry way. Anyways after this I wrote in my journal and also relaxed with Caitlin. Then her mum made us dinner and I had these two pizzas. After this we went upstairs for a bit before going to tescos. We went to tescos and got ourselves some snacks to snack and chill on. Anyways I ended up sleeping round last night.

Now for today I started the day off by relaxing with Caitlin, then after a little while Caitlin showed me how to make scrambled egg on toast as i don’t know how to make anything in all honestly. Then I ended up eating a little and it was nice. However I was not feeling to hungry as I had chocolate orange and two cookies beforehand. But it was nice. After this we got ready to leave her house. Once we left her house we got the bus into town. Then after this we got another bus together, she got the bus to work, however I got on the same bus but for going to my house. So I ended up saying bye to her on the bus m. Anyways since I’ve been home I have had a bath, looked after my skin, made a few tiktoks and played on my pc. Anyways speak to you later journal. Bye journal!

[ahmumbles]

Dear Tom,

I’ve just received your letter and the photos. You sound older, more mature. I can tell because you apologized for the things that bothered me, and I didn’t think you’d ever notice.

I can’t believe we spent a little over 2 years together (but not). My first complex situationship that shaped how I viewed relationships in general while also realizing and relearning what a relationship even is.

The memories we’ve shared are endless... meeting at the cat on Rambla de Raval, talking late at the pier, you cumming early and being so embarrassed about it, lock-down sleepovers, your grey Pull n Bear hoodie, your tiny yet cozy room, stupid movie nights, the sucking my own blood incident, you crying in front of me when i told you i cut myself, ketty late night walks, drinks at the port, meeting at yours after spending an evening with my friends, getting Dionisos and being awkward in front of Dan, you getting hit bit a car while skating to mine, me getting picked up by 2 drunk men thinking I was a prostitute and you getting worked up about it, me doing my makeup every morning over again and not letting you look, you sitting on my balcony and watching the prostitutes on that small chair, roommate gossip, eating thai food as our first meal together, all the cokes + coke zeros, you and San Miguel, so many walks around Raval and Poblenou, you making mojitos as we sat at that secret spot on Montjuic, our first getaway basking naked in the sun packing burritos sleeping over beach sex early morning skinny dip at Cala Fonda, a tearful goodbye, scattered video calls, asking you to do a workaway with me, you picking me up at El Prat with snacks, awkward bus ride to the city, getting used to each other again, spending time in Barcelona again but closer and more intimate, cooking different foods, our first travel to Milan, exploring the city n painting, spending the next month and a half in our little cottage on Lake Como, infinite delicious meals and glasses of wine and walks with Giorgio, car rides for grocery shopping and hikes and city exploring, cozy lazy days in, hot tub n sauna moments, whole pizza n big bowl of pasta, listening to chill hiphop, movie nights (and finishing the Matrix trilogy), a few more days in Milan, a hectic but still tearful goodbye, a hectic and emotional reunion in London, buying me a flat white and being shocked at the price, walking to Laurine’s, drinks w her at the cozy bar, showing you my favorites at the corner Tesco, ketty drum&bass night at Phonox, both aligning to leave at the same time, coming down together, exploring London with you, going vintage shopping and pint/cider drinking, a very coked-up bubble bath, a delicious Korean dinner, drunk train ride back, an argument turned indie movie scene where you got off a train and met me on the last one, making up through physical touch, taking a taxi late to your home, sneaking into your house and meeting your doggy, having sex in your bedroom, waking up to your mom knocking on the door, your brother walking into me in the bathroom, meeting your mother for the first time in my night out outfit, her driving us to the airport and you holding my hand the whole time and resting your head on my lap, watching you calm your mom down when she got frazzled at the airport, saying goodbye (again), meeting up in Barcelona again in your new home, checking out the neighborhood, super ketty on the bench in the plaza around yours, celebrating your birthday with you at the most cheesy beach town, endless sex n coke n rums, getting fucked up on your birthday at the beach, paella n birthday dinner, 5 senses birthday surprise, me falling asleep, spending the final moments in bed, returning back to Barcelona, a tearful goodbye as we woke up late (again) for my flight as I rushed into a taxi, another 8mo apart, telling you I couldn’t do it anymore after my shrooms trip in July, spending some time in silence, starting to talk again n you saying you want to come visit me, me torn but agreeing, getting excited as the date drew closer but also worried, picking you up at the airport with my silly sign and a big bear hug, almost 3 weeks of hell as we try to adjust to each other again, me getting frustrated, you getting frustrated, many many deep n emotional talks, lots of tears, Da Nang and Hoi An, the shit on your dick incident, riding with you on a bike through the mountains, enjoying but also fighting, friction, until eventually we started to make the most of it after all’s been laid out on the table, sweeter times, you picking me up at work, going for rides, eating pho, getting drunk, car accident 1, you waking up to all my alarms, working next to each other in cafes, you going to Thailand n Cambodia, missing you, going painting with you all those times, your name + mine everywhere, celebrating St. Patty’s day together, going out to Birdcage and Mirage and the balloon bar, you hurting yourself, drinks at beer street, spending time with Liam, saying goodbye but then hello again, going out for drinks at Dong Chi and Savage and Lekka and balloon bar, amazing sex, last cuddles, agreeing to say goodbye once and for all.

I can’t summarize those years into words, but writing out that list in the most summarized way possible helps me remember there are so many more moments intertwined into these bullet points that have made me feel alive, loved, safe, and one with you.

I would have never expected you to become someone so special in my life. You have been the closest person to me over the years, my best friend, and I am still processing the fact that that’s not the case anymore. It’s weird, because I’ve been blocking that idea out that it’s hard to feel the raw emotions that come with it.

We’ve bickered and gotten to know the nasty bits of one another, especially you to me, but you’ve become so soft from when I first met you. Or maybe that’s always been you, and you’ve only opened up little by little. You pull me closer in for a cuddle, you hold me when we hug, you plant me with kisses, you fuck me with love, you ask for my hand, and you’ve showered me with compliments and words of affirmation. The most communicative, sensitive, and honest person I’ve been with. You’ve helped me unravel bits of myself - both things that I’ve kept hidden and things that I’ve neglected to acknowledge about myself.

My sweet Tom, the boy who sleeps naked and pees anywhere and everywhere, my stoner smoker drinker but bad drug taker, my lil Instagram fiend stupid meme sharing idiot, the one with the crazy loud laugh that sounds like “HA HA HAAAA”, lil beer belly and slight receding hairline, simple baggy clothes wearing, creative but not academic, warm n safe, tiny bit jealous and doesn’t hide it, protective, rational and both-sides seeing, my simple yet unique bubba.

Thank you. I miss you.

[anthonysstupiddailyblog]

Anthony’s Stupid Daily Blog (314): Tue 24th Jan 2023

I was supposed to be meeting Dad in town at 12 this afternoon but I slept in. I woke up at 11:43 even though my charger was plugged into the phone and the plug was definitely on. I rang dad and told him I’d get a taxi there but he said to just take the bus and get there when I got there. I’m sick of this fucking phone but unknown that it’s pointless getting a new one because fathers will be some reason why that one doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to be either. I’ve learned that any potential upgrade in my life always ends up backfiring on my so it’s more beneficial to me to just learn to tolerate the shit I’ve got at the moment. I finally got to the travel agent and handed over my passport so the lass could take a picture and then upload it to her systems but for some reason the picture wouldn’t upload. She asked three of her colleagues at the travel agents but none of them knew how to do it either and she told us we were going to have to come back in a few hours when her manager came in to show them how to do it. I could tell Dad was getting ready to rage at this poor bitch but I managed to quell the situation telling him that we would go for food and some shopping while we were waiting. We went for some food at the Cooper Rose. While I was eating my jacket potato with coleslaw I realized that I tend to eat whenever I’m bored so in order to start eating healthier I need to make more of an effort not to be bored. In theory this really shouldn’t be hard at all because I have a huge amount of films, books, comics, streaming services, music and pretty much all the entertainment I ever want to take my mind off snacking. After two hours of wandering around we went back the the lasses had finally figured out how to upload the details they needed. Both Dad and I paid for our ESTAs and travel insurance and with that we are officially good to go as our trip to LA is all bought and paid for. I can’t believe that it’s actually happening. Since I started watching WWE in 2001 WrestleMania has always been a dream of mine but always seemed like this impossible thing that I would never achieve but now it’s just over two months away.

Tuned into tonight’s Hollyoaks. So Vicky's leaving? She's only been in about five minutes. Could they not have moved her into the flat-share with Hunter, Prince, Lacey, Nadira, Lacey and Rayne? She'd fit in great with those guys. It really makes you wonder what’s going through the writers heads when they write out a character after such a short space of time. I assume it’s because they think the audience hasn’t resonated with them but then you could also put the blame squarely on the writers for not giving the character enough to do. Another storyline involved the Chen-Williams crew trying to figure out how to punish Mason for his misogyny. I think if I were Mason’s dad I’d make him dress as a woman for a year and have him see how it feels to have men wolf whistle him and call him a prude. Then again this could backfire as he might like it. In the end Honour has gone to Eric, a misogynist who tried to kill women with a crossbow for advice on how to make Mason more respectful towards women. Uh good luck with that one. I think she'd probably get better advice from Andrew Tate

[livingwithlosingyou]

Living with Losing You - 10/22/2022

Mt. Sac, Runners Ups, NO SLEEP! 

Woke up before the alarm, got ready to go. I was a little frantic since I knew that I had a lot to do before I actually met up at SCHS at 9:30am. I had to grab breakfast, drop off Sadie, go to the store to grab some snacks and drinks, then meet up at campus and load the van up for the trip. I got there at about 9:25am, loaded up, and we were off! The bus ride was so much fun. These boys are hilarious. It has been great to coach them. 

We were able to make a few stops since we left so early, so the first stop was at Aaron’s favorite coffee shop. I thought the van had doors on both sides so I shut the door while one of the athletes was about to exit the van (he was taking a while so I thought he was going out the other side). They did not let me live that down. It was pretty funny though. I just got a chamomile tea since I went to PS and grabbed that before. The team enjoyed it. It was funny cause there was one point that I left my phone and wallet to run to use the restroom and one of the boys grabbed it and just starting taking selfies (lol). Typical. 

The ext stop we made was to get gas, which was also funny. We really couldn't go anywhere without someone making a joke, etc. Throughout the trip they did a pretty good job of entertaining themselves. When we got gas I grabbed another snack (you know how I am on road trips). Then we were off again. The only other stop we made before actually going to the race location was for lunch. The boy’s wanted to eat at BJ’s Brewhouse. 

When we parked and walked up to the restaurant, we noticed there was a pumpkin patch across the street. The boys commented on how it could be fun to go to one. More on that later. Lunch itself went well, we built table footballs and were flicking them around. Otherwise it was a pretty calm lunch. I will say I kind of lucked out because they messed up on my salad and put straight up glutens. That could have been really bad. So they comped my whole meal. (Yay). 

We finally got to the meet and unloaded our van. When we were walking up we were informed that the other coach (the girl’s coach) had grabbed our stuff and that the athletes could go in, but us coaches had to wait for our slips outside. After standing there awkwardly for about 5 minutes, they finally let us in anyway. We walked over to the team area and got set up / situated. We still had an hour or so before they boys had to warm up, so we walked them around the course and talked strategy. I was happy that I made the last minute split decision to grab your Burton down coat because I lived in that yesterday. It was SO cold. 

The boys and girls ended up doing great though! The boys got second overall and the ladies got 3rd overall! We had some PR’s too! I was super proud of them. I ended up being given the team plaque which meant a lot to me. I really love coaching, it was been so helpful considering everything that has happened. Running around the course with my megaphone was the best way I could have spent my Saturday. There was one situation where one of the girls was crying so I pulled her aside and talked to her, so I am hoping that I won't get in trouble for that. I was told that I was “not allowed to talk to the girls team during practice or races”. I think you can probably make an assumption as to why someone might feel the need to do that as a coach, but I will leave it at that. Anyway. She needed to talk to someone and I was there, so I was happy to help that athlete and support her.  

After the race we ended up going to one of the athlete’s family’s homes. They made some authentic Mexican food, and we all sat around and chatted. We were there for about an hour and a half, then decided to start to make our way back home. I did want to quickly add that while at the house I got pricked by a cactus and randomly saw a heart. Don’t have a picture of the cactus, but do have one of the heart. Since we had seen that pumpkin patch earlier, we decided to take them to one on the way home. Unfortunately since the weather was cold and rainy some of the attractions were taken down early. Plus it was already almost 9pm. 

We walked up to the patch, and saw that there were two options, the haunted house that was $15 per person, or the patch that was $5 per person. Well, the boys didn't want to spend their money on it, so we literally only walked up to the outside, they antagonized the clown from the outside of the fence, and then we walked back tp the van once they realized they had to pay to get in. I will say that it is pretty lame that you’d have to pay to just enter a pumpkin patch. 

Anyway. I had a hard time staying up at this point on the way home, to the point where some of the conversations I had were hazy. Aaron and I had some great talks about life, love, etc. It meant a lot, he actually said he had talked with the coaches who retired before we took over (so they coached us). They talked about how they were in awe of my ability to live my life and keep going with a positive attitude, despite all that I have had to endure. That my strength was admirable, and they really at times have a hard time understanding how I could show up everyday, and have a smile on my face. That meant a lot. I really am trying. It has been so hard. Some days, I want to die. But, I keep fighting and I keep on going. I know it is what you’d want for me. 

Finally we got back to campus and then I drove back home. While I was driving (since it was chilly) the footprints you left on my window were highlighted in the fog. It made me sad to see that. One moment you existed and the next you were a memory. I can't get myself to wash it off. My heart ached seeing it, and it aches again writing this. 

Once I was home I quickly brushed my teeth, showered now I and desperately need to get some sleep. I am exhausted!

Life. It’s strange. I would have called you in every moment today if I could have.

I love you endlessly, and forever.

Rest in Peace, James Burton Nichols. 

10/1/1993 - 7/16/2022

[pbandjesse]

It was a good day. I had a good time at work. And I made a bunch of art. The pretty great Tuesday.

I slept okay last night. I woke up a bit cold though. Jamess woke me up about an hour early and covered me up and I went back to sleep. When I woke up for real I wasn't thrilled but I was okay.

My hair looked great and I was very cozy in my outfit. I grabbed my totebag. Made a snack. And kissed James goodbye.

I had a nice drive in to the museum. Even with traffic. I stopped for breakfast and ate in the parking lot.

I had three programs today. So I went to set up the assembly line. Jim joined me so I could show him the video. And then Rosia came and I showed her some stuff but I don't know what was wrong with me but I wasn't the best trainer. Mostly because she told me Gaby showed her so I was questioning myself about what she knew and what she didn't.

I ended up sitting and talking to Jordan for a while. He got a haircut and it looks really nice! And we would chat a lot today. It's nice having friends at work.

Once the group got there there was some confusion about how the groups were broken up. But it was whatever. I let Mike handle it. And then I had my group and me and Rosia headed back to the classroom.

We honestly had a great time. There was some timing issues because towards the front of the one line there were three kids who were struggling but we figured it out. And it was great. I had a really good time and they finished all their cars and it was excellent. Rosia did a really good job for her first one! She would have two more chances today so I hope it kept going well!

Next I had my tour. Meril joined me. We had to wait for Jordan to split up the group. And so we had some time for them to check out the car. And then tour time.

Which went well but man do these kids have so many questions and were just jumping around. But it was still fun.

After the tour they had lunch. And I would go and eat my sandwich. And chat with Jordan and Meril. We talked about how shitty the health care system has treated us. How the body mass index is a crock of shit. And it was fun. Infuriating but fun.

Finally we had the cannery. I was leading that and it was good. I got distracted by a couple kids who were trying to be class clowns but just weren't actually funny. But the entire group was good and did excellent jobs. The other educators did a great job too. Mostly. There was some weird timing stuff. But then they were done. I had a good group for shuckers. I let them do an extra oyster because they were enjoying it so much.

And then it was time to say goodbye. Which was slightly awkward because the teachers had them in a specific way and I didn't understand. But we got them on the bus and I went to do supply stuff.

I went to talk to Stanley and Phil about a lightbulb. And then back to do car parts with Jim and Rosia and Cindy. We talked about weird dreams and cruises and food. I got really tired though. So I would leave a little early.

I had some emails about art with a heart. I have been approved for all three of my desired locations! Background check passed!

So once I was home me and James went through the wall calendar so I could write down everything and we found a couple conflicts but I sent off emails to get those sorted out and I am pretty set until the summer. Working every day of the week basically but I feel excited, also tired, but mostly excited.

I would work on art a lot. I demolded my bears and it worked great. So I was able to cast the resin pieces and I did it 5 times throughout the evening. And overall they came out great. I also figured out how to use the extra resin to fix the last batch and fill in any miscasts. And now they are painted and we'll see how they look tomorrow and if they need more layers or what.

I would order pinbacks and me and James talked about ordering stickers. We also talked about doing some debt consolidation so we can get a smaller interest payment. And then James made a special potato soup. And while I had a pretty bad headache I felt happy being with James. And Sweetp. Who insisted on laying on my chest and purring so much.

I would eventually take a shower. And get all comfy. And that's where we are now. I am very sleepy. Today was an early day. And tomorrow will be too. But I am there all day all day. So it will be a lot. But I think it will still be very good. I hope you all have a good night's sleep tonight. Take care of each other. Goodnight!!