#she's pulling music out of her locker and straight up eavesdropping

[jonathanbyersphd]

How I imagine Robin is watching Jonathan and Nancy from her locker.

[spaceskam]

someday we’ll find out what that means

another part of my On Earth series for @christchex ! Happy belated birthday<3

warnings: aftermath of a traumatic event, coping, non-descriptive references to the shed scene

ao3

Not many people caught Alex’s interest.

He wasn’t deliberately rude to people that didn’t, but he typically didn’t give them the time of day. He’d rather sit in his own head, rather just be with his friends and wait it out until high school ended and he got the freedom to get away from people that were close-minded and drove him insane.

He’d heard that there are places where Antarians aren’t othered. It gave him some hope that maybe there would be a place for him that would make him feel less othered too.

That being said, when he first got a glimpse of Michael Guerin, he caught his interest. He didn’t see him often, but it was enough. The guy was gorgeous and apparently ridiculously talented, according to his eavesdropping. He had a lot of control for an Antarian this young. It was almost scary, one of their teachers who “specialized” in teaching non-violence to Antarians had said, because someone with that much control must be a ticking time bomb. Alex was even more intrigued.

That was hardly a secret, not that there was anyone around to notice. He loved Liz and Maria, but he was convinced he could wear the same shirt for a month straight and they wouldn’t notice. By the time he got to have Michael, got to kiss and touch him and know him, it was easy to keep it to themselves until they were ready. Even when Alex told them, it was easy to keep it from everyone else because no one really cared all that much.

That is, until it became impossible to really hide that something happened.

“Call or text me if you need something,” Alex told Michael as they sat in his truck. First day back to school after the incident and Alex was on edge, but he was trying hard not to be. He needed to act like normal.

“Okay,” Michael agreed, “Same for you.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“I know you will,” Michael said, giving a sweet little smile, “Now, give me kisses.”

Michael pursed his lips out dramatically and Alex momentarily wondered if the pain medication was still making him a little over the top. However, it really just might be Michael trying to distract him from his own head. Either way, Alex leaned forward and gave him a soft kiss.

“Okay, let’s go.”

They went their separate ways for the beginning of the day. There were a few times they could feasibly cross paths outside of music class, but usually they had to plan that shit to an annoying precision. For both of their sake, it was safer to keep their distance. People were going to ask about Michael’s hand. More than that, people were going to assume.

Alex’s job here was to act like he wasn’t involved.

“Alex,” Liz’s voice said as soon as he stepped into the hallway. She was at his side, staring at him with concern. So much for acting like he wasn’t involved. “Where have you been? You’ve been absent for days and you haven’t been answering our calls or texts. What happened? Are you alright? We thought about going to your house to see if‒”

“But you didn’t, right?” Alex said quickly, his heart involuntarily picking up speed, “You didn’t go to my dad’s house, right?”

“No,” Liz said, though that only seemed to raise her worry, “We figured you’d talk to use when you wanted to. Alex, what happened?”

“I’ll tell you later,” Alex said, “When there’s not so many people.” And when he had time to trust himself to tell a good lie.

“Well, at least tell me you’re okay.”

“I’m okay,” Alex said. It sounded hollow and he knew it, but Liz nodded her head and accepted it because she was a good friend like that.

Alex didn’t have it in him to deal with anyone today. He let the hallways part in his wake, but he didn’t bother acting cocky about it. He was feared. He got that. But now he wasn’t too sure what that got him. Fear was pointless. The only solace he had was that most of the people making way for him, he’d never even acknowledged. And he only hurt people who hurt others’ first. They should really only fear him if they were guilty.

Which. Maybe they were.

The idea alone was exhausting and, as he reached his locker, he began counting down the hours until he could get back into Michael’s bed where everything smelled good and it was warm.

“Alex,” Maria said as he sat down in their pre-calc class. She leaned close, that familiar concerned look on her face. “Where have you been?”

“Stuff came up, I’ll tell you and Liz later.”

“Would that stuff have anything to do with Michael Guerin’s hand?” Maria asked, voice an almost inaudible whisper, but Alex heard her clearly. His entire body tensed up and he held his breath. He didn’t trust himself to breathe without giving everything away. “Everyone was staring at him and everyone knows you both have been gone. Alex, there’s gonna be rumors that you did it.”

“I didn’t‒” Alex started, but he stopped himself. He took a slow deep breath and let his mind remember Ezra’s words, a never ending ‘this isn’t your fault, you did nothing wrong’. “I didn’t do it.”

“I know you didn’t. Obviously. I meant, like, people who don’t know you,” Maria said, looking around and lowering her voice, “Because your reputation.”

Alex squeezed his fists tighter, his heart thudding in his chest and his throat and his ears and everything. He shouldn’t have gotten out of bed. Well, he should’ve gotten out of bed and still hooked up with Michael in the shower, but he shouldn’t have left the house. He should’ve stayed and doted on Michael all day.

People were going to think he did it.

“Maybe they won’t,” Maria jumped in, trying to make him feel better, probably but not doing too great of a job due to his mind already running with the idea, “I mean, you’ve never beat up an Antarian before. In fact, you’ve gone out of their way to be nice to them! Maybe they’ll think you protected him.”

Alex, involuntarily and yet still stupidly, flinched.

He didn’t protect him. 

He didn’t do shit.

“I’m sorry for bringing it up,” Maria said. Alex shook his head, trying to tell her it wasn’t her fault but not being able to find the words. She didn’t do anything other than observe.

Alex thought about getting up and leaving, but school had just begun and he wouldn’t have a very valid excuse. He could possibly fake being sick, though that would only do so much and he knew Michael would have a much harder time getting out of class. They wouldn’t be able to meet up just yet.

So Alex stewed in his own head, trying to keep distracted and only being minutely successful in that endeavor. He just had to hold out until lunch. That’s it. It’d be fine.

Still, his classes dragged. They seemed to all be speaking in slow motion and he still didn’t get any notes. He didn’t hear a thing through pre-calc and when he got to biology, it sounded like gibberish. The only solace he had was that he would have to ask Michael for help going over it. He would lean real close as he went over the information and stare at his lips and wait, wait, wait, until he could lean over and kiss him. He was still allowed to do that. He was allowed to kiss him senseless. That was good. He could manage with that.

Maybe they would get lucky and Michael’s parents would be kept late at work and Alex would get the warm opportunity to get his mouth on other parts of him. He wanted to just kiss him all over, touch him where he was able to, let his mind empty itself out with the taste of him. That’s what he needed.

By the time lunch came around and he got to see Michael again, he was itching for him. They met at their usual place behind the school and Alex barely got to take in his pretty, welcoming smile before he was kissing him and slowly backing him into the wall.

He held his cheek with one hand and had his other on the back of his head so it wouldn’t hit the bricks, kissing him like he had nothing left to do in life. And maybe he didn’t. Maybe this was what he was meant to do: kiss Michael until he was numb to everything else.

“Whoa,” Michael breathed after he pulled away. He couldn’t kiss him for too long, he knew, because he wouldn’t want to stop and they were still at school. Sadly. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Alex murmured, nudging his nose against Michael’s warm cheek and then nuzzling his face into the crook of his neck. He let his hands fall to wrap around his waist and Michael’s arms moved to hug his shoulders.

“You okay?” Michael asked, pressing a kiss to Alex’s ear. He closed his eyes and breathed him in and tried to imagine being tucked in his bed. Alas, there was too much rough clothing for that to be accurate. Michael slept in soft clothes. And, since Alex didn’t have anything of his own, he also slept in Michael’s soft clothes.

“I just need you.”

Michael let out a breath and relaxed a bit, the first time that Alex even noticed he was tense. God, he needed to get better at noticing that. Michael was just so good at pretending he was totally fine.

“Same,” he agreed, hugging him tighter, as much as he could without messing up his hand more.

They stayed there for probably too long, just holding onto each other. Surprisingly, no one came to bother him. Alex half expected both Maria and Liz to come and ask too many questions that Alex wasn’t prepared to provide the answers to.

“Has anyone asked?” Alex whispered against his skin.

Michael was quiet for a second too long.

“Mrs. Wilks saw me in the hall,” he said, “I thought she was going to cry over it for a second. Kept asking what my doctor said about the piano, if I’d be able to play again.”

Alex swallowed harshly and lifted his head. The idea Michael wouldn’t play an instrument again hurt. He was so smart and strong and powerful, but he was a gifted musician. More than that, he loved it. Alex had only really gotten to see him play in his comfort zone once or twice, but it was so clear that it brought him peace.

“You haven’t even asked the Evans’ about it, have you?” Alex said. Michael avoided direct eye contact.

“No,” he said softly. All Alex heard was that he was terrified for the answer.

“Hey, we’ll figure it out. I mean, we got you to a doctor. They worked on you. If-if you can’t play like you used to, I know you’ll figure it out. Or I’ll just play the other hand for you forever and we’ll be a duo,” Alex insisted, “Left hand is easy without the right, usually, anyway, I can handle it.”

Michael smiled at him, a little nervous and a little fond. Alex would enjoy drowning in that smile.

“I’ll do whatever I can for you, okay?”

“And I’ll do the same,” Michael responded earnestly. Alex wanted to tell him no, but he knew that would lead to an argument and he didn’t want that.

He just wanted him.

“Think they’ll miss us if we skip the rest of the day?” Michael asked, trying to lighten the mood. Alex grinned and leaned close again, nudging his nose against his cheek.

“Tempting, but I want your parents to still like me.”

Michael scrunched his nose up in defiance which just made everything a little easier. They could still be normal after this.

Whatever normal meant when it was the two of them. Alex was ready to be reminded.

[jungcockshi]

Locker Room - KTH AU

word count: 1.9k 

synopsis: you’re known as the goody two shoes while you have a wild side that no one knows about. You really didn’t expect kim taehyung, the infamous baseball jock, to be the first person to know you liked wolf peepees.

***

The frat house raged with trap music as drunk bodies ground against each other. Nobody knew that it almost dawn- they didn’t care.

A red Bugatti pulled up in the driveway, and that was enough to draw everyone’s attention to the outdoors, eyeing the car with wide eyes- some filled with awe, some jealousy and a few spilling with hate.

He emerged with a sly look on his face, clad in black skinny jeans and a shirt too big for his chiseled torso. His hair was a mess, and to answer the reason why, a green haired girl stepped out as if someone had beat her from the legs down (honestly, you wouldn’t be too wrong to think that).

“He’s really here?” asked Shanissa, her eyes glued to the scorching hot male who was now approaching the frat house doors. A glass of wine in her hand, as she leaned on the huge french window, eyeing you to gauge your reaction.

“What more did you expect? He’s a sore loser who just wants to get attention by showing off his conquests,” Nola replied, casually sipping her margarita iwhile scrolling through her instagram feed, clearly not interested in where this conversation seemed to be going.

You couldn’t take this anymore. You got off the kitchen island, which had been transformed into a makeshift bar, and headed to confront the boy who had the guts to show up to the same place as you, even after everything that had happened.

“Liz, wait!” You heard your friends call out for you but you were done being the good girl. This sore jock was going to see the bad side of the good girl cheerleader today.

As you rushed through towards the door, his eyes immediately met yours and his mouth turned upwards into his signature smirk, his arms falling down from the girl on his side back into his jean pockets.

“I didn’t know whores were coming to the party tonight, would’ve arrived earlier princess,” He said, eyes scanning your black dress clad body from top to bottom, then landing back to your pissed off face.

“Yeah sure Taehyung, tell that to the girl next to you,” You said bitterly, eyeing the alien standing in front of you, clearly not fond of her eavesdropping your conversation.

“Whoa princess, didn’t know you’d be so jealous!” He laughed slyly, leaning down to whisper something down into the girl’s ear while he kept his eyes on you in his signature mysterious way. The girl simply nodded as he stood back straight, walking straight into the party, no questions asked.

You went back to your mission of nailing this man down in his coffin, “Why are you here, despite of everything that happened? Have you really started thinking with that little dick of yours?”

Within the blink of an eye, he had you pinned against the door, his heavy breathing being felt on your nose. You knew everyone was watching, so the first thing you wanted to do was kick him in the balls and rush back home, but you just couldn’t.

His eyes met yours, drowning you in an endless pool of mystery. What was happening? “Not this again.” You thought.

“Babygirl, don’t say things that you don’t want to be proven to you, because what you said is far from the truth and I will gladly prove it to you. Don’t try to blame me for what happened in the locker room, you and I both know you’re soaking wet for me right now,” He spoke with his hooded eyes on you, like a hungry beast looking at his feast.

He wasn’t wrong, and you couldn’t help but rethink the events from the previous day.

***

“Okay, now we’ll have one last round of practice with lead cheer, the rest of y’all can go home now. Happy weekend everyone!” Coach said through the mic.

“When will this fucking thing end, doesn’t he see I want pizza?!” Aarsh whined, bending down to tie her shoelaces and getting ready for the last practice.

“Bend that ASS for me baby” Jimin, the university fuckboy yelled out from the the bleachers.

“Yeah? How about I bend yours and fuck you hard you horny rat!” Alyssa yelled back, clearly not taking his bull.

“Okay yea calm down you raging wolf” you collected a very riled up Alyssa back into the formation line.

“I’m taking you up on the pizza plan, lets go thrifting after food?” Alyssa said, clearly pissed but very hungry too.

“okay as expected. Liz, you in too?” Aarsh asked and then gave Jimin a bitch look and turned around.

You weren’t so sure about this plan, having some workout plans later after practice, “I’ll bail on this one, go hog on dough you rats” you said laughing, while the other two girls simply agreed because that had always been the plan.

After repeating the same formation countless times you guys were finally done. The two girls changed and left for pizza, while you stayed in the locker room, scrolling through Tumblr, while sitting clad in a towel, as no one else was going to come since the practice was officially finished for the day.

You were reading a hot fan fictions, as a deep voice broke you from your trance.

Kim Taehyung. Clad in baseball gear and sweat highlighting his brown locks.

“Waiting for someone? Me, by any chance?” He said as he stood near your naked legs, clearly enjoying the show.

Fuck, he was hot. You mentally cursed yourself, the smut was making you horny for the class A fuckboy.

You stood up and said, “What kind of a perv are you to enter the girls locker room? Desperate much?”

He walked closer and filled the space between you and him. One move and your chests would be touching.

“I saw you engrossed in your phone with a look that all those girls have when they are under me. Who’s making you like that through a damn phone baby girl? Because I sure as hell know you’re not dumb to fall for a guy, there’s a reason why they call you Liz the goody two shoes,” He said, lightly laughing as he stared in my eyes.

Fuck, what happened to me? I was…frozen? This man, no, hot bod god, was looking into my eyes with a look that said ‘I want you to be one of my sex escapades’.

Impatient because you couldn’t garner a response, Taehyung decided to snatch the phone from your hands into his. His eyes were clearly not expecting to see what you were actually reading- the good girl image of yours shattering piece by piece in his eyes as he read the words on the screen.

He dropped the phone onto the bench you were previously sitting on and pushed you against the closed lockers.

“Oh baby girl, you’re so bad on the inside, aren’t you? Such a dirty mind, tsk tsk, pretending to be good while you’re craving for a wolf cock?” He laughed in your ears, his breath tickling your neck.

You couldn’t figure what was happening, you just knew that this was something that had never happened before, but you were not at all scared.

“Do you want me to destroy you like the wolf does on your phone? Trust me babygirl, this cock is a wild beast on its own,” He whispered in your ear, grinding his clothed dick on your naked sex that was covered with nothing but a thin towel.

Automatically, feeling this pleasure for the first time from someone that was not you, your face instantly leaned back in pleasure wanting him to continue what he was doing. He licked a bold stripe on the side of your neck as he saw your reaction, hands going off to pull his jersey over his head in haste.

He looked like pure sex. His collarbones, his chest and lean torso - they were the epitome of sex. His v line made your mind go crazy, you couldn’t think of anything but pleasure. You were finally able to get what you always read about and this hot-sex-god-man would be the one to fulfill your fantasies.

He noticed your eagerness and kissed you hard. His lips sucked the life out of your tongue and that was the hottest thing that had ever happened to you. Now breathless, you felt his fingers trail down your thighs and land on your aching sex.

His fingers made patterns of eights on your clit, making you feel like you were about to combust. Seeing your reaction, he was in awe, no one had ever reacted in this way when he was only using his fingers. You were pulling on his naked shoulders, as you let your first moan out.

Taehyung didn’t know what was happening- was Liz just too sensitive or….was it her first time doing this? He was really surprised as you brought your hand and placed it on top of his, assisting him to move faster.

He placed butterfly kisses all over your face, letting you soak into your own pleasure. “Is this my baby girl’s first time?” He smirked against your face, and you could only nod haphazardly, your high just around the corner.

Seeing this, Taehyung slipped a finger inside you, feeling how tight you were, and also helping you reach your high. He was giving you too much pleasure at once, one hand rubbing your clit,  the other fucking you with his long slender fingers, and his mouth attacking your exposed neck.

With so much pleasure, you finally saw white and collapsed on his bare chest, now noticing that your towel had slipped from your body when you reached your high.

Taehyung basked in your heavy breathing on his chest, his dick hard and long as rock, but he somehow couldn’t think of himself. He had so many questions-

Suddenly, the locker room door opened and Jimin appeared, “Taehyung-shi!” , he yelled.  He was not surprised at first because he had caught Taehyung with girls a number of times, but when he saw it was you, his jaw dropped.

Jimin was the fuckboy but also the tabloid of Boston University, whatever slipped through him was going to be on instagram the next minute.

‘Jimin get the fuck out bro!” Taehyung said, covering you by wrapping his arms around you and turning away from Jimin’s eyes. It was now that you realize your boobs were touching this manwhore of a jock.

Why are you so delusional Liz? But you knew your were fucked because this was going to be allover the campus gossip portals within the next hour.

“Get the fuck out or I nail your sister” Taehyung growled, but you could feel his eyes on you, searching fo ra reaction to what just happened.

“I’ll go, but who knew you were such a freak Liz” Jimin laughed as he made tsk tsk sounds with his tongue.

As soon as he left, you shoved Taehyung off as you collected your towel and phone, getting the fuck out of that damned before saying “If I see you again, you’re dead meat.”

All you got was a smirk for a reply.

***

“Are you still reading those stories in your mind, princess? Is me this close to you making you crave that wolf dick again-“

“Shut the fuck up you asshole!”

He then kissed you yet again, as if he wanted to continue what had had started in  the locker room, and also give you an ending he knew you craved.

[kuratoki]

Distance 03

~If you wanted to be added to the taglist for future parts, kindly send me an ask :D~

I would like to note that future parts will have Instagram/Text messages posted as a separate post but it’s still considered in the same time frame (and will be posted in order)

Shoutout to my mutual @jenoleeaesthetic​ for giving me the idea for the first part of this chapter :) She’s so precious guys and she’s been a big help with the path of Distance :) (Also tysm for putting up with my fan girling while I look for inspo pics T=T)

There wasn’t a day Jeno didn’t regret not making things official with you sooner. What he also didn’t expect was his soon to be ex best friend to act on his feelings towards you either. Now a whole continent away with a ten hour time difference, will the two of you survive the distance and all the obstacles that come with?

Genre: Fluff, Angst

Pairing: Ballerina OC x Dancer Jeno

Words: 1929

Warnings: Swearing

~Updates Ever/other day at 8AM PST~

Tag List: @mikachu-28​ @peachykrystal​ @jenoleeaesthetic​

 “What do you think you’re doing?” Yeeun whispered, grabbing Tzuyus arm and pulled her away from the door, “You know it’s rude to eavesdrop.” 

“It’s not my fault the door was open.” Tzuyu argued, she didn’t get why Yeeun was so annoyed with her lately, “I just wanted to get to know him better.” 

“Maybe if you stopped trying to flirt with him everytime he came to hang out he’d open up more.” Yeeun said and sighed, “We told you that he was off limits.”

“But you also said that they weren’t official.” Tzuyu said with a smile, “I still think I can change his mind.” 

Yeeun felt bad for Tzuyu because up until recently, she was in her position. She had entered SMAA around the same time the others had. The moment she saw Jeno dance at his first NCT showcase, she was interested. She would observe him during their shared classes and noticed how cold he was to everyone but his inner circle which only consisted of Jaemin at the time. 

Eventually, she tried talking to him and the way he treated her was the exact same way he was treating Tzuyu. She had overheard him telling Jaemin one day that if he won Nationals he would let go and finally be at peace. She didn’t know what he was talking about at the time but only knew now that he was referring to his feelings for you. After he won, she was set to make her move but then you showed up and it was as if Jeno was a different person. 

She tried so hard to hate you but she couldn’t. You were so nice to her all the time even though Jeno still acted cold and eventually she found solace in her first love Wong Yukhei and after everything thats happened, she was glad they worked things out. 

Now, she was determined to set it straight with Tzuyu to avoid any unnecessary drama within the group. Things were tense right now as is and it wasn’t worth it.

“Listen, I was in your position only months ago. It’s not worth it Tzuyu.” Yeeun started, “I thought I could change his mind too but he only ever had eyes for one person. It never changed, even after four years.” 

“Maybe you just weren’t his type.” Tzuyu said dismissively, “He seems like he needs someone who can support him.” 

“Believe me, he gets a lot of support from Y/N. That girls probably chewing him out right now for overworking himself.” Yeeun said knowing it was a topic in your last phone call, “I’m trying to tell you so you won’t get hurt. He’s not and will never see you the way he sees her. They grew up together, travelled together, they have so many memories with each other that their hearts naturally belong together. For fuck sakes, she’s all he ever talks about. He’s waiting Tzuyu, he’s waiting for the right time and when they become official, nothing and I mean NOTHING will be able to break them up.” Yeeun let out a breath, “Think carefully. Whatever your actions, there will be repercussions and it’s not a threat nor from me.” 

Looking down at her phone, she saw a text from Yukhei asking where she was. Quickly replying, she decided to make her way back to the practice room where Jeno was to see if he was done with his video call. That left Tzuyu frozen from Yeeuns rant, fist clenched as she felt anger rush inside her. Who was she to tell her that she had no chance. She would show Yeeun, she would show that she would be able to change Jeno’s mind and by the end of it, it would be Y/N who? 

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, you were in your bedroom getting ready for bed. You and Renjun had accomplished a lot during the day and it was time for you to rest. You were doing your nighttime stretches, dressed in a simple tank top and shorts combo, listening to your favorite classical playlist. You took a deep breath in and slowly released as you lifted leg slightly, jumping when you felt two arms wrap around your waist.

“Gosh Jisung, make some noise next time.” you said pulling away from said person but was quickly pulled back into his arms so you were resting under his chin. You had forgotten how big the height difference was between the two of you and you heard his deep voice that he usually had when he came home from practice exhausted.

“Dance with me.” he said, resting his chin on your head, eyes closed as he lead you through the waltz, “I feel like it’s been so long since I’ve seen you and I don’t remember the last time we had any alone time together.” 

“Well you are here for training camp.” you said, swaying with him to the music, holding his hand as he twirled you out before bringing you back in, “Is it better now that Chan’s there? I heard you’re one of the top candidates.” 

“That’s the hard part. It’s like public knowledge on how I got into training camp so I feel like I have to beat the standard. It’s so stressful sometimes because I know a lot of the kids there are judging me since my dance style is different.” he said with a small pout.

“Your dance style is what got you into training camp in the first place.” you said pulling away to look your best friend in the eyes, you could see the look of exhaustion on his face and his eye bags were so deep. You wondered when the last time he got a good night sleep was knowing he would stay late in the practice rooms to go through the routines with Chan. “Everyone here and back home believe in you.”: you ruffled his hair giggling, “I believe in you.” 

Jisung didn’t know what possessed him to do it, he could’ve blamed his exhaustion since his confidence levels went up during that time but he would later realize it wasn’t an excuse when he leaned down and claimed your lips in his, only to be pushed away a second later.

You both stood there, eyes wide.

“I-I’m so sorry Y/N.” he whispered, “I shouldn’t have…”

You didn’t know what to say, your best friend of four years, someone you considered a brother just kissed you. It was the one thing you promised wouldn’t happen and your heart suddenly filled with guilt. 

“Y/N…” Jisung whispered, he was afraid. Afraid that he just ruined your friendship. The way you pushed him away was an obvious sign.

Hearing the vulnerability in his voice made you look up at him and he could see ushed tears brimming his eyes. You weren’t mad, you knew you should have validated his feelings eons ago but you didn’t want to ruin the friendship between you or make anything awkward. But here he was worried he’d messed everything.

Wrapping your arms around his waist, you gave him a brief hug. You had to get out of there, you needed to clear your mind, you needed to rid the guilt in your heart. “I’m sorry.” you whispered and grabbed the hoodie you had stolen from Jeno before you left along with your phone and keys and ran out of your room, passed a shocked Renjun and Mia who were just coming back from a night out. 

“What the fuck just happened?” Renjun asked, seeing a frozen Jisung in your bedroom. He looked at Mia and she was quick to call Chan who was on his way over. You had just run out and it was the middle of the night, it wasn’t safe for you especially in a foreign place like this. He quickly ran out after you, chasing you down the streets as you continued to run. To run to a place you knew all too well.

Just like back home, you had your own spot in London too. It was situated not far from your apartment and you were able to see some of the best sights just from sitting on the hill alone. Looking over the lights, a part of you wished you were home. For the first time in a long time you were actually feeling home sick.

Looking down at your phone, you realized that classes were about to start back home but the guilt eating at your heart was so strong that you needed to let it out. Pressing a familiar name in your favorites, you could only hope he wasn’t in class yet.

Jeno was literally seconds from walking into class when he heard the ringtone he had reserved for you. Taking a step back, he quickly answered it.

“Hey, I’m just about to head to class right now. Can I call you back later?” he asked but froze when he heard a sob.

“I’m sorry.” you whispered over the line and he began to worry. Making eye contact with Jaemin from the door, he motioned that he wouldn’t be in class today, pointing to his phone and Jaemin raised his eyebrows but nodded his head.

“Hey are you okay?” he asked gently leaning against the lockers, class had already started so the hallways were practically empty. 

“I feel so bad..” you whispered and Jeno frowned, what were you going on about.

“What are you going on about? Where are you? Are you alone?” he asked, he was the middle of the night where you were and from the background noises, it sounded like you were outside. 

“Jisung kissed me.” you whispered and Jeno completely froze and swore he stopped breathing. 

“Jeno..?” your small voice went through the line but all he could hear was his blood pounding in his ears. He could not believe Jisung had the audacity. 

“I’m here.” he let out a breath, there was no use in overreacting right now, you had called him meaning that you wanted to tell him. It was a step. “H-how? When?” 

“About fifteen minutes ago…” you muttered, “I was getting ready for bed and he came home exhausted. He were talking, dancing and the next thing you know…” you sucked in a breath, “I am so sorry…”

“Did you push him away?” Jeno asked, clenching and unclenching his fist, but his voice remained calm. 

“Of course!” you gasped, “I feel guilty enough as is...I promised you that something like this wouldn’t happen and yet…”

“It’s not your fault…” Jeno said letting out a big breath, “I just...I need to process things for a while okay? I’m not mad at you but...I’m just frustrated with everything and then this…But it’s not you. I’m gonna go and I’ll call you again later tonight okay? Please, wherever you are get home safe. Even if you have to call Renjun or Jongin or someone...I don’t want anything happening to you.” 

“I think Renjuns right behind me..” you whispered, you had felt his presence and you could hear him yelling your name from blocks away, “Promise we’ll talk tonight?” 

“I promise, Princess.” he whispered, “Take care.” 

After ending the call, Jeno clenched his fists, instinctively punching a locker out of anger. There was no way he was going to class today. He had way too much pent up energy to even think about it. Picking up his bag, he made his way out the school doors. He had a long overdue appointment with his punching bag.

[bucky-of-the-opera]

Roll with the Changes (1/?)

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Reader

Summary: He lost his friends, his reputation, and his first love. Will Steve be able to pick up the broken pieces of his life, or will he need someone else to help him?

Warnings: language

Word Count: 2,367

A/N: As promised, here is Part 1 of my new Steve series! I’m not yet sure how many parts there will be. Also, there’s a popular book/movie reference hidden in the fic. Bonus points if you find it.

Masterlist

You were sitting in your car in front of the Buckley household where you had been waiting for the past 5 minutes. Sighing, you honked the horn, holding it down for a good 10 seconds. Finally, the front door swung open, and Robin emerged. Her backpack hung from one shoulder while she carried her instrument case in one hand and her lunch bag in the other. She scurried through the yard and threw all of her belongings in the backseat before dropping into the passenger seat.

You pushed your sunglasses to the top of your head and turned your face to look at her. “You’re really gonna make us late on the first day of school?”

“I slept through my alarm!” she shouted. 

“What, were you reading comics until 2am again?” you asked. 

“…I plead the fifth.”

You stared at her for a moment before slipping the sunglasses back down your face. “You’re lucky our parents are friends, or I would’ve left your ass here.”

Robin smirked at you. “No, you wouldn’t.”

Your nonchalant stare failed you as a smile crept onto your face. “You’re right, I wouldn’t have. But I would’ve been majorly pissed if you made me late for my first day of senior year.”

“It won’t happen again; I promise,” she said, smiling at you sweetly.

“I’ll believe that when I see it,” you said as you put the car in drive. 

Once you both arrived at Hawkins High School, Robin marched straight to the band room to drop off her instrument. Meanwhile, you stopped at your locker to drop off the textbooks that you wouldn’t need until later that day.

A few lockers down, you spotted the King of Hawkins himself, Steve Harrington, at his locker. Although, according to the rest of the school, his title had been stripped from him. The rumor going around was that the junior Nancy Wheeler had Steve wrapped around her finger, and his friends dumped him shortly after the two made it official. His whole persona changed after the end of last year. He was more quiet; he really only spoke to Nancy and some of the guys on the basketball team. He drew less attention to himself, the big ego he once had was now deflated. It was almost like he blended into the background now. And yet, you always seemed to notice him.

You were lost in thought when Robin reappeared in front of your face, blocking your view of Steve.

“Hello? Earth to Y/N? I’ve been calling your name from down the hall. What’s got you so distracted?” She turned her head to face the direction you were staring at.

“Oh! Sorry, I was just thinking about how this is my last ‘first day of high school’ ever.” You shut your locker and pulled your backpack on.

Robin turned towards you again. “Aren’t you excited? You’re that much closer to leaving this place!”

“This place, as in the school or Hawkins?” You asked as the two of you started walking down the hall to your respective first periods. 

“Both! You’ll finally be able to start your life! I’m incredibly jealous; I only have one year of high school under my belt.”

You slowed to a stop, and Robin followed suit. “I don’t know why you’re in such a rush to grow up. In the blink of an eye, you’ll be a senior too. And then you’ll be wishing you could go back in time so you could tell your younger self to savor every moment, and to not be afraid of doing the things that scare you. Because the future is uncertain, and the present is fleeting.”

Robin stared at you like you had a second head. “It is way too early in the morning for you to be having an existential crisis. Why don’t you go to class, and I’ll meet you at your locker before 5th period for lunch?” She squeezed your shoulder, and turned on her heels to head to her first period. 

You took a moment to collect your thoughts before entering your classroom and taking an open seat towards the front of the room.

A few hours later, the bell marking the end of fourth period rang. You grabbed your bag and went back to your locker to wait for Robin. You leaned your shoulder against the metal wall as you saw Steve and Nancy walking down the hallway towards you. They stopped a few feet away at Steve’s locker. The energy between them both was the exact opposite of the rest of the students. They gave off a somber aura while the rest of the school buzzed with excitement.

You opened your Calculus book, pretending to be enthralled by derivatives while you strained your ears to eavesdrop on their conversation. But, because the hallway was so crowded, the only words you could decipher were “Barb” and “dinner”.

A sudden hand on your shoulder caused you to drop your book. Steve and Nancy turned to look at you; your cheeks flushed as your bent down to grab the book. You briefly made eye contact with Steve when you stood back up, but he wrapped his arm around Nancy’s waist, and they continued their walk down the hall.

“You all right there, Y/N?” Robin asked from behind you.

“Yeah, I’m fine. You just scared me, is all.”

“If you say so. Come on,” she tugged your arm. “I’m starving.”

Robin led you to the cafeteria where you joined a few of your other friends. You listened to them talk, chiming in every now and then. But mostly, your mind wandered back to Steve. What had happened to him to make him change so drastically in such little time? Surely, it couldn’t have been all Nancy’s doing. Something else must have happened last year.

The bell rang once more, bringing you back to reality. You said goodbye to the others as you left for 6th period.

The rest of your day passed by much quicker. When your last class had ended, you strolled through the hall. You looked down at the planner in your hands just as a body collided with you, making you drop it and stumble backwards. But the other person reached out and grabbed your arm before you could fall.

“Are you okay?” a male voice said. 

You knew from the voice alone that it was Steve Harrington. “Yeah, I’m just peachy.” 

He crouched down to pick up your planner. “Is this a habit of yours?”

You stared at him in confusion until he spoke again. 

“You dropped your textbook earlier at your locker.”

“Oh, you saw that?” you asked, your cheeks betraying you again. 

“Yeah. I mean, your locker’s right next to mine. And it sounded like a pretty heavy textbook.”

You snatched your planner back from him. “Let’s not forget that you’re the one who ran into me!”

He tilted his head. “And you’re the one who wasn’t watching where they were going.”

Okay, so maybe he was a little right. You held your tongue between your teeth, glancing past his shoulder. Thankfully, you spotted Robin at the front doors of the building. “This was fun, but I gotta go. Let’s both promise to watch where we’re walking from now on, okay?” You stepped around him and walked briskly towards the exit before he could respond. You could feel his eyes on you, but you kept moving.

“Ready to go?” you asked Robin when you reached her. “Great! Come on.”  Before she even had a chance to open her mouth, you had grabbed her hand and pulled her into the parking lot.

“Woah, where’s the fire, Y/N?”

“I’m just ready to get out of here, you know? It’s been a long day.”

The two of you climbed into your car and left the school. You blasted the radio while Robin shouted over the music to tell you about her classes.

“You know I have Mrs. Clickity-Clackity for history?” she asked. “Guess which senior is in my class. My sophomore class.”

“Don’t you only have history on Tuesdays and Thursdays? How do you know there’s a senior in it?”

“A little birdie told me. Now, come on, guess!”

You tapped your steering wheel in contemplation. “Tommy H.”

“Surprisingly, no.”

You sighed. “I don’t know. Carol?”

“Nope, not her either.”

“Which other senior would have such low grades that they were placed in a sophomore class?”

Robin grinned at you. “Steve ‘The Hair’ Harrington,” she said, placing emphasis on his alias. “Who gave him that title anyway? I bet you $20 that he gave it to himself.”

You stayed quiet, keeping your eyes glued to the road as you mulled this new information over in your head.

“I guess it’s less egotistical than calling yourself a king. Not by much, though,” she continued. Robin waited for you to respond, but the only noise to be heard was coming from the music playing on the radio. “Well? Any thoughts you’d like to share with the class?”

“Oh, um, not really.”

“Seriously? You don’t have anything to say?” she asked incredulously. “Don’t you think it’s ironic? The once great King Steve who practically ran the school is stuck with a bunch of underclassmen who are now his equals. It’s hilarious!”

Your gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. “I don’t think it’s funny at all, actually. His whole world was turned upside down; he lost his friends and the respect of his peers, and now he’s falling behind in his classes. I’d say it’s more sad than funny.”

“Jeez, lighten up, would ya? He’s a douche; he probably deserved whatever happened to him.”

You pulled over as you arrived at Robin’s house and leaned across her to push her door open.

“What the hell, Y/N? Did I strike a nerve or something?”

“No, I’m just really busy tonight, okay? I’ll pick you up in the morning.”

Robin gave you a quick once-over before grabbing her things and getting out of your car. “I’ll see you tomorrow then,” she said cautiously as she shut the door.

You waved and pulled back onto the street to head home. A few minutes later, you were parked in your driveway. As you got out of the car, you heard someone speaking nearby. You turned your head to look towards your neighbor’s house when you saw Steve and Nancy standing next to Steve’s car. He had both of his arms wrapped around Nancy, while her hands were resting on his shoulders. You blushed at the sight of their embrace and spun around to rush into your house. But when you were several feet away from the door, you tripped on an untied shoelace and dropped the textbooks in your hands.

“Dammit! Why now?” you whisper-shouted. But apparently, you weren’t quiet enough.

The couple turned to look at you as you bent down to gather your things.

“Hey, it’s you again!” Steve shouted from next door.

You stood up slowly and turned around, praying that your face wasn’t as red as it felt. “Yep, it’s me.” You gave a weak smile, clutching your books tightly.

“Your Nancy’s neighbor?” Steve asked.

“It would appear so.”

“Are you in Nancy’s grade?”

Of course he didn’t know who you were. Typical.

“Steve,” Nancy interrupted, “Y/N’s a senior.”

Now it was Steve’s turn to blush. “Shit, I’m sorry. I should’ve known that.”

“It’s fine,” you said. “There’s a lot of people in our grade. It’s easy to miss a few faces.” The three of you stood there in uncomfortable silence until you spoke again. “Um, I’ll see you guys around.” They waved as you walked back inside, slamming the door behind you and dropping your backpack on the ground.

You trudged towards your room, collapsed onto your bed, and groaned into your pillow. Sleep sounded like the best thing in the world at the moment, so you rolled over and within minutes, you had drifted off. Luckily, you didn’t have any homework yet, so you slept until your mother came into your room to tell you that dinner was ready. 

The next morning, you stopped at Robin’s house to take her to school. She was actually waiting on her porch for you this time. She sat down in the passenger seat and put her seatbelt on. You waited for her to speak, but she was silent as you pulled away from the curb.

“Good morning,” you said.

“What do you mean?” Robin asked. “Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?”

“All of them at once.”

You both turned your heads to look at each other and broke into laughter.

When you brought your attention back to the road, you released a deep breath. “I’m sorry I got weird yesterday when I dropped you off.”

“It’s fine.”

“Are you sure? I feel like I might have overreacted.”

“Yes, I’m sure. I thought about it, and I realized why I upset you,” Robin said.

You glanced over at her. “You did?”

She nodded. “You have a crush on Steve,” she said plainly.

“What!?”

“It makes sense. Why else would you defend him?”

“B-because! He’s not just some douche. He’s a person, with feelings.”

“As opposed to a psychopath who doesn’t have feelings?”

“No! I mean, ugh! Nevermind! I don’t have a crush on him.”

Robin giggled. “If you say so.”

You sighed and turned up the radio to tune her out. Several minutes later, you were back inside the high school. Robin headed off to her history class while you stopped at your locker. 

You entered the combination and swung the metal door open. As you did so, a piece of paper fell onto the ground. You retrieved it, and unfolded the paper so you could read it. 

You left your planner in your driveway. Meet me at my locker after 1st period if you want it back. 

—S. H. 

P.S. You should try putting your things in your backpack so you stop dropping them. 

Part 2

[miraculouslysam]

The Woes of a Teen Underwear Model

Hi all! Today’s prompt for @adrinetteapril was “Just Friends,” and I couldn’t resist. Have some post-reveal, pre-relationship antics.

“You know, ya probably would have more success with the dudette if you actually went and talked to her instead of just staring like a creep, bro.”

Adrien couldn’t figure out how he had gotten here. It wasn’t too long before that their roles had been reversed, with Nino freaking out about being a “moronosaurus rex” while Adrien had just laughed along and teased him for overthinking it all. And yet, there he was, hiding in the corner and watching Marinette- not just Marinette, but Ladybug- laughing with Alya as they flipped through a magazine.

And it wasn’t just any old magazine. Oh no, Adrien couldn’t be that lucky. No, it just had to be Gabriel’s special swimsuits and undergarments edition. The edition in which Adrien had been the cover model.

It was taking every bit of his self-control not to run over and rip the magazine to shreds. Or to go to the nearest newspaper stand and set fire to it. Either option would be satisfactory.

The knowledge that Marinette was Ladybug still astounded him. When they had revealed themselves a few weeks before, he instantly found himself in shock. Mostly at his own stupidity. He still couldn’t grasp how he was so blind; her looks and tendency to help others stayed the same with and without the mask! Marinette, on the other hand, was cool as a cucumber. She’d taken one glance at him and said, “I should’ve seen this coming.”

They had spent more time together since then, growing closer with each passing day. All the guys teased him in the locker rooms, asking when he was finally going to get the balls to ask her out. He always smiled. “We’re just friends.” It hurt, but he knew where she stood on the matter and was not going to step over the line. He’d already learned that lesson.

But even if they were “just friends,” Adrien absolutely did not want the woman he was in love with laughing at pictures of him one-garment-short of naked. Years of modelling had taught him to be secure with himself… but not that secure.

He was pulled from his musings by a hand waving in front of his face. “Yo, earth to Loverboy. What’s your deal, bro? Just ask her out already so we can all be past this drooling. Alya’s really been pushing for us all to double-date,” Nino said. He rubbed his hand on the back of his neck. “And believe me, a happier Alya is better for everyone. Especially me.”

Adrien quickly composed himself, then quirked an eyebrow to complete the confident façade. “Oh, is that so? Well, I hate to break it to you, Nino, but Marinette and I are just friends. Maybe you could talk to Rose and Juleka.”

Nino began to speak, but the bell rang, cutting him off. The duo began walking toward their classroom. “I’m just sayin’, dude, Marinette is a catch. I’ve been hearing some stuff about some people wanting to ask her out if you’re not making a move.”

Oh man, did Adrien know. He distinctly remembered pummeling Kagami while they sparred the previous week, when she’d said something to the effect of “if you don’t make a move, I will.” The satisfied smirk she gave him, like the cat that got the cream, had plagued his mind ever since. It didn’t help that she kept texting him taunts at least three times a day either.

“Seriously, I probably still would be chasing her if Ladybug hadn’t thrown me and Alya in that cage that day at the zoo. The girl is smart, nice, and fine. She’s the whole package.” Nino paused, considering. “Oh, but don’t tell Alya I said that. My girl is the best and only one for me.”

The pair fist-bumped, then walked through the door of Ms. Bustier’s class. Alya and Marinette already had taken their seats. The girls looked up for a moment, greeting the boys, then returned to their discussion. He heard laughter from behind him and tensed up. Should he eavesdrop? He knew it was wrong, but they were looking at-

“Hey, Adrien,” Alya’s voice drawled. He heard Marinette groan, then turned to see her thunking her head into her desk. Alya held up the offending magazine and Adrien felt himself cringe. “Marinette has a question for you.”

Marinette groaned again. “Please don’t, Alya. It’s just going to be embarrassing for everyone.”

Adrien swore he saw Alya’s eyes flash, not unlike Kyoya’s in Ouran. And, well, Kyoya had nothing on Alya in terms of being terrifying. “Really? Embarrassing for everyone, you say? I don’t think I’ll be embarrassed, so I’ll just say it for you.” She leaned forward, elbow on the table as she rested her chin on her fist. “Marinette wants to know what the hell was going through your mind when you posed for this photo.”

He glanced at the two-page spread, what the photographer called the star of the photoset. He thought he looked pretty good in it, but judging by that smirk on Alya’s face... He smiled weakly. “I was told to do a smolder. They wanted me to look sexy.”

The smirk grew wider and Alya’s eyes glinted again. Adrien swallowed thickly. “Is that so? Did you find it sexy, Marinette?”

Alya’s head whipped toward her best friend, who appeared to be practicing a new shrinking act. Marinette’s eyes darted around at every other member of their quartet. “Well, no, that isn’t exactly what I said.”

“And what exactly did you say?”

Marinette clearly knew there was no getting out of it. She sighed and sat up straight, shoulders back. She met Adrien’s questioning glance. “Sorry, Adrien, but… you look like you’re trying to pass something. Like bad gas.”

Alya and Nino dissolved into laughter instantly. Adrien’s jaw dropped, face morphing into disbelief. “I’m- you- huh?” Did she really think that? It was like glass shattered in his mind. Though he hadn’t told anyone, he secretly had been envisioning something like an anime scene:

Dramatic music plays in the background. Marinette, clad in a white, flowing dress with her hair free, runs while looking around frantically, magazine in hand. She finally sees him. “Oh, Adrien! I can’t resist any longer. You’re the man of my dreams. You’re handsome and strong and incredible!” She flings herself into his arms. “Please, kiss me!” They passionately embrace while rose petals fall around them and-

His friends’ uproarious laughter snapped him from his reverie. Right. That wouldn’t happen now, apparently.

Marinette looked apologetic for a moment, but then sat up even straighter, emboldened like she suddenly was her spotted alter-ego. Adrien supposed she was picturing cat ears flat against his head. He could practically feel them himself.

“And now you look like you’ve passed it.”

The challenge in her eyes taunted him, the smirk dancing on her lips a silent invitation. The message was clear. Step up or just take it.

Well that simply wouldn’t do.

A cheshire grin overtook his face. Marinette’s eyes grew wide for a split-second before she settled into her game face. “I don’t know that you’re one to talk, Princess. Didn’t you have me go buy constipation tablets for you in London?” He began mocking her voice. “’Oh, Adrien, please do this for me. You’re the only one who can!’”

If looks could kill, Adrien surely would have been pronounced dead on the scene.

He knew it had been a mistake. It was the first thing she cleared up after they revealed themselves, but Alya and Nino didn’t know that. It was a low blow, but fair was fair.

But once again, he had failed to account for Alya’s quick wit. The wicked smile on her face made him gulp and regret saying anything. “Wow, it sounds like you two really are made for each other.”

Was his face on fire? It felt like it. Could a human face physically catch flame? Maybe he could ask Ms. Mendeliev for resources to be studied.

He vaguely heard Marinette sputtering, but class began before he could hear what she had to say.

~~~~~

Class took an eternity to end. Nino had teased him via note through the entire thing, but Adrien was too removed to care. His leg couldn’t seem to stop jiggling the whole time, and his notebook showed that he had learned absolutely nothing.

Unless discovering that Adrien Dupain-Cheng looked better than Marinette Agreste counted. Because the whole page was full of it, written in various fonts and surrounded by hearts.

Oh well. The girl of his dreams had just been laughing at the centerfold photo of him wearing Gabriel briefs. He had no shame left.

He waited until Marinette and Alya got up to leave, then quietly followed them so he could hear what they were saying.

“Alya, you really didn’t have to say that. Adrien didn’t need to know.”

“Oh, come on, girl. You know I didn’t want to hurt him. We were going to find out his feelings either way. Either you were going to acknowledge that you think he’s drop-dead gorgeous, or we were going to see him get pouty because you didn’t think so. You chose not to own up, so we saw Model Boy get upset.”

Adrien felt himself blushing again.

“Alya, he knows he’s drop-dead gorgeous. He’s a model. He probably just got upset because his job is to match the expressions they tell him to.”

Alya laughed. “Girl, if you think he’s just upset over that, you’re more blind than he is. He’s more whipped than topping on an ice cream sundae.”

“You know that isn’t true.”

“If you’re so sure, then why don’t you ask him? Call him up, ask him out on a date. Not just video games. A real date,” Alya countered.

Marinette scoffed. “Come on, Alya. I can’t do that, no matter how much I want to. He only sees me as a friend.”

Adrien tripped, falling headfirst into a trashcan.

“She likes me back?!”

[blightfics]

THE THIRD WHEEL CHAPTER 1: Color

Next Chapter: Her Voice

Disclaimer:  This story is based from a lot of animes, such as Your Lie in April and Waiting in the Summer. Also, Pixelberry’s Endless Summer and Naoishi Arakawa’s Your Lie in April will be referenced here, so all rights belong to them.

Author’s Note: If the “Keep reading” doesn’t work, go here for the full post. Since my brother’s drawing monitor is being borrowed by his friend, there won’t be any chapter artworks until some time around March. Italicized narration is told by one of the protagonists, Kyle Collins. And lastly, to pay respects to non-Americans sports fans, I’m going to call it “football”, not “soccer”.

Tags: @princessstellaris, @mechaspirit, @xo-endlessmayhem-xo, @i-miss-trr, @aquamarvel, @mysteli, @choicesyouplayandmore, @skyila, @abhirio,  @brightpinkpeppercorn, @sceptilemasterr, @scgdoeswhat, @endlessly-searching-for-you

Recommended Music: I Wonder what He said about Such Feelings (YLiA)

Cold. Even though winter is almost gone, everything still felt cold. Even before winter came, it still felt cold when this cruel world decided to take something that gave me happiness. What am I to do now? Why am I still here? How shall I end my suffering, without taking my own life?

Voice: Kyle...? KYLE!!

Chestnut eyes open to the sound of a girl’s concerning voice. All they could see is the orange tint of the sky during a sunset. A brunet boy sits up after waking from his snap while rubbing his eyes. A brunette girl is sitting next to him, with an annoyed look, while a blond boy is sitting beside her, with his arm around her shoulder and while sharing the same expression as her.

Girl: Finally!

Kyle: Ugh... what? What do you want, Karen?

Karen: You slept past an important conversation again.

Kyle: What’s so important about my future...?

The girl rolls her eyes and turns to her boyfriend.

Karen: Sam, help me out here...

The blond boy grins and his ocean-blue eyes light up. He reaches to nudge his friend’s arm.

Sam: Come on, Kyle! Tomorrow’s our last quarter in our last year in high school. Aren’t you supposed to be happy?

Kyle stands from the inclined grass plain and walks to the nearby river. He picks up a few rocks and skips them across the river.

Kyle: Why should I be happy? Nothing can every make me happy after.... six months ago...

Sam’s grin quickly falters as he shares the same depressed look as Karen while she clutches her chest.

Yeah, it’s true. Nothing’s been the same for six months. It’s all been black and white to me. My parents passed away during an accident. Accidents; worthless excuses for the world to take something from you so heartlessly. 

Kyle decided to stop and come back to sit with his sister and his friend.

Kyle: ....But you know? To be honest, I am feeling kind of excited for tomorrow.... Kind of...

Smiles return to Karen and Sam. The blond boy lightly punches Kyle on the arm.

Sam: That’s our boy!

Karen: It’s not a lot but it’s good enough. We’re here for you if you need any help.

Kyle smiles and nods.

Kyle: Thanks, guys.

I lied. I just didn’t want them to bring the subject back to my mind. Whatever satisfies them just to make them change the subject into something else other than... that, I’ll do it.

The three best friends stayed by the riverside longer as they watch the sun set between the mountains. Once nighttime arrives, they got up from the grass plain and go to their bikes. They mount their bikes and cycle back to their respective homes, but not before Karen and Sam shared a sweet kiss. Away from their vision, Kyle manages to smile... slightly.

Even though Mom and Dad are gone, I just can’t help but be happy for my sister. She’s found someone who filled in the gap in her life. She’s been more enthusiastic with her stories and films than me with my artworks.

Kyle proceeds to look up and stare at the moon and stars.

When will I find that ‘someone’?

Karen taps his her brother’s shoulder and Kyle looks behind her to see Sam waving at him while cycling away. The brunette cycles past the her brother.

Recommended Music: Can you Forget? (YLiA)

Karen: Last one home gets to wash the dishes!

Kyle: Hey!

Kyle tries to catch up to Karen but was easily defeated when they reached home. Karen celebrates and laughs.

Karen: Haha! I win!

Kyle: No fair! You had a headstart!

Karen proceeds to laugh again as she and Kyle enter the house. They are greeted by a tall brunet, wearing an apron and his hair tied into a ponytail.

Kyle: Hey, Lucas.

Karen: Hi, Big Bro!

Lucas: Ah, good. You’re here just in time. Dinner’s ready.

Lucas. He’s been here ever since he graduated from college last year and heard the news about Mom and Dad. He’s been taking care of me and Karen while serving his job as a freelance IT, providing technological help to any business in need. He’s very good at his job. In fact, my family consists of very talented people. It’s why we get around life so easily when it comes to finance.

Karen skips to the dining room while Kyle walks behind her. The three siblings gather around the table and start having their dinner. Lots of laughs and stories were shared until they finish. Kyle, honoring his part of the deal, washes the dishes but with Lucas’s help. Karen heads upstairs to her bedroom and starts writing another one of her great stories. While washing the dishes, the brothers have a heart-to-heart conversation.

Lucas: So...

Kyle: So... what?

Lucas: Have you found your ‘Sam’ yet?

Kyle: WHAT?!

I know Lucas didn’t mean Sam that way but someone similar to him, someone who can bring me happiness the same way he did to Karen. But still, does my big brother have to bring it up that way?! I looked at him, annoyed while he chuckled.

Lucas: I’m just kidding. I meant have you found your ‘special someone’ yet?

Kyle shakes his head.

Kyle: No...

Lucas kept a smile on his face.

Lucas: I’m pretty sure you’ll find that person soon. After all, spring is coming and most happy beginnings start in spring.

Kyle: Yeah? Happy beginnings? What about endings? Have you seen Your Lie in April?

Lucas: Uhh... well...

Lucas shakes his head and squints his eyes towards his little brother.

Lucas: You know what I mean!

Kyle chuckles and finishes his half of the dishes.

Kyle: I get what you mean. It’s just... isn’t that a bit cliché?

Lucas: It’s better than having nothing at all.

I don’t know why, but Lucas always has more impact towards me with his words than Karen. I feel guilty for lying to her earlier about my fake happiness. She does have an impact on me but...

After the dishes, Lucas pats Kyle on the back before the little brother runs upstairs and knocks on Karen’s door. She opens it up and peeks out.

Karen: Yes?

Kyle: I’m sorry.

Karen: For what?

Kyle: For faking my smile earlier.

Karen: I knew...

Kyle: You did?

Of course, she did. She’s my twin sister. Even though we’re not psychics, she can still tell if I’m lying or not.

Karen: Don’t pretend like you don’t know that I did.

Kyle looks down.

Kyle: I’m really sorry.

Karen fully opens the door and reaches to hug her brother.

Karen: It’s okay. I just don’t want you to end up becoming a talented, yet monotone artist. There’s more to you than that.

Kyle remains silent as he just nods.

Maybe the reason Lucas has more impact on me is because he’s more sympathetic with his approach. Karen always make me smile through hilarious antics yet she can never do it when she shows concern. This has been the first time that she did have an impact on me, and it’s not the last.

Kyle and Karen pull away from their embrace and smiled.

Karen: There we go! An actual smile!

Kyle grins and chuckles.

Kyle: Alright, alright. You win.

Karen ruffles her brother’s hair before going back to her room, laughing.

Karen: Good night, Kyle.

Kyle: Night, Sis.

Karen closes her door and Kyle goes to his room. Meanwhile below the stairs, Lucas is hiding and eavesdropping on their conversation. He smiles before going to his room.

Recommended Music: Tenma & Friends (IEGO)

Morning rises and spring quarter has begun. Kyle, Karen and Lucas get out of their house, all set and ready for school and work, respectively. Lucas gets in his car and drives off, but not before greeting his siblings goodbye.

Lucas: The usual 6 pm! Bye!

Kyle and Karen wave to their big brother before mounting their bikes and making their way to school. They are joined by Sam and soon, the three reach Skylia High School.

Sam: HELLOOOO, SPRING QUARTER!!!

Karen giggles at Sam’s excitement while Kyle just rolls his eyes as they lock their bikes at the bike rack. They eventually split and and go to their respective club rooms; Kyle to the Art Club, Karen to the Stories & Film Club, and Sam to the Gymnasium. The three wave at each other while walking to their respective destinations.

Kyle: I’ll see you back by the end of school!

Karen: Talk soon!

Sam: YEET!

Sam enters the boy’s locker room, changes into his football uniform and puts on his captain’s band. He then enters the gymnasium and gathers his teammates.

Sam: Alright, boys, get in line.

The sophomores, juniors and seniors follow Sam’s orders with no problem, while the freshmen does it so nervously. One particular freshman catches Sam’s attention.

Sam: Hey, you.

The new player stands up straight and trembles.

New Player: Yes?!

Sam chuckles and puts his hand on the new player’s shoulder.

Sam: Hehe. Hey, don’t worry. I’m not the strict type. As captain, I usually attempt to be close to the team’s goalkeepers to have like a second-in-command, since they handle leading the defense line.

New Player: Well... I don’t think I can handle a leadership role yet...

Another goalkeeper, Mark Evans, stands beside Sam and encourages the new player.

Evan: Don’t worry. It takes time but once you have a practical example, you’ll know what to do, especially when the team needs you to be the best you can be.

Sam: Mark is right, you know.

The new goalkeeper looks at his superiors with a smile.

New Player: Thanks, sirs.

Sam: No prob. Say, what’s your name?

New Player: Dannielle Wallace. But you can call me, “Danny”.

Mark offers his hand.

Mark: Welcome to the team, Danny.

The two keepers shake their hands and soon, Sam gets to know the rest of his new teammates. After introductions, they start the freshmen tryouts and when it is Danny’s turn, Sam becomes the forward to test him.

Sam: Ready, Danny?

Danny: Yes, sir!

Sam dashes towards his junior and kicks the ball to the Danny’s right side. The new goalkeeper reacts and leaps to his right, but suddenly, the ball curves to his left; a feint done by Sam. Although Danny ends up surprised, his reflexes composed him. He quickly twists his body to face upwards and kicks the ball to the air. He lands on the ground but quickly stands up and jumps to catch the falling ball. Finally, he turns to Sam with a confident smirk. The captain and Mark walk up to Danny  while slowly clapping.

Mark: Oooh, boy. That has got to be the best tryout I have ever seen!

Sam: Exactly! Danny, congratulations. You’re on the team.

Danny smiles and jumps for joy before shaking the hands of his seniors and thanking them. Sam turns to the rest of the team.

Sam: Alright, tryouts are over. Let’s practice!

Team: YEAH!!

The Skylia Dragons start their practice for the upcoming Spring Football Tournaments.

Meanwhile in the Story & Film club, Karen is continuing her new story that she was working on the previous night when suddenly, the club door bursts open. Karen is startled and glares at her fellow club member, Elizabeth.

Elizabeth: Good news!

Karen: What, Eli?! What’s so good news that you have to scare me half to death?!

Elizabeth quickly bows repeatedly while apologizing. She then stands up straight and shows Karen a poster. It says, “Aryndelle City Spring Film Festival”, and Karen jumps for joy.

Karen: Yes! Eli, you wonderful girl!

Karen pulls Elizabeth into a tight hug while their literature teacher, Mister Alexander Cameron, peeks out from behind the book shelves.

Mr. Cameron: What is it, girls?

Elizabeth turns to her teacher and shows the poster while Karen looks at him with bright eyes and a grin.

Mr. Cameron: Ah, of course! We are definitely taking part in that.

Karen: Yes!

Mr. Cameron: We just need actors and crew. Maybe you can ask Kyle and Sam to join us, Karen.

Karen: Oh, absolutely!

At the mention of Kyle’s name, Elizabeth quickly blushes and hides her face with the poster. Karen doesn’t notice this and quickly goes over to a shelf of books.

Karen: Let’s see, which stories are we going to recreate as a film?

Mr. Cameron:  What about your best work so far?

Elizabeth’s blush quickly fades and she reveals herself under the poster with a smile.

Elizabeth: Yes! We should definitely film Endless Summer!

Karen grins and pulls out a large green book. She then sits by a nearby table and starts writing a screenplay of said book. Elizabeth and Mr. Cameron join her.

Recommended Music: The City I Live in Started to Take Color (YLiA)

Meanwhile at the school’s gates, a redhead girl enters. She is reluctant and anxious yet she still keeps moving. As she walks in the hallways, she spots the school’s trophy booth. In it, she sees a picture of Kyle and Karen holding their respective artwork and book about latter’s story, Endless Summer. The girl’s reluctance and anxiety fades away as she blushes and smiles before quickly running around the halls, presumably looking for something, or someone.

Kyle makes his way towards the art club to meet his mentor and art teacher, Mister Pablo Ross. On his hands, he was playing Legend of Zelda on his Nintendo Switch. Even with his eyes glued to the console, he is still aware of his surroundings and knows where to go.

Gaming has always been a staple to my life. On my 5th birthday, my parents introduced me to the world of gaming when they bought me a Playstation 3. I had lots of fun, playing with Karen and Lucas. When Mom and Dad passed away, I grew more attached to video games because, just like my arts, they’re a reminder of them, the people who loved and raised me. I just can’t seem to move on like my siblings. People keep saying that there’s a ‘special someone’ out there for me, to break me free from this torment. But I keep doubting them... until today...

Suddenly, the same redhead girl from earlier stands in front of Kyle and happily points at him. Her green eyes light up at the sight of him.

Girl: There you are!

Kyle looks at the girl with confusion.

Kyle: Wha... huh...?

The girl then offers her hand for a shake.

Girl: I’m Vivian. And I am in love with your artworks!

Kyle is taken aback by the girl’s sudden introduction and affection towards his own work. He is left speechless with lots of things going on in his mind.

On the Spring of 2018, I met a girl, who instantly confessed to me. And soon after... for a brief moment...

My world slowly started to take color...

--- End of Chapter ---

[noquiznaksweregiventhatday]

WOULD YOU LOOK AT WHAT’S FINALLY WORKING

Heyo so my fic FINALLY uploaded after 3 hours of waiting. I’ve never done these description type things so we’ll see how this goes

Title: When Dusk Falls

Current Word Count: 9982

Chapters: 2/? (I accidentally uploaded two chapters instead of one whoops)

Pairing: Keith/Lance 

Summary:  It all started when Ms. Evanescet vanished without a trace six months ago. Unexplained disappearances have been occurring ever since, and no one has been found. It is starting to appear that the cases could be connected, but the police seem to not care. Strange things are afoot in the sleepy town of Altea Falls, and the group is going to get to the bottom of it, no matter the consequences.

You can also read the first chapter of the fic here (Since it was an accident that I uploaded two)

Beep. Beep. Beep. The strident sound of the alarm cut through the air, jolting the teenager from his sleep. He rolled over from the position in his bed, groaning as he did, to look at the clock. 7:00 AM, it read in red luminescent digits. He grabbed his pillow from under his head and placed it over his face and ears, trying to drown out the raucous noise. It still pierced through the air, but it was at least somewhat muffled from under the pillow. He began to slowly to drift off again.

"Keith Kogane! Get down here! You're going to be late for school!" A voice yelled from down stairs.

"Five more minutes!" He groaned back.

"Keith, breakfast is getting cold! Come on!" Another voice shouted.

"Fine," Keith grumbled, removing the pillow from his head and sitting up. He rubbed his face to wake himself up, and pulled the covers off. He swung his legs around the side of the bed and dug his toes onto his carpet, curling them as he did.

"Keith!"

"I'm coming!"

He stood up and stretched to the ceiling, attempting to reach it with the tips of his fingers (even raising his heels in an attempt to make himself taller). When he couldn't, he sighed in disappointment and made his way downstairs, yawning as he did. He sat down at the kitchen counter next to his stepbrother contently digging into a plate full of eggs.

"Keith, you aren't even dressed yet!" A woman from the kitchen said.

"Aw, lay off of him, Mom," his stepbrother said, ruffling Keith's hair as he did. "He stayed up late looking up Bigfoot sightings again."

"I did not!" He protested.

The person simply took a sip from his coffee mug, a smile playing on his lips.

The woman from the kitchen set a plate of eggs in front of Keith. "Eat up."

Keith picked up his fork and began eating his food. He glanced to the newspaper on the counter next to the plate. A large headline was plastered across the front, reading, Two More Missing Since Last Incident. He was tempted to read the article further, but he already knew what it entailed. It would state that two more people were missing, maybe link them back to the other recent cases, then say the police are looking for any information on any of the cases. He shoved it away from him.

He finished his eggs and headed back upstairs to change. He pulled on a shirt plastered with the words "I WANT TO BELIEVE" and tied a flannel around his waist. He laced up his shoes as quickly as he could and raced back down the stairs. His father and stepmother were just leaving the house for work.

"Have a good day, you two," his father said. "Don't get into too much trouble."

"We won't," Keith said.

"Takashi, honey, remember to pick up the eggs on the way home."

"I will, Mom," his stepbrother replied.

She kissed the top of his forehead. "See you guys tonight!"

With that, Keith's father and stepmother were gone, leaving him and his stepbrother alone.

"Come on, let's get going," his stepbrother said. "You want a ride?"

"Of course I do, Shiro."

"Just making sure."

Shiro grabbed his keys off the hook and slung his backpack over his shoulder. He stepped outside and to the car parked on the curb, and Keith followed suit. Shiro got into the driver's side, and Keith in the passenger side. A fog clung to the ground outside, but it was light enough that it was still safe to drive. Shiro started the car, and they began to drive down the quiet roads to the school. Keith stared at the window, watching the quaint houses zip by them. Many had perfectly manicured lawns, flowers arranged beautifully, and sprinklers going off in the early morning. Keith knew that the ones that didn't were recently empty houses, with their previous residents nowhere to be found.

"So, uh, do you want a ride home?" Shiro asked.

"I've got Cryptid Club after school with Pidge today. I'm sure Matt will give us a ride home, or Pidge and I can walk home."

"Sounds good. Just be home by the curfew."

The curfew. A recent rule put in place in an attempt to reduce the missing persons rates. Of course, it did nothing to reduce the number of people vanishing and only made the town folk more irate than they already were about the situation. Despite this, the curfew still stood in place.

"We will. It's not like we have much of a choice, do we?"

"I suppose not."

They rode in silence the rest of the way to school. When Shiro pulled into the parking lot, Keith nearly jumped out of the moving car.

"Hey! Careful there!" Shiro said.

Keith fell back into his seat. "Sorry."

Shiro parked. "Now you can get out."

Keith hopped out of the car and landed onto the asphalt. He sprinted off to the throng of people while yelling back, "thanks for the ride, Shiro!" He quickly caught up with the horde and slowed his pace to a walk. He was about to place the headphones around his neck over his ears when he heard a familiar voice.

"Hey, emo!"

He turned around and scanned the area for the source of the voice. His eyes settled on a person much shorter then them, with hair that seemed to defy gravity. She wore large, round spectacles that were far too large for her face. Small freckles were dotted over her cheeks, creating constellations across her face. She wore a mischievous grin that stretched ear from ear, warning others to not mess with her. She wore a tank top with the Nasa logo plastered across the front, and an olive green jacket (the dress code forbid those from showing shoulder blades, and because she was a freshman, teachers were much more strict about it around her). Her backpack was slung on one shoulder, nearly knocking over most people as she shoved through the crowd to reach Keith. Despite being the shortest person around, most cleared out of the way. If they didn't, she would forcefully move them out of her way.

Keith broke into a grin. "Heyo, Pigeon."

She punched him playfully on the arm, but light enough so it wouldn't leave a bruise. "Great to see ya. Heading to our locker?"

Keith nodded. "Sure am."

Pidge, as she was called, looped her arm that was free from her backpack through Keith's. "Lead the way."

They weaved their way into the building, pushing their way through the horde to reach Keith's locker. The layout of the school was quite simple. One main hallway that had three small branches on each side. Each branch covered a different subject area. The three branches on the left covered English, science/math, and social studies. On the right, it was world languages, art/music, and other electives. At the end of the hallway was the gym and the pool. In each hallway, lockers lined the walls. Keith and Pidge were lucky enough to be in the one of the main hallways, a luxury the younger students (freshmen and sophomores) got to enjoy. Soon enough, Keith and Pidge had reached their locker. Keith quickly spun the combination lock and swung the door open. Keith shifted his backpack to the side so he could reach and open it, and unloaded the majority of its contents into the locker. Pidge followed suit, then leaned on the locker next to Keith.

"So, you finally tell Lance your true feelings?" Pidge asked nonchalantly.

"Shh!" Keith replied, turning red. "Someone could hear you!"

"Yes, because I am sure everyone in this hallway is eavesdropping on our conversation."

Keith glanced at each passerby, eyeing them for any suspicious activity. "You never know who is listening," he whispered.

"Stop being a paranoid little shit and answer my question."

"Of course I didn't, Pidge. I don't want to get rejected, or ruin our friendship. I'll just suffer silently until college."

"Come on, man, out of everyone in this damn school, you've got the best chance. He's totally into you!"

"But he's straight! There's a zero percent chance of him liking me. There is no way I am telling Lance-"

Out of nowhere, a boy swooped in. He was taller than Keith, but not by much. His skin seemed to radiate the sun, and brown locks fell over his head. He was wearing a long-sleeved grey shirt with blue sleeves, and a hand-me-down jacket.

"Tell me what?" The boy asked, a grin playing across his face as he did.

Keith shut the locker quickly. "I-uh, well um."

"Not tell you the answers to the Latin quiz you missed last week cause you were sick. It's only fair you have to suffer like the rest of us on it," Pidge said, saving Keith as she did.

The boy groaned. "Fuck, I didn't study for that. Can you at least help me a little bit?" He pleaded.

"Our lips are sealed, Lance," Pidge replied, pretending to lock her mouth and throw away the key.

Lance sighed. "Fine. I'll just fail it like you guys did."

Pidge fished out a paper from her bag, proudly displaying a large 56/56 on the paper. "Read it and weep."

Laugh chuckled. "Jokes on you, now I've seen the quiz."

"Except, you forget that Ms. Cavallaro changes her quizzes slightly when you have to make them up."

Lance snapped his finger. "Bested me again! What did I expect from the smartest person in school though?"

Keith had locked the locker while Pidge and Lance were talking about the quiz, listening intently to their conversation. He hung onto Lance's every word like it was his lifeline, not random ramblings about a Latin quiz. While Lance continued his rambling, Pidge mouthed the worlds "You're welcome" to Keith. Keith nodded and smiled.

The first bell rang, signaling they had five minutes to get to class. Pidge scooped up her textbook for biology class off the floor and gestured to the science and math hallway. "Shall we go?"

"I guess we don't really have a choice," Lance sighed.

They all began to clear out of the main hallway, as all the other students did, and strolled to their first period class. They were lucky enough to all share biology together first thing in the morning, as well with their other friend Hunk. It was the only class period all of them shared together (with the expectation of lunch), and it was the perfect way to start off the day.

It didn't take them long to get to the classroom and claim the back table as their own. Pidge placed her bag on the seat next to her to ensure it was saved for Hunk, who appeared to be running late that day, which although strange, was not something to worry about. They continued their conversation.

"So, as I was saying," Lance said, "I totally think Prince Lotion uses the same shampoo as I do! His hair smells exactly the same as mine-"

Pidge smirked. "Do you smell it regularly?"

"Don't interrupt. It's a pretty hard smell to miss. I could smell it all the way from my desk in English class. Anyway, but like that's just really frustrating, you know? I mean, that guy honestly can't be original in anyway, can he?"

Before Keith or Pidge could contribute to the conversation further, a boy burst into the room, heaving heavily as if he had just been running. He wore an orange bandanna on his head, tied neatly at the top. He made a beeline to the back of the room to their table. Pidge moved her stuff and he plopped down next to her.

"Look who finally decided to show up," Pidge teased.

"So, what are we talking about?" The boy asked, ignoring Pidge.

"Prince Lotion," Lance answered, "and his inability to not rip me off."

"Ugh, that guy," the boy replied.

"I know, right? Did I tell you that I think he's using the same shampoo as me?"

"I think you told me that three days ago."

"Sorry, Hunk, I can't keep track of every conversation."

The second bell rung. Class had begun.

Their teacher, Dr. Franklin, looked up from her computer and to the class. The projector already displayed the power point for today, or "Unit 2-1: The Molecules of Life".

Dr. Franklin began teaching, but the four were still murmuring in the back of the classroom, keeping their heads low, as if in a secret meeting. Their topic had quickly changed from "Prince Lotion" to that of a more serious one.

"Two more went missing," Pidge whispered. "That's eleven in the past month alone."

"Oh god, not your conspiracy theories again," Lance groaned.

"Shh," Keith said in response to Lance. "Pidge, who were they?"

"Not sure. Both were minors, meaning the names couldn't be released. With some digging though, I think we can figure out who."

"What time did they disappear?"

"Did you not read the article Keith? It said they went for a walk at about seven pm and never came back."

Keith scratched his chin, thinking. "These ones must be connected to the others. They disappeared at a similar time."

"No shit, Sherlock. They're all connected," Pidge replied.

Hunk and Lance were listening in on the conversation, but not fully responding. The conspiracies and missing persons cases were Keith and Pidge's specialties, and they both new that. Hunk doodled small cups of coffee and other breakfast food in his notebook while he listened, and Lance tapped his pencil against his blank notes.

"Fuck you, Watson. You got any leads yet?" Keith asked.

"Not anything substantial. I think we need to try to figure out how all of these cases are connected. Then maybe something will click."

"What do you think we've been doing the past five months? Goofing off?"

"I know, I know, it's just that-"

"Ms. Holt!" Dr. Franklin interrupted, looking with disdain at Pidge, her nose turned upwards. "Since you clearly were not paying attention, do you mind answering the question?"

Without skipping a beat, Pidge replied, "dehydration synthesis."

Dr. Franklin blinked and stood at the front of the room, silent. It took her a few seconds to regain her look of contempt before she spoke again. "That-that is correct. Can anyone tell me why it is called dehydration synthesis?"

"Not paying attention my ass," Pidge mumbled, rolling her eyes and frowning as she did.

"Ms. Holt, would you care to share what you said to the rest of the class?" Dr. Franklin said, crossing her arms.

"Nothing, Dr. Franklin."

Dr. Franklin nodded her head and continued her lecture about the wondrous molecules of life, seeming content that Pidge had backed down in the end instead of standing up to her like she normally did.

"Look, we'll talk about it later. It's too risky here with Dr. Franklin watching us. Let's pay attention and take some notes so you guys can pass the test," Pidge whispered.

"But I get As on all the exams," Hunk replied, his lips in a thin line.

"Wasn't talking about you, buddy. I was talking about emo and flirt over here."

"Hey!" They both whispered in unison.

Pidge let a smile play on her lips, but did not respond to their protests. Keith sighed and turned his attention to the front of the room, watching as Dr. Franklin droned on about condensation reactions. Pidge was furiously jotting down information, already filling half of a page with words and diagrams. Hunk too was talking notes, and he was nearly down the bottom of the page, his large handwriting filling most of the page. Lance and Keith on the other had both had two words written down: dehydration synthesis.

Pidge glanced to their papers, and seeing few notes on them, raised her eyebrows at them. Keith shrugged, and Pidge rolled her eyes in response, turning her head back to the presentation. After what felt like hours, the bell finally rang. People clambered out of the room as Dr. Franklin yelled out the homework. Keith didn't hear it, but he was sure Pidge would tell him later.

They clustered around the outside of the door, blocking a small section in the hallway.

"Well, see ya guys at lunch, I guess," Pidge said. "We'll talk more ab-" She was cut off when someone ran into her, nearly knocking her over. She stumbled, but quickly regained her footing and her tongue. "Hey! Watch it! We're trying to have a conversation here!"

The perpetrator just snorted and walked off, leaving Pidge with her arms crossed and her foot tapping on the ground. When it was evident he wasn't going to come back to apologize, Pidge sighed. "I should probably get going. Don't want to be late to class and all. You guys should probably do the same."

"Yeah, yeah, okay. See you guys later!" Lance said, walking away.

"Good luck on your grammar test today," Hunk said to Pidge.

"Thanks. I'm totally going to own it!" Pidge replied.

Hunk smiled. "That's the spirit. Go get 'em, Pidge."

Pidge strolled off, taking her time to get to English class. She pulled out her phone while she was moving, the screen illuminating her face and reflecting on her glasses. She nearly ran into a couple of people, but was quick to maneuver around them. She did run into one person, but she continued walking.

Keith glanced to Hunk, and Hunk shrugged. "Ready?"

Keith nodded. They began their perilous journey through the halls to their drawing class. It wasn't a long trip, and soon enough they had found their seats. The bell rang once more, and class had begun. Class today was easy, with them learning about different components of shading and techniques. Before they knew it, class was over.

Hunk and Keith grabbed their things and headed for the door. Once there, Hunk patted Keith on the back. "See ya around, buddy."

Keith's final class before lunch was the most dreaded class in the entire school-physical education, or the work of the devil. He took his sweet time getting there, knowing that once he walked through the doors of the gymnasium, there would be no going back for another fifty minutes. Keith pushed the doors open, and was met with a wave of air conditioning and the stench of the teenagers from the previous class. He nearly gagged on the odor of sweat, blood, and tears, but managed to refrain from vomiting his eggs from the morning. He walked by a group of students loitering around the water fountain, trying to enjoy their last few minutes of freedom. When they saw him, they began to giggle. He tried to ignore them and decided to go change out for class.

The locker room was a rowdy place, full of yelling boys running around the lockers in every direction. In the corner, the seniors all sat, glancing out from their conversations every once in a while at the chaos. Few seniors had to take P.E, so the ones that did tended to stick together. The juniors jostled each other around, trying to bring up the morale of the group. The freshmen were evenly divided into two groups-the riotous ones and the quiet ones. The riotous ones thought they owned the place, strutting around with their noses turned upwards, slapping each other with towels as they did. The quiet ones just silently changed and drifted out of the room, like a ghost wandering away.

The bell chimed. They now had two minutes before roll call started, and Coach Sendak was a strict about getting to class on time. Keith quickly grabbed his gym uniform, a grey shirt with the words, "Altea Falls Lions" circling around a black lion roaring, and black shorts, from his locker. He threw them on and took the hair tie from around his wrist and pulled his hair back. He threw his street clothes back into his locker and closed the lock. He sprinted to where the others had lined up in alphabetical order and took his spot.

He looked up the line to see three spots from him stood Pidge, staring at him intently. She waved and him and mouthed something that looked like, "you won't beehive what harpy to hay," but was probably closer along the lines of, "you won't believe what happened today." Keith nodded in response and gave a thumbs up to show that he at least somewhat comprehended what she had mouthed. She turned her head so Sendak wouldn't yell at her for not paying attention and order her to do forty push-ups (he loved forcing poor unsuspecting souls into exercise).

"Katie Holt!" Sendak called out, his eyes settling on Pidge.

"It's Pidge," she replied, not breaking eye contact with him.

He checked her name off, but decided to ignore her comment. He finished up role call and stood in front of the group, his hands on his hips. He was a larger man, being the coach for the football team and all, and he towered over most of the group. His hair was turning grey at the roots, but he did not seem to care or notice.

"You guys got ten laps around the gym! When you're done, come to the whiteboard."

Everyone groaned, but started their laps. As soon as Sendak went into his office, everyone slowed to a walk.

"So what happened today?" Keith asked Pidge, who was trotting next to him.

She shoved her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Okay so I was sitting in English class today after I had turned in my quiz. Which, by the way, was a piece of cake. Sentence diagramming ain't got nothing on me! Anyway, I was getting ahead on the bio reading while I'm waiting for class to be over, and I saw something out of the corner of my eye. Now, may I remind you, I sit right next to the window. So I looked out the window, and-shit. Sendak is back. Start jogging."

They picked up their pace and began to run around the gym. The rest of the students, also seeing Sendak, followed suit. Sendak nodded in approval and went back to his office. Everyone stopped jogging.

"So, continue," Keith said.

"Right. So I looked out the window, and I swear to God my blood ran cold. There was a woman standing outside the window looking at me, with cold, dead eyes. It was almost as if she was staring directly into my soul. The woman was hunched over and withered like the old tree by my house with the tire swing on it, and she was draped in a green cloak covering her hair. She stood there with her gaze upon me, swaying slightly. We stared at each other for sometime, and I couldn't tear my eyes from her. It was almost like she was rooting me in place simply with her gaze. I sat there transfixed by her, for what felt like hours, or days even. Finally, she opened her mouth. From her mouth came the most blood curdling shriek I have ever heard in my life. While she was screeching, her hood fell back and I saw she had bright red hair. Not normal red hair--it clearly had to have been dyed to get to that color. That startled everyone, myself included, so much so I was no longer in my trance, and everyone rushed to the window. In the commotion, I looked away for a brief moment. When I looked back, she's gone."

Keith had turned paler and paler as the story had continued, and by the end of it, all the blood had drained from him. He had stopped walking some time ago, trying to comprehend what Pidge had told him. "The hell?" He asked, still paralyzed by the thought of who, or what, would do that.

"I know, right? There's no way this could have been something human that did this. If you heard the shriek, you'd know. We should discuss it at Cryptid Club today."

"I agree. Something's up here. Something," Keith paused, thinking what this could even be classified as, "strange."

Before they could discuss Pidge's encounter further, they heard a whistle coming from the whiteboard. They glanced over to see Sendak with his arms crossed and whistle in mouth, his eyes narrowed. They had become so engrossed in Pidge's story that they hadn't noticed that everyone else had gathered around the whiteboard.

"Kogane! Holt! Get over here!"

They jogged over to the others, trying to avoid the gaze of their judging peers.

"Next time, run the ten laps so you can finish with everyone else," Sendak said. The students oohed.

"Yes, because everyone was running, you ignorant buffoon" Pidge said under her breath, low enough so only Keith could hear. They joined the others on the hardwood floor before the board.

"Name of the game today is kickball. I hope to gosh you guys know how to play this game." He disappeared into his office for a couple of minutes and came back holding a ball. "Go line up on the wall so I can split you into teams."

When the teams had been finalized, Keith and Pidge had managed to get on the same team. Rather than playing kickball, however, they played a different game called "do no work without getting caught". The rules were fairly self explanatory: do the least you can throughout the duration of gym class without getting caught. They had managed to do it (and succeed at it) almost every day of P.E. they've had, with the exception of one day two weeks ago when Sendak was absent and they had a substitute.

When Sendak finally told them to change out, Pidge and Keith high-fived. So, they had won again. Keith quickly changed out in the locker room and emerged, where Pidge was waiting for him. Wordlessly, as if on autopilot, they pushed open the doors into the main hallway and traveled to their locker. They both pulled out what they needed for their afternoon classes, along with their lunches.

It wasn't a long walk to the school yard where they ate lunch, so they got their fairly easily. Lance and Hunk were already sitting at a picnic table, as it was not a far from their previous class, English. Lance was throwing his head back in laughter at something Hunk had said when they approached the table. Lance scooted over to giver Keith a place to sit.

"Thanks," Keith said.

"No problem, buddy."

Pidge sat next to Hunk, pulling out her peanut butter sandwich and taking a large bite from it. "The weirdest thing happened to me in English class today," she announced.

"What was that?" Hunk asked, picking up a fry to inspect it as he did.

Pidge explained what happened to Hunk and Lance, leaving out no details from when she told Keith. When she finished, both Lance and Hunk were wearing skeptical looks.

"Wait, wait, wait," Lance said, one of his eyebrows raised. "If this actually happened, how come none of us heard the shriek?"

"Yeah, gotta agree with Lance there. Why didn't we hear the screech?"

PIdge tapped her chin for a moment before speaking. "All three of you guys were on the opposite side of the school. Lance, you were in choir, right? You guys were probably singing and the shriek just blended right in."

"Hey!"

"Kidding, kidding. You guys sing well. You were probably just singing too loudly to hear it."

Lance crossed his arms. "That explains why I didn't hear it, but what about Keith and Hunk? They were in drawing class. There was no way they were singing."

"But, Hunk and I were probably in the back room when the screech happened," Keith explained. "We had to get our drawings from it, after all. That room is practically sound proof, so it would make sense if we couldn't hear a shriek on the other side of the building."

Lance slouched, defeated. "Fine. Even if there are explanations as to why we didn't hear the sound, it still doesn't explain how she just disappeared into thin air."

"Like I said, my vote is paranormal," Pidge said.

"Bullshit on that," Lance replied. "No way in hell does anything like that exists. Come on Pidge, I thought you were the smart one here."

"Just because it can't be explained doesn't mean it can't exist. Gravity existed way before Newton figured it out, so why can't this exist?"

"Yes, because a woman in a cloak shrieking is the same concept as gravity," Hunk said, joining in further. "You just can't make that comparison."

"I can, and I will," Pidge said.

"Whoa, hold on," Lance interrupted.

"What?" Pidge asked, trying to follow Lance's gaze.

"Did Nyma get hotter or is that just me?"

Keith groaned and put his head in his hands, rubbing his face as he did.

"Lance, you're really asking the wrong group. Keith over here has never had a straight though in his life, and I on the other hand have not had straight, or gay thought, for that matter, in my life."

Lance turned to Hunk. "Hunk? Your opinion?"

Hunk groaned. "You know how I feel about that girl. She's been a snake since first grade. Don't trust her."

Lance sighed, glancing to Keith with his head still rest in his palms. "Fine, I can catch a hint. I'll stop talking about her."

"Thank you," Keith said, grateful the discussion had moved away from Nyma.

"You guys busy Thursday after school?" Lance asked, trying to make sure the conversation did not wander into the paranormal. When he asked, he was looking at Keith, making Keith turn slightly pink.

"I'm free!" Keith replied quickly, perking up immediately. He silently chided himself after saying that for being a bit too eager.

"Free as a bird," Hunk said.

"I've got no plans," Pidge said, continuing to munch on her sandwich. "Whatcha got planned for us, Lance?"

"Well, I've got a swim meet after school and, uh, it would love it if you guys could come support the team. I'll have a lot of down time in between events so we can chill or something. It's a home meet so it's just on campus."

"I'll be there," Hunk replied, eating a fry.

"Sounds good to me," Pidge said. "I'm sure Keith would love to come as well, wouldn't ya?"

"Of-of course," Keith stammered out, trying to keep a straight face. "Love to go."

Lance clapped his hands together. "Then it's settled! Just walk with me after school to the pool. Then we can go get pasta or something afterwards."

They continued their lunch with random conversations, none delving into what happened during second period. They all seemed to forget about it, or simply had nothing more to add to that particular conversation. All too soon, their free time was cut short but the shrill F# (Lance cited last year while he was tuning his guitar that the bell registered as an F#. No one knew how true that was, but no one cared enough to fact check him) that rung through the yard.

Pidge gathered her things and stood up. "I'm off to government. See you nerds later!"

The rest of the day was boring for Keith, with no strange ladies standing outside the window of any of his classrooms (or at least at the classrooms with windows). He wasn't sure what he expected though, when this was her first ever appearance.

But the school day did not matter right now. He was in the best place in the world, Classroom 411, or the home of the Cryptid Club. The club had most of its members there already (it was a small club), along with the teacher sponsor, Dr. Ryner. Dr. Ryner taught all of biology 2, and the few lucky ones that get her for biology 1. Keith, Pidge, Lance, and Hunk were not among those lucky ones. She also taught a few electives, but those were few and fair between.

The last member filed in, and a boy moved to the front of the room behind a podium. He looked almost exactly like Pidge, even sporting similar glasses and haircut. "It appears everyone is here, so let's get started." He glanced down to his watch. "We have some time for open floor. Anyone wish to speak?"

Pidge shot her hand up. "Me, sir, me!"

The boy sighed. "Yes, Pidge?"

"I'd like to speak about a strange encounter I had today."

The boy took a second to ponder things before saying, "The floor is yours."

Pidge hopped up from her seat and marched up to the front of the room. "Thank you, Matt. Now, all of us here have been in this club for sometime. While I may have just started this school this year, I know I've been coming here since my brother Matt started this club. Now, we've had some good times in this room, and some good stories, but have we ever found anything? The answer to that is no. Despite all of our research, all of our wanderings, we have been unable to find anything. Until now. You see, today I had quite a strange encounter with what could potentially be a paranormal being." Pidge proceeded to tell the story of the woman. When done, she continued. "I say we investigate her! She's the closest we've gotten to anything. What do you say?"

Murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd. Pidge grinned as she jumped down from the podium and rushed back to her seat next to Keith.

"That was an interesting story, Pidge. Everyone seems to be in favor to investigate it further, correct?" Matt asked.

No one protested.

"Good. Let's investigate, shall we?"

"I can't believe our investigation turned up nothing," Pidge said, kicking a rock into the gutter as she did. Her and Keith were walking on the sidewalk, sharing a bag of licorice between the two of them. The sun was starting to dip below the mountains, meaning that curfew was going to begin soon. Pidge and Keith did nothing to pick up their pace, however, contentedly deciding to continue walking at their leisurely pace.

"We can look more into tomorrow. If we can figure out who, or what, that woman was, it could seriously help."

"I feel like we've looked everywhere, though. Despite that, nothing on a shrieking woman with bright red hair and a green cloak."

"Pidge, if I know you, which I do, you'll be able to figure it out. You're the smartest person around. You're gonna crack it."

Pidge stuck her hand into the bag of licorice Keith was carrying and grabbed a handful. She tore a large bite of one, deep in thought, mumbling to herself, "green cloak, red hair, shrieking. Green cloak, red hair, shrieking."

Keith put his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry too much about it, okay? We'll figure it out."

"Yeah, I won't."

They reached a street corner and stopped.

"Well, see you tomorrow!" Pidge said, taking half of the remaining licorice and walking away.

Keith walked in the opposite direction to his house. He continued as he traveled, thinking about what Pidge described today. Even if he had told Pidge to not worry about it, he was going to. He was going to get to the bottom of this woman in green.

Five hours later, and still nothing on the woman in green. Keith had gone to every website imaginable, sifted through stories upon stories, and delved into lore he never knew existed, yet he did not find one thing to help them. He clicked back to his Cryptid Forum post about it, hoping someone had answered, but it was dead.

Keith sighed and closed his laptop. It was already almost midnight and he had not started his homework yet. He opened his Geometry Textbook to the section on triangles.

Prove Side AB  is congruent to Side BC given Figure 3.

Keith began to write down his answer.

Given that: Angle A is congruent to Angle C

His phone vibrated. He glanced to the glowing screen. The screen let out little light, given that his phone background was mostly black. A white strip stretched across the red eyes of Mothman, reading: (1) New Message from Lance.

Keith dropped his pencil and hastily picked up his phone, unlocking it. He read the message.

Lance: Hey buddy want to hang out this Saturday? Maybe go swimming in the lake or something?

Keith was quick to respond.

Keith: Just us?

Lance: We can invite Pidge and Hunk if you want

Keith: No it's cool. Saturday sounds great

Lance: Cool. See ya then

Keith shut off his phone and smiled. He grabbed his pencil and begun to work once more.

[watchtheworldburn]

Midnight Stalker (M)

Rated M for mature themes | Trigger warning: minor psychological abuse

Prologue

Despite his lip and eyebrow being pierced, and the multiple rings on his ears, his face still screamed innocence. His skin was milky white and unblemished, his eyebrows a sandy blond. His lips were unnaturally red, compared to any other guy I’d seen. His cat-like eyes were tinted with eyeshadow and liner, beneath his lids were pale blue eyes. His hair was many shades darker. Both, I figured, were artificial. Koreans don’t have blue eyes... His face was like that of a porcelain doll’s, untouched by anything impure. His shoulders were broad beneath his white shirt and black vest. Someone whispered that he dressed like a 21st Century pirate. The new boy remained silent and still as the teacher introduced him, before politely lecturing him about hair dye and piercings. After that first day though his eyes and lips remained unnaturally pigmented, while his hair was bleached and his facial piercings were left at home. It was almost unreal to me, how he radiated of beauty like a model, instead of a 19-year-old student. The stoic look and lack of dialogue didn't help the living doll impression either. His gaze fell straight ahead, but every so often I noticed it drifting to Melita, one of few girls making googly eyes over him.

Justin sat at the back of the room, one seat behind Melita and I watched her body pivot as he moved to take his seat. The initial curiosity of the other students died down after a day or so, but not for me. There was something about him that seemed...off. He was unusually quiet. Everyone assumed he knew English, as he had chosen to come to a school with minimal diversity and didn’t appear to struggle when writing down his answers on the board or on paper. He never raised his hand, which I originally thought had to do with the fact that he didn’t understand anything, but from the few assignments I’d peeked over at, he was doing as well as me, if not better.

Was he just shy? There had to be more to it than that. He actively avoided people. In the front of the school, in the cafeteria, he was always by himself. I’d glance over and see people offer to sit with him, but he’d smile and shake his head. What was it with him? I mean, I considered myself to be a loner and I at least had one friend.

He loved to draw though. That was what Melita and I discovered when we went out for lunch one day a couple weeks into the school year. Justin sat under a large tree with a sketch pad. He didn’t appear to be drawing anyone nearby, just someone from memory. He’d drawn the figure with her back facing him, her head turned to the side, smiling. We asked him who it was, to which he simply answered, “my muse”. Melita thought it was adorable; I thought it sounded pretentious.

Up until that point, I still couldn’t pinpoint what it was about him that wasn’t sitting with me right...but I didn’t like it.

Part 1: Justin

It was a cool day for September, just one more sign that summer was over. I woke up to my alarm feeling stiff. I was on my back, my head propped up against the pillow that was squished against the headboard, my arms in some odd position above my head. That’s gonna hurt later…I mentally groaned.

I sat up slowly and turned off the alarm before slipping into a tank top and pair of shorts.

When I looked in the mirror, I was met with a grim face as I brushed my teeth. I stared down the bags under my eyes. My hair was matted and took a few brushes to look decent. I was starting to hate that I’d agree to do this because apparently sharing homeroom and walking home together every day wasn’t enough time for two friends to spend together. This school year, Melita and I decided we would meet once a week before school as well to hang out in the music room. But I loved her, so I was willing to suffer.

I walked through the front gate of the school, still yawning. Part of my brain had begun bargaining to just skip the morning and go back to bed. Melita was already in front of the school, her light brown hair pulled back into a ponytail, a bright smile on her face. We greeted each other and went inside with the plan to make a quick stop at our lockers. The school was, unsurprisingly, deserted, the halls echoing each of our footsteps. What did come as a mild shock was seeing Justin leaning against Melita’s locker. Did he know that was hers? Was he waiting for her? Why was he there so early in the first place? His baggy jean jacket was open, his blonde hair falling in front of his face as he stared down at his phone.

I felt Melita cling to my side like a giant magnet, her face mostly hidden behind my shoulder. She wasn’t scared, this I knew. She was too busy metaphorically drooling. Since day one whenever she saw him, she’d freeze up and stare at him, only to go on about just “how cute” he was, once he was no longer in earshot.

“Why don’t you talk to him?” I asked, undoing my lock with my freehand. Melita gasped softly, her grip tightening on my arm.

“Talk to him?” She repeated as if the idea were something preposterous.

“Well, yeah. You’re gonna have to eventually if you want to get into your locker.” I said, trying to shrug my arm free. “Now will you let go, so I can get my binder?”

Melita sighed and let go. I could hear her feet drag as she slumped over to her locker. I pulled my binder for first period from the shelf in my locker, noting the increasing chips in the pale, blue paint. I leant against the next locker over. I realised I’d begun staring at the inside of my locker door. Below the dollar-store mirror were pictures of various female rappers that I admired. I was trying not to eavesdrop on their conversation since I couldn’t care less. But at some point, I heard Melita gasp again and I assumed Justin smiled or breathed or something. Melita and I have very different tastes, I reminded myself.

I shut my locker and thankfully, Justin was already gone. Melita stood with a red rose in her hands and stars in her eyes. I tapped my friend on the shoulder.

“Chelsea, he gave me a rose! Can you believe it?” She exclaimed excitedly.

“You asked him to move from your locker so he gave you rose?” I deadpanned. “That’s odd. Now, are you gonna get your stuff or not?”

“I am, I am,” she giggled.

When we finally got to class after the bell, there was a gift on Melita’s desk. It was a small container of shredded dried squid, tied with a purple ribbon. There was a note on top that read: These are your favourite, right?

“Who’s it from?” I asked, getting my pencil case. More kids filed in, increasing the volume, to the point where we nearly had to shout.

“I don’t know!” Melita exclaimed happily. “Did you do this? You know my birthday passed already, right?”

As much as I wanted to take credit, I was not that organised. I had to wonder who it was since not many people knew about Melita’s favourite snack. What was more bizarre was when more gifts started showing up for Melita. First the squid, then a small, stuffed teddy bear, then a small basket of strawberries, and then a handful of colourful paper cranes. While I wasn’t sure how he would know exactly what she liked, it started to become abundantly clear that the new boy was behind these gifts. He was usually the first one in class, he smiled and winked whenever Melita glanced over her shoulder, and he sometimes delivered these gifts by hand.

I wanted to believe this was all out of the goodness of his heart, I really did. It wasn’t until we started running into him outside of school that he started to seem suspicious. Normally I wouldn’t judge someone for wanting a life outside of school, but since this guy appeared to have no social presence to speak of, it was odd that he would go to bars and clubs to sit or stand alone.

We would go to the mall and Justin would be standing across from us at the fountain. We would be joint babysitting a neighbourhood kid, Justin would be walking his dog on a similar route. I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt; maybe he lived nearby. He and Melita took a lot of the same classes, it must have been safe to assume they liked a lot of the same things, hence why I kept seeing his doll-like face everywhere.

I decided to bring up my suspicion to her after we met Justin in one of the parks near her house where he ‘just happened’ to pick a rose on the way for her. Melita blushed and smiled, her eyes bright and sparkly. My heart sank. There was no way she would take what I was about to say lightly. In an effort to keep my friend happy, I gently suggested that something might be up. She told me not to worry, but it wasn’t enough. I didn’t know what Justin’s endgame was with Melita, but I knew one thing was for sure: I definitely didn’t trust him.

***

Our homeroom teacher announced a partner assignment in which we had to make a presentation based on arguments for both sides of debate topics we had to choose from. Melita and I locked eyes immediately. We always worked together; we hated group work, but we knew how to accommodate for each other’s learning styles and work efficiently. Let us pick our groups, let us pick our groups, let us pick our groups. I chanted in my head as Mr. Laeviculus handed out the assignment. To my dismay, Melita was paired with Justin, and I was stuck with a girl named Hailey.

The class broke off into groups and a petite girl with short brown hair came and sat in the empty place next to me.

“’Kay which question do you wanna do?” She asked opening a comic book. I later found she was much more interested in the comic book than the assignment.

“Doesn’t matter,” I muttered. We decided to go with the topic of whether the death penalty was an acceptable punishment for crimes and we I came up with arguments for both sides. Despite the extra work, I assumed I would have to do, I couldn’t help but be distracted but the pair sitting not too far from us. Justin and Melita were laughing and I couldn’t help but feel left out. I’d give anything to switch places with Justin. When the bell rang, all I heard about was how he was ‘so cute’, as I packed up my things.

“I feel like you need to find a new adjective to describe him…” I said, tugging my friend up from her seat. “Come on, you don’t want to be late for your next class. We’re still on for lunch, right?”

“Sure,” Melita grinned. If there was one advantage to this whole boy-craze thing, it was that it kept her in high spirits.

I sat through my next class drumming my black fingernails on the desk. The period passed slowly and I was thankful when I could finally escape for lunch. I made a bee-line for my locker, where Melita and I usually sat for lunch. I unzipped my bag and took out the container of leftovers from the night before. I waited, periodically checking my phone, but Melita never came. I frowned and finished my lunch, later learning that she had spent the hour in the music room writing in her diary.

The next couple weeks carried out more or less the same: we’d go to class, work separately and then she’d want to sit alone with Justin. She claimed it was so they could continue to work on the assignment, but I knew better. Unfortunately, she used this excuse to not walk home with me on certain days too. On one of the days, I convinced her to walk home with me, I explained my frustration in not getting to see her as much.

“Aw, Chels. If I didn’t know better I’d think you were jealous of him,” Melita teased, nudging me in the side.

“I am not.” I scoffed. “I just…Be careful, is all…”

“Careful? Why?” Melita tilted her head in confusion. Her brown hair was down today and resting over her shoulders.

“I mean, I don’t trust him.” I corrected myself.

“Why not? What’d he ever do to you?” She asked defensively. Melita stopped walking and turned to me, one thin arm on her hip. Jeez, you’re not his mom, I thought to myself.

“Think,” I told her. “He shows up out of nowhere and he suddenly knows everything that will make you happy? And haven’t you noticed he’s everywhere? He’s in all your classes and he just happens to do all the same things as us in our free time?”

Melita frowned. “So, we have common interests. What’s the harm in that?”

“Look, all I’m saying is there are just way too many coincidences for there to not be something going on here…” I said, massaging my temples.

“I think you just need to get to know him more,” Melita pouted. I hated when she made that face. It made her look even more like a child.

“Hey...” I murmured, placing my hand on her petite shoulder. Melita continued to pout, avoiding eye contact. After having stayed at school longer, the sun was beginning to set, casting shadows across Melita’s face.

“Just be—” I paused as I heard something rustle in the bushes. I glanced over at the large hedge not too far behind. The rustle came again and I swore I saw a pair of eyes staring back at me…two, sickeningly familiar eyes.

“Uh, Chels..?” Melita waved a hand in front of my face. “What is it?”

“Nothing, just be careful okay?” I sighed softly. Melita nodded and we walked the rest of the way to her house before I went home. I wondered if I should have mentioned what I saw to Melita. Since I knew I was already walking on thin ice with her for speaking so critically of the boy she was crushing on.

She soon started going out with Justin and I regretted not speaking up about the stalking incident. The two were happily joined at the hip day in and day out. My hands balled into fists whenever I saw them. I cursed his pretty-boy face—he hadn’t just stolen my friend, he changed her. Melita kept worrying about her looks, especially her weight. Additionally, Justin guarded her like a hawk. The two walked everywhere together and if anyone stared at Melita, Justin would give them an icy glare right back. He was given detention on more than one occasion for starting fights with people who tried flirting with his girlfriend. Lunches, after school, before school, too. I had no chance of spending time with my friend anymore. It wasn’t long before Melita skipped up to me with the “happy” news.

“Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea! Guess who’s getting married!”

Does the universe hate me?

Part 2: Melita

It was a morning in late October when I woke up with my body all contorted again. My alarm squawked at me like a robotic parrot until I had the energy to reach over and feel for it. By some stroke of irony, I knocked my phone off my nightstand and the alarm continued. I sat up, my head starting to throb. My mouth felt dry as I shoved my toothbrush into my mouth and I wondered if the bags under my eyes were becoming permanent fixtures on my face, as I stared at the zombie in the mirror.

I texted Melita to ask if she wanted to hang out in the music room before school, for old time’s sake, since Justin had been routinely giving her rides in his fancy schmancy limo.

I scraped together a lunch from the little food that was in the fridge and checked my phone…no response. Hm…that’s odd, I thought to myself. Melita and I didn’t text very often, but when we did she usually got back to me right away. Maybe she left already and just had her phone off…or maybe she was ignoring me because he was with her. I shook that thought from my head. Melita had been my friend since we were kids, she wouldn’t just ditch me for some guy…she wouldn’t…

The walk to school was chilly and I constantly found myself tugging my leather jacket tighter around my body. I checked my phone every few minutes…still nothing. I was starting to worry. I walked through the front doors of the school, entering the empty hallway. I half expected Justin to be lingering somewhere, waiting for Melita, but even he was nowhere to be seen. The music room was deserted, the lights off. Where is she?

I went back towards my locker and decided to call. The phone rang once, twice, three times, and soon went to voicemail. Did she forget to charge her phone or something? I leant against my locker, sliding down to sit on the ground. My legs were shivering slightly as I pulled them to my chest. There was a sinking feeling in my stomach.

Melita’s seat was empty in first period and I knew something had to be wrong. Melita was a model student. She got good marks and she had a near perfect attendance. As far as I knew she wasn’t sick and it wasn’t like her to skip. So, when the second period bell went, I gathered my things and went to her house.

Strangely enough, the door was unlocked and I stepped inside, calling out that it was me. A loud wailing came from upstairs. I glanced around briefly around the room. Nothing looked out of order; the furniture was still in place.

“Ms. Chang?” I called jogging up the stairs. There were three bedrooms in that hallway. The crying seemed to be coming from Melita’s room. I pushed open the door to see Ms. Chang knelt at the side of Melita’s bed, weeping. The bed was empty.

“What happened?” I asked softly.

“She’s gone…” her mother sobbed. My eyes widened.

“How long has she been missing?” I asked, trying to help Melita’s mother off the ground and onto the bed. The woman’s round face was red and puffier than usual. Her jet-black hair was tied back into a messy bun and she appeared to still be in her pyjamas. Much like my own parents, Melita’s mother was normally at work early in the morning. She must have been taking the day off, to be home to notice her daughter was missing.

“What if she ran away?” Ms. Chang asked in a semi-panicked voice. The woman blew her nose. I shook my head.

“No, that isn’t like her. She must have been kidnapped…” I started looking around for clues. The window was closed, the pop star posters were still hanging on the lilac walls, the closet was closed and all her clothes were tucked away in drawers. The bed was the only thing that was remotely disorderly. Based on the surroundings, it was unlikely that anyone had broken in and kidnapped her. It honestly looked like she just got up and left.

“My baby has been kidnapped? But how? When? I would have heard it.” Ms. Chang began sobbing again. This doesn’t make any sense I thought to myself. Where would she go? And why? Why would she have any reason to leave when she has everything going for her here? I continued looking for a sign, something to tell me that my friend was still the person I thought she was … And then it hit me, her diary. I started lifting pillows, stuffed animals, looking in her nightstand until I finally found it in her pillow case. Melita wrote in her diary religiously and would never run away without taking it with her.

“I think you should file a police report,” I told Ms. Chang, hiding the diary behind my back, not that she was paying much attention to me anyway. “I think I know who did it.”

“Who?”

“Justin.”

“Justin?” Ms. Chang echoed me. “But he’s such a nice boy—you mean he..?”

“Yes, and I’m going to prove it,” I said getting off the bed and heading back down the hall. I knew there was something wrong with him and from what I’d seen, all the clues pointed to him. He had Melita wrapped around his finger, if he wanted to lead her out into the middle of nowhere unsuspectedly, he could’ve.

“Wait, what?” Ms. Chang called after me. “Chelsea?”

“Go to the police station and file a missing person’s report,” I called back as I shoved the diary into my bag. The police in this town were not very reliable. I didn’t trust them to be able to do their jobs. They would probably just read the diary, conclude Melita ran away because she was madly in love and stop looking for her after a week. For all intense of purposes, the missing report was the last resort. I was going to solve this thing myself.

The police arrived at the school the next morning to question some of the students. I answered each of their questions honestly, making sure to hammer home that this was unlike her and that Melita had no reason to run away. But I already knew the cards were stacked against me since barely any of the students knew her and the ones that did were convinced she ran way. I was able to corner Justin on his way back to class, after giving his statement.

“Hey, what did you with her?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest. Justin turned to face me.

“With who?” He asked innocently.

“With Melita.” I snapped. “I know you did something with her!”

Justin’s hands were tucked in his pockets and I noticed his posture wasn’t as straight as normal. I found myself examining his facial expressions, searching for some sign of remorse. Who am I kidding? He probably doesn’t feel guilt; he’s probably proud. Just a twitch in his lips was all I needed to confirm my suspicion. He knows I know, so why doesn’t he just give it up already?

“What?” Justin blinked at me.

My eyes narrowed. “You know what I’m talking about. Your girlfriend, the one you keep tabs on 24/7, is missing. What did you do with her?”

“Whoa, hey. I have no idea what happened to her, okay?” Justin’s eyes widened slightly, his hands up in surrender. I’ll give him one thing I thought. He’s certainly a good actor. My hands balled into fists, my face heating up. I was trying not to yell, but I could barely contain my anger.

“Right, you’ve been stalking for weeks, and I’m just supposed to believe you know absolutely nothing?” It was then that I noticed I’d been backing him into a locker. “You’re obsessed with her!” I said, my finger jabbing his chest. A few kids had stopped in the hallway to stare at us, but I didn’t care.

“Look, I know nothing. Maybe you should hold off on your accusations before you get some real evidence.” Justin said, leaning towards me. I swear his voice makes my blood boil. “If I didn’t know any better, I would guess that you’re jealous of our relationship.” He said flashing the long-anticipated smirk. “Now if you’ll excuse me.” He turned and walked back to class just as the bell rang.

“Hey!” I called after him, as a wave of students blocked my view.

***

Monday, Sept. 19th

He’s sooooooooooooooooo cute! Oh my god. Words cannot express how cute he is. So Chels and I went to school early, like we do on Mondays so we can hang out in the music room before class, and Justin was waiting at my locker! Oh my god, I was so shy and awkward and I probably made a fool of myself... Anyways, Chelsea went to the bathroom and then Justin gave me a rose and he told me I looked cute. Can you believe it?? A hot guy thinks I’m cute!

I’m writing this at lunch while he’s playing the piano for me, how romantic is that? Well, it’s not really for me, I snuck in while he was playing—and oh my god … he’s not that good, but he’s still trying. Maybe he can play for our vocal class. How I would love to sing while a handsome man played the piano.

Melita’s writing made me want to roll my eyes after every paragraph, but I had to power through. I was determined to find something worthwhile.

Thursday, Sept. 29th

He’s started following me home … At first, I thought that maybe we lived in the same area, but if that was the case, why does he hide in the bushes when I turn around? I think he believes he’s being clever. Silly Justin; blonde hair doesn’t camouflage behind a green hedge. Maybe this is just a game of hide n’ seek and I’m supposed to find him?

I wonder if he knows I’ve noticed yet? I’m kind of too scared to tell him, though. If it was anyone else, there might be something wrong here, but he likes me. As long as it’s him, it’s alright, right? He’s just worried about me. He just wants to make sure I get home safe. Yeah…that must be it…what am I even worried about?

It occurred to be that this was something I probably should’ve taken to the police, but I couldn’t help but worry that if I did, the diary would be confiscated as evidence and I’d never be able to see it again. I’d effectively be removed from the case and I wasn’t going to let that happen.

Friday, Sept. 30th

JUSTIN’S TAKING ME TO THE DANCE! JUSTIN’S TAKING ME TO THE DANCE! Did I mention Justin’s taking me to the dance?? I’M SO EXCITED!! I went by LBD the other day, and I already know what dress I want! It’s white, with a sweetheart top, and it’s sparkly eeeee! I’m going as an angel. I’m so happy!!

I skipped ahead a few pages. I wasn’t skimming my best friend’s diary to hear about dresses for a Halloween dance. Go back to the stuff about how your boyfriend’s messed up! I thought to myself.

Tuesday, Oct. 4th

Justin wants me to lose 5 lbs.… I mean, I was considering getting a bit into shape at some point. Guess this is a good excuse to start now. After all, I don’t want any lumps on the sides of my dress. I should ask mom to get more lettuce the next time she goes shopping—and maybe I’ll pass on dinner tonight. Heh, Chelsea hit me when I told her that.

“Damn right, I hit you. You were being stupid!” I sighed to myself and kept reading.

But she doesn’t understand…Justin really likes me. I’m sure he knows what’s best for me. Besides, it's 5 lbs. What’s the harm anyway? And plus… I can’t complain… I can’t make him angry—I mean I don’t know what’ll happen if I do, but I don’t want to find out. Bad things happen when I make people angry…It’s best if I just stay on his good side. I have a good thing going, here…I don’t want to lose it. I can’t tell Chelsea any of this. I know she doesn’t understand. She just tells me that he’s “controlling”, but I know he isn’t. He’s really sweet once you get to know him. And he calls me his love, isn’t that adorable?? He means the world to me right now… I don’t want to disappoint him.

No wonder she wasn’t talking to me. I had to give her one thing, though, she was right. I didn’t understand the appeal in having a boyfriend/fiancé that was so controlling and, oh yeah, stalking me!

Wednesday, Oct. 5th

This is so weird…and I don’t know if it’s real or if I’m imagining it, but I think Justin might be breaking into my room at night. I’m sure that must sound insane…no, it must be insane… Sometimes when I wake up in the middle of the night, I see a shadowy figure hovering over my bed. I never see its face, and have always associated it with dreaming but…maybe? No, it can’t be… that wouldn’t make any sense…But I swear, sometimes just as I’m about to sleep, I hear someone whisper “my love” into my ear, as large arms embrace my body. It terrifies me, not because it may be him, but because I have no idea what’s real and what isn’t anymore…not after the lights go out. I’m sure if I told anyone this I’d be called crazy. And I’m sure if I then said that as a lonely person, “I’ve always longed for a midnight stalker, who comes through the window to see me off to sleep”, I’d be labelled just the same… I don’t know. There’s something kind of romantic about it; if it’s real.

Friday, Oct. 7th

The poor thing…he’s so lonely. Chelsea apparently yelled at him for leaving presents on my desk today and I’m so mad. He just wants to be loved…he just wants to feel appreciated. Why can’t she see that? Why can’t she cut him some slack? He hasn’t done anything to her. I love her, but she needs to get over herself. Justin’s a good guy. He’s incredibly selfless and kindhearted. And who can blame him for being a hopeless romantic? He was talking to me about his parents this afternoon…and how they’re never around. He told me everyone leaves him at some point. I felt so bad. I wish I could have been there for him sooner… I promised him I would never leave his side. He loves me… I know he’s worth it.

I continued reading whenever I had free time, including during some meals. Some entries were long in detail and I cringed at having to read about her fantasies with Justin, but I knew there was more to be discovered. A couple weeks into the month, her entries began mentioning running away with Justin. He’s got her brainwashed…that’s the only explanation.

Monday, Oct. 17th

This must be the happiest day of my life. I can’t believe the sweetest guy on earth asked me to marry him. So you know how excited I was about the dance? Multiply that by infinity because AHH I’m so happy!! Of course, I said ‘yes’, a million times yes. Spending every day with him is not enough, I want to spend the rest of my life with him too! He tells me he’ll do anything for me. No one’s ever told me that before. Last night he told me he would die for me… How did I get so lucky??

Tuesday, Oct. 18th

I’m so scared right now… I think someone just broke into my house. I just heard someone trying to open the front door …  I thought it was my mom at first, but I think they picked the lock. I’m hiding under my blanket with a flashlight because I’m too scared to have the overhead light on. I can hear them coming up the stairs—oh my god I hope they don’t come into my room. I need to turn off my flashlight. If I die, tell Justin I love him.

Weeks after her initial disappearance, the “missing” posters were all torn down. The school seemed to stop caring and eventually forgot altogether. I was losing hope. Talking to my classmates was useless. I’d open my mouth and before I got a word in they’d be lecturing me about how I needed to stop spreading false accusations and that I was “harassing” Justin. The diary contained clues that pointed to Justin’s involvement, but it still appeared as if Melita had run away on her own. The last entry was something big, but it wasn’t definitive evidence that it was Justin who broke in.

I felt dead in the water. I had no idea where she was or how to find her. I was starting to question why I decided to take this on in the first place, and why I didn’t just hand the diary over to the police. Since I proved to be just as useless as them.

The weather was still chilly, with the occasional rainy day. It was on one of the dry days that I decided to ride my bike to school to shorten the trip in the cold. After the final bell went, I unlocked my bike from the fence and walked it to the corner. The skies were dark and cloudy, the air carrying an earthy aroma. I zipped my jacket up to shield myself from the oncoming wind. My hands were drier than normal as I clutched the handlebars on my bike. There was a car parked across the street from where I was standing, a black limo. I knew exactly who that belonged to.

I leant my bike against the fence again and ducked behind a nearby bush. I wasn’t sure if Justin was keeping her captive in his home or some other secret hideout, but if I at least knew where he lived, that was a start. Soon enough, the boy emerged from the crowd of students out front and got into the back seat of the car.

I hoped on my bike as the car pulled out and followed them down the street. The limo was going the opposite direction from home and I knew I would probably have to apologise to my mom for coming home late—but this was important.

It wasn’t long before it began to rain and then pour. The rain water quickly soaked through my jacket but I didn’t have time to stop and take it off. I peddled faster, staying roughly the span of another car behind the limo. It was easy to blend in the busier streets, I just had to keep my eyes on the one fancy car. The limo finally drove out into the middle of nowhere—because of course, he lived out in the middle of nowhere. To add to the growing stack of clichés, not in my favor, the path had gone from pavement to dirt. The rain continued to pour and I started feeling paranoid about the muddy ground. At some point, the driver must have seen me trailing behind because the vehicle then sped ahead and I had to peddle twice as fast as I already was just to keep up.

I kept up for as long as I could, my lungs and legs burning. My knuckles were white from gripping the handle bars so tight, my eyes squinting to see through the rain. My clothes were soaked and clinging to my skin, I could barely feel the pelting rain at the rate I was moving. The limo sped up again, the tires spraying muddy water as it drove through a puddle. I continued to peddle, my calves were screaming.

The limo then turned a sharp corner and I tried to follow my front tire slipped in the mud and skidded to the side, throwing me off my bike. I rolled across the dirt as the lime, groaning in pain. I looked up as the limo sped off. My legs were scraped through the rips in my jeans and my entire front was covered in mud but I would run if I had to. Unfortunately, the limo was long gone from sight.

I stood up slowly, my body finally feeling the effects of peddling so fast for so long. After all that, I decided it was better to walk my bike back…at least until I was on pavement again. When I arrived back home, I examined my cuts in the bathroom mirror and bandaged myself up. Afterwards, I tossed everything I was wearing into the laundry. Next time I would be more prepared.

Part 3: Chelsea

Justin was absent the next day at school. It worried me, not because he might be at home guarding Melita, but because he might have skipped the country already before I could turn him into the police. The day progressed slower than normal and I often found myself drumming on my desk, anxiously. I had a plan: after school, I’d do my best to navigate my way back to Justin’s house and break Melita free with the hedge trimmers I snuck into my backpack. I wasn’t sure what Melita would be tied with, but I highly doubted she would be allowed to roam free. Otherwise, she would have run already. Ah, who am I kidding? She’d probably be too in love to leave, anyway.

When the long-anticipated bell rang, I jogged out the front door and unlocked my bike. Unfortunately, I couldn’t remember exactly where I’d gone, but I knew the general direction and I knew that once I found that dirt road, I was on the right track.

Much to my surprise, the weather held up and I was able to ride towards his house with ease. I peddled through the streets until I came to the same dirt road (which was surprisingly much easier to see with the sun out). The houses were spread out, separated by large bodies of grass and trees. The grass looked healthy and well groomed, despite the size of land—damn rich people, I thought as I continued down the path.

Justin’s house was at the end of a long gravel path, in front of which was a small garden, surrounding a white fountain in the middle. The house itself had to be twice the size of mine, with two large, white columns on either side of the door. With the exception of the columns and porch, the house was largely built of red brick with ivy growing along the sides.

It occurred to me then that Justin probably wouldn’t be pleased to see me, ergo it wasn’t wise to simply waltz up to his doorstep and try and get invited in. I was going to have to find another way in. To my surprise, there was a window open on the far side of the house. I hide my bike in some nearby bushes and tugged the window open enough to slip through.

What I assumed was a living room was both large and gorgeous, with several fancy chairs and couches. There was a fire place, framed with a white mantle. The floor had a wood finish, with rugs under the furniture. There was even a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. I made my way through the room, trying to keep my footsteps as quiet as possible. I wasn’t sure what I was looking for, but I knew that if I were a kidnapper, I would keep my kidnapee somewhere where there were no windows. I went through a couple more rooms that carried the same magazine quality as the first. While I was pretty sure Justin wasn’t even home, I was starting to get the sickening feeling that I had been wrong about him. What if Melita wasn’t in his home and I was only wasting my time risking getting caught breaking and entering?

Just as I was about to give up and go home, one particular door caught my eye. It was only open a crack, but no light could be seen from behind it, unlike the other doorways. At first, I thought it was a closet, but then upon opening it, I saw that it lead to a staircase into the darkness.

I took out my phone to use as a flashlight; I was going to call Melita’s mother and then the police. I made my way down the stone steps.

At the bottom of the steps, there was a large room, lit only by candles. There was a love seat in the far corner of the room, beside which was a large bed. There was a small girl with long dark hair, chained to the wall. Her pale body was curled in a fetal position against the wall, her hair draping her bony arms.

“Melita…” the words barely left my lips above a whisper. Her head snapped in my direction before immediately shielding her eyes from the light. I turned the flashlight off and ran to her side. I was at a loss for words…moreover, I couldn’t believe I was right.

Melita’s tiny limbs were trembling as she peeked through her fingers at me. “Ch-Chelsea?” she said softly. “W-why are you here?”

“I’m rescuing you from a psychopath,” I said as I pulled the hedge trimmers out of my bag. Melita flinched at first, and then relaxed when she saw that I was going for the chain.

“Y-you can’t be here…” her voice sounded old and tired, hardly like that of a young girl’s. She sat still when I attempted to cut the chain. I still couldn’t believe he’d shackled her to the wall of a dungeon instead of handcuffing her to a bed (that would have been way easier).

“Well, I am, and I’m not leaving here without you,” I said firmly. The hedge trimmers were next to useless on the metal chain and I started to worry. I hadn’t accounted for extra time in the physically-freeing process—if Justin were to walk down at that moment and I would be screwed.

“Why?” she whispered. “I don’t deserve this...” she looked up at me, her bangs falling in her eyes. She looked like a lost child. “He told me you hated me... that you were glad I was gone...” she continued, softly.

“What? Why would I be glad you were gone?” I frowned going back to cutting the chain. “You've been my best friend since Elementary school.” The trimmers continued to snap shut, merely scratching the surface of the metal. I clenched the handles tighter. “You shouldn’t listen. He was lying to you.” I muttered, trying to cut the chain faster.

“He loves me. He would never lie to me.” Her voice cracked

The trimmers snapped shut again and I found myself hitting the trimmers against the wall in frustration. “He kidnapped you!

“He was trying to protect me!” Melita shouted back.

“He’s crazy!”

There was a loud crash from behind us. My head snapped towards the doorway where Justin was standing, a tray of broken glass at his feet.

“You...” he growled, pointing at me. “How did you get in here?” Justin stepped over the glass to me, lifting me up by the shirt.

“Whoa, hey—oh wow you’re really strong!” I said as I was pulled to my feet. The candles casted eerie shadows over his face as he scowled. I had to get out of the basement and call the police while I still had him in one place.

“Don’t hurt her!” I heard Melita cry from behind me as she yanked on her chain.

“Nothing can stand in the way of my love for you. She must be eliminated.”

“I don’t think so,” I said using his moment of distractions to whack him over the head with the hedge trimmers. Justin cried out in pain, clutching his head and I scrambled towards the door. I was able to get signal halfway up the stairs. Ms. Chang picked up after the first ring.

“Hello?”

“Ms. Chang no time to talk—call the police! Justin has your daughter!” I shouted. I gave her the address and pressed that she hurry. Justin growled again like a monster out of a comic book, charging after me. I bolted the rest of the way up the stairs but he caught my ankle, pulling my leg out from under me. I fell, having the wind knocked out of me as my torso hit the tile. I turned on my back, swinging my other leg up, which he only caught as well, dragging my body down the rest out the way. I cried, my phone still clutched tightly in my hand.

“Chelsea!? What’s going on??”

“Ms. Chang call the police—get off the phone and call the police right now!” I shrieked throwing the phone right at Justin’s head. Man, I’ve got good aim today. I smirked, kicking my legs free. I sprung up and pushed him down to the ground.

“Mom?” Melita shouted, continuing to yank on her chain. “Mom!”

“My baby!” Ms. Chang cried over the line. I went to get the phone again but Justin caught one of my arms pulling me down with him. He rolled over on top of me, pinning my wrists.

“Hang up and call the police!!” I shrieked, squirming violently beneath him. We continued wrestling and I managed to get on top long enough to get up and run back up the stairs. I made it to one of the living rooms. I dashed through the room, knocking over as much furniture as I could. I wasn’t sure I could outrun him, so I had to create as many barriers as possible.

“Come back here!” Justin shouted hurdling over the few obstacles I was strong enough to move into place. My heart was pounding in my ears as I heard him gaining on me. The hedge trimmers in his hand.

My heart skipped a beat and I scrambled into the next room. It appeared to a kitchen, with a long wooden table with several chairs on each side. This room seemed to be the farthest I could go towards that side of the house. I looked around frantically, trying to figure out which direction to run next. Where’d he go?

I suddenly felt something hard hit the back of my head. I stumbled forward into the table, my nails digging into the surface as I tried to hold myself up. My head throbbed as I turned onto my back, his strong hand clutching my throat. I could feel my pulse in my ears again as I tried desperately to pull his hand away. Justin looked down at me, smirking.

“No one can stand in between me and my love.” He said bringing the hedge trimmers dangerously close to my head. I gasped, squirming under him—it was ad if he’d suddenly gotten twice as strong. I felt my stamina diminish; I wasn’t sure how much longer I could do this.

“If you hurt me... it’ll only add to your sentence,” I managed to say, using my last bit of strength to dig my nails into his arm. His grip tightened again. “You’ll be locked up for good. You won’t be able to see your love again-”

Justin raised the trimmers above his head. I squeezed my eyes shut, knowing that I’d black out any second if I didn’t feel the strike to my skull first.

Then, by some stroke of luck, I heard sirens in the distance. I heard Justin curse under his breath as he dropped the trimmers. One of the handles hit my head before falling on the table. Justin let go of me before bolting from the kitchen and climbed out the nearest window.

It was then that my legs gave out and I collapsed on to the floor, massaging my sore neck and jaw. The police busted through the front door within minutes.

Melita was later cut free and I held her in my arms in the car ride back to her house. Her slender fingers clutched my shirt as she cried softly. The police weren't able to catch him...just as I suspected. I was just glad my friend was finally safe...

[fanatic-af]

His - Part 3 (C.H.)

A/N: Sorry that it took a while. I had writer’s block and too much school stuff going on. Also, I suck at writing endings so prepare for that as well. Other than that, I hope you all enjoy it.

Masterlist || Ask

Part 1 | Part 2

*****

“Remember the day we first started talking to each other?”  

Weeks have passed since that night and Calum and I have gotten a lot closer…and my crush on him has gotten significantly bigger.

I still worked on getting Calum to see just how important and loved he is and there has been some progress.

The bell rang, signaling the end of our anatomy class. Calum and I began putting our stuff away before he spoke up.

“We still on for later?” He asked me.

I looked up from putting away my papers into my folder and smiled. “Yeah. It is Thursday.”

He bumped my shoulder with his. “Sassy much? I just wanted to make sure in case you had something planned instead.” He gave me a pointed look.

“One time! It was one time!”

“You could’ve texted me,” Calum pointed out.

“Hey, my one to your three.” I raised my eyebrow at him.

He pursed his lips. “Ignore what I just said.”

I gave him a smug look. “That’s what I thought.”

He shook his head and followed me out the classroom and down the hallway to my locker, just like how he has done so every day since we began talking.

“Just to let you know,” Calum started off saying as I opened my locker door and he leaned with his back against the neighboring one. “I’ll be late by like ten minutes. Coach has something he wants to discuss with me.”

I exchanged my things. “No worries, Cal. I���ll meet you in the library then when you’re done.”

He nodded and I shut my locker door then turned to face him. He flashed me a smile as he stood up straight again. “I’ll see you later then?”

I nodded and gave him a hug. I felt him press a kiss into my hair before we pulled away. We gave each other one last smile before turning to walk in opposite directions.

####

“So you’re really not going to play that for him?” One of my club members asked me as I finished my piece on the piano.

I smiled up at him. “Curious much?”

Luke laughed as he leaned onto the piano. “It’s a really good song. You’re really talented. Are you sure you don’t want to pursue a career in music? I’m sure you’d make it far.”

“Thanks, and I don’t know. I can’t see myself getting anywhere far. Besides, I’m too shy to sing in front of a lot of people.”

“You never know if you don’t try.”

I shook my head. “I’m too nervous to do that.”

“Which is why you should play it for him. You can start off with just one person, and what better person to try that with than with the guy you wrote the song for?”

I rolled my eyes at him. “Well, for one, he doesn’t know that I like him like that. Two, I’d be too nervous to play in front of him.”

“You play in front of us all the time,” Luke pointed out.

“But that’s different!”

He raised his eyebrows. “How so?”

“Well, I don’t have a crush on any of you.”

He chuckled. “Okay, fair point.”

I sighed as I stared at the music sheet in front of me. “Maybe in time, but I just don’t think I can muster up the courage to play this for him. It literally screams that I’m desperate for him.”

Luke stood up and hitched his bag up higher on his shoulder. “Alright. On your own time, but just let me tell you this. He’d be a fool if he doesn’t feel the same because you are one amazing girl, Y/L/N.”

I smiled up at him. “Thanks, Luke.”

He gave me one last smile before heading out of the music room.

I sighed as I stared at the piece again. I took a quick glance at the clock on the wall and saw that I still had fifteen minutes before I had to head over to the library to meet Calum. I looked back at my piece and started playing it, making some key changes here and there.

~Calum~

I had finished my meeting with coach early and headed for the library to meet with Y/N. On my way to the library, I passed by the music room where I heard the sound of a piano playing and some soft singing. My curiosity got the best of me and I slowly crept my way up to the slightly ajar door to the music room and peered inside.

What I wasn’t expecting was to see Y/N sitting behind the piano playing the song and singing.

I strained my ears to hear what she was singing and it wasn’t something that I recognized.

“You’re my only hope.” She whispered that last word before continuing with a hum. “Mmmm Mmm Mmmm. Oooo Ooooo Ooo,” Then her piano playing ended with a final note.

I couldn’t help myself. I opened the door and her head snapped up to look at me.

~Y/N~

I gaped at him in horror. “Calum! What are you? Aren’t we supposed to? Did you hear that?” I questioned him quickly as I stood up from the piano bench.

He walked into the room and towards the piano. “My meeting with coach finished early and I have to pass by this room to get to the library when I heard the piano and you’re singing. Albeit, I shouldn’t have eavesdropped, but I was curious. What was that you were playing? I don’t think I’ve heard that before.”

I was panicking on the inside. He heard it! He heard the song I wrote about him! He’s going to think I’m a freak and want nothing to do with me. “Um, it’s nothing. Just something I’ve been working on.” I tell him as I quickly scrambled to grab my music sheets.

“That is definitely not just something. C’mon. Tell me. What was it?” Calum pressed as he stood beside me next to the bench.

I shifted uncomfortably as I fiddled with the papers. “It’s just a song I wrote.”

He smiled. “You wrote a song?” He gently took the papers from my hands and I shut my eyes, waiting for him to tell me that I was weird or that what I wrote was horrible. “Only Hope?”

I opened my eyes and saw him look at me in curiosity, not in repulsion or in a laughing manner. I relaxed slightly. “Yeah.”

His eyes scanned the paper as he read the lyrics and he looked up at me once he finished reading the first page. “This is really good. Is this about someone?”

I blushed. “Yeah…”

His eyes hardened slightly and I didn’t understand why. “So, who’s the lucky guy?”

I shrugged. “Someone.”

He glanced back at the sheets of paper before placing them back on the music holder on the piano and sitting down on the bench. “Well, c’mon then.”

I gave him a confused look. “What?”

“I wanna make sure that the guy you like is worth it for the song. Can you play it for me?”

“Um, I don’t know if that’s the best idea…”

“Please, Y/N?” Calum gave me his puppy dog eyes and he knows I could never refuse him when he did that.

I groaned as I sat down on the piano bench beside him. “Fine, but you have to promise that you won’t laugh at me when I’m done.”

“Why would I do that?” Calum asked me in confusion.

I placed my hands on top of the keys. “You might.”

I played the first few notes and I could tell that Calum was watching my every move. I took a deep breath and began to sing.

(Song)

“There’s a song that’s inside of my soul

It’s the one that I’ve tried to write over and over again

I’m awake in the infinite cold

But you sing to me over and over and over again  

So I lay my head back down

And I lift my hands and pray

To be only yours I pray

To be only yours I know now

You’re my only hope”  

I stole a quick side glance at Calum to see him watching me in bewilderment.

“Sing to me the song of the stars

Of your galaxy dancing and laughing and laughing again

Why does it feel like me dreams are so far

Sing to me of the plans you have for me over again  

So I lay my head back down

And I lift my hands and pray

To be only yours I pray

To be only yours I know now

You’re my only hope

I give you my destiny

I’m giving you all of me

I want your symphony

Singing in all that I am

At the top of my lungs I’m giving it back  

So I lay my head back down

And I lift my hands and pray

To be only yours I pray

To be only yours I pray

To be only yours I know now

You’re my only hope”  

I whispered on the word ‘hope’ and fully lifted my head so that I was looking into Calum’s eyes as I sang the last bit.  

“Mmmm Mmm Mmmm Oooo Ooooo Ooo”

At the end of the final note I removed my hands from the keys and turned my body to face Calum’s to see what he thought of it, but his expression refrained me from opening my mouth.

He was staring at me with such intensity and I couldn’t decipher why until his next move. He leaned forward and pressed his lips onto mine.

I froze for a moment, before I realized that he was kissing me. Calum Hood was kissing me. Before I even had the chance to kiss him back, he pulled away and looked at me in sadness.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.” Calum quickly apologized and stood up from the bench.

I snapped out of my daze and shook my head. “Why are you apologizing?”

“You wrote that for someone else and I just…I couldn’t help myself. The way you played…the way you sang…the way you looked at me…I had to kiss you.”

I frowned. “Oh, it was just an in the moment thing?” I could practically feel my heart break.

He nodded. “Yeah, I’m sorry. It didn’t mean anything. I don’t have feelings for you like that. Although, that guy is gonna be really lucky to have you.”

No he isn’t because that guy is you and you don’t even want me.

I gave him a weak smile. “Thanks, um. Is it okay if we don’t have our tutoring session today? I just remembered that I had something to do.”

He blinked. “Oh, uh, yeah. I’ll just see you tomorrow then?”

I nodded as I held back my tears.

He flashed me a small smile before exiting out the door without giving me a hug or his usual kiss to my head.

And my heart broke even more.

I turned back to the piano and stared at my music sheet before ripping it in half as a sob escaped past my lips.

You were my only hope.

****

You ditched school and didn’t even bother to invite me?

Hellooooo Y/N???

Bitch answer your damn phone

Seriously is there something wrong?

So did you play it for him?

Why aren’t you in school?

I sighed as I read the texts that I had received. The first four being from Phoebe, the next one from Luke, and the last one I had gotten was from Calum.

I locked my phone and tossed it somewhere onto my bed before cuddling more into my pillow and clutching tightly onto my comforter.

I can’t believe that I’m crying over a boy telling me that he doesn’t have feelings for me.

That’s because it’s Calum and not just some boy. My subconscious remarks.

But in all honesty, who gets this depressed over a guy – that you barely started talking to – rejecting you?

Obviously you.

Okay, you need to shut up. I tell my subconscious and now I’m going crazy since I’m arguing with myself in my head.

I groaned and then my phone started buzzing crazily, signaling that someone wanted to talk to me.

I blindly felt around my bed for my phone and swiped to answer the call. “Y/N isn’t here right now. Please leave a message and don’t call again.”

“Bitch, why aren’t you answering your damn phone and why the hell aren’t you in school?” Phoebe’s voice scolded me on the other side.

“I don’t want to talk about it right now, Phoebe.”

“Whoa. You called me Phoebe and not Pheebs. Alright, who’s ass am I kicking?”

Not even Phoebe threatening to beat up someone made me happier.

I sighed. “No one. Look, I just want to be left alone right now, Pheebs. It’s Friday and I doubt that I’ll miss much. I’ll see you on Monday.”

“Wrong. I’ll see you after school.”

“No, Phoebe-” I started to protest.

“See you later,” She cheerfully remarked before hanging up.

I locked my phone again and groaned into my pillow.

####

Not even fifteen minutes after school ended did I hear footsteps stomping up the stairs to my room.

“Okay, I brought your favorite movies, your favorite ice cream – and mine so we can pig out together – and other junk food.” Phoebe states as she bursts through the door and into my room.

I watched as she placed everything on my desk and popped in the first movie into my DVD player. She hit play and grabbed the two pints of ice cream before taking a seat beside me on my bed. She handed me mine and a spoon before opening hers.

“So,” She ate a spoonful, “Tell me what happened.”

I stabbed my spoon into my ice cream a few times. “Nothing. Nothing happened.”

“Oh, cut the bullshit, Y/N. I know you’re lying to me. Does being best friends mean that I don’t know when you’re lying?”

I sighed. “Fine. Remember that song I was writing?”

She nodded with her spoon in her mouth. “Mmhm.”

“Yeah, well, I finished it.”

“That’s good! That’s good right?” She asked.

I shrugged. “Yeah, it was. At the time. But then I ended up playing it for Calum.”

Her jaw dropped and her spoon fell onto her lap. “No…”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

“I thought you weren’t going to play it for him?”

“Yeah, not originally.”

“So what happened?”

“He overheard me playing it when he passed by the music room on the way to the library. He came in and asked for me to play it and I did.”

“Okay…I still don’t see what the problem with that is. Did he not like it?”

“No, he liked it. He thought it was for some other guy and at the end of the song…” I paused reliving that amazing yet horrifying moment.

“What? What woman?” Phoebe encouraged me.

“He kissed me at the end.”

“No fucking way!” Phoebe exclaimed.

I nodded in response.

Then her expression changed to one of confusion. “Wait, if he kissed you, why are you so sulky?”

I took a deep breath. “He said it was a mistake and it shouldn’t have happened. He doesn’t have feelings for me like that.”

Phoebe was silent for a moment. “That’s an absolute load of utter bullshit!”

“Phoebe! You don’t know that.”

She rolled her eyes. “It’s so obvious that he likes you, Y/N. He was lying to save his ass because he thought you wrote that song for someone else.”

I shook my head as I ate a spoonful of my ice cream. “I doubt it. He rushed out of the room soon after he said that.”

“Hug and kiss?”

I shook my head. “He bolted out the door.”

She pursed her lips. “I know he likes you. This doesn’t add up.”

“Obviously, your reading on him is wrong.” I tell her as I ate another spoonful. “Just drop it, okay? He doesn’t like me. I just have to accept that and get over this feeling for him.”

“So what are you gonna do when you see him in class on Monday? What about your tutoring sessions?”

I shrugged. “It’s not like I can flat out ignore him. He didn’t really do anything wrong. It’s just me that I need to work on.”

Phoebe sighed. “I just wish that there was something I can do for you to make this a lot easier.”

I smiled weakly at her. “You can turn up the volume for the movie.”

She laughed and did just that before we both settled in under the comforter and ate our ice cream.

“Oh, by the way, what did you do with that music piece?” Phoebe asked after a moment.

“Ripped it and threw it in the trash.” I gestured with my head to my trash bin by my desk.

She nodded, but said no more on the subject.

****

The dreadful day has come. Well, dreadful since last Thursday, but dreadful nevertheless. It’s now Monday and that means school, which means no more avoiding Calum’s texts and calls, and having to talk to him.

“It’s not too late to take me home. I mean, school hasn’t even started and I’ll just tell my mom to call me in sick.” I told Phoebe as I stared out of the windshield at the students passing by.

“Y/N, you can do this. Besides, I highly doubt your mom will call you in sick for the second time when you aren’t actually sick.” Phoebe pointed out.

I sighed. “I can’t do it, Pheebs.”

“Yes, you can and you will.”

I shut my eyes for a moment as I took a few deep breaths and gave myself a quick pep talk. I opened my eyes again and nodded once. “I can do this.”

Phoebe smiled and pulled her keys out of the ignition. “That’s the spirit. Now, c’mon. We have ten minutes before the first bell rings and I know that you still need to stop by your locker before first period.”

####

“So…been doing okay so far?” Phoebe asked as she approached me at my locker.

“I mean, other than the sympathetic words from Luke during third I’ve been doing just fine.” I tell her as I got my anatomy things out.

“You feeling okay? I know you have anatomy next.”

I shrugged. “Will I ever be okay? I’m thinking of just hiding in the music room, but I don’t think my anatomy teacher will like that very much, considering the fact that I missed Friday’s class.”

She looked me up and down. “Text me if it gets to be too much and I’ll have my teacher write you a note to get out of class. We’re cool like that.”

I let out a light laugh as I shut my locker door. “I’ll keep that in mind. I have to go now so I’ll see you later.”

She nodded and we headed off in opposite directions.

I stopped just outside the classroom and moved to the side a bit so that I wasn’t standing in the doorway. I took a few deep breaths to calm my racing heart before entering the room.

Surprisingly, Calum was already at our shared table, headphones in and eyes closed. I mentally groaned. He always shows up after me and today of all days he decides to get here before me.

I took another deep breath and walked over to our table. As soon as I pulled my chair back, he opened his eyes and glanced at me before closing his eyes again.

I took my seat and let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding in as I got my stuff ready for notes.

I wasn’t expecting for him to react like that, but then again, what was I expecting? Things to be normal? For him to talk to me as if what happened on Thursday didn’t happen? Or for him to blatantly ignore me? Well, from the looks of it, he was choosing to do the later.

I sighed as our teacher began class, making Calum put his headphones away and actually pay attention.

#####

I may have expected Calum to at least say ‘bye’ to me or manage to give me a smile as a goodbye instead, but no. He simply grabbed his notebook, got up, and left the room in one swift motion. I gaped after his figure.

Well, what did you want him to do? Confess his undying love for you? Yeah, I don’t think so, girl. My subconscious snarkily remarks.

I packed up my things and left the classroom a lot slower than he had. I trudged my way through the hallway and to my locker. I put in the combo so that I could open my locker to exchange my things, but once I unlocked it and pulled it open, a folded piece of paper fell out and onto the ground.

I frowned at it momentarily and placed my books on the shelf in my locker before bending down to pick it up. I unfolded it and already knew who it was from based on the writing.

We need to talk. Park at six.

It wasn’t signed or anything, but it didn’t need to be for me to know who it was from.

####

I pulled up the hood of my sweater even more and stuffed my hands into my pockets. It was getting a lot cooler now. I looked around the park and saw a couple of families with their kids at the playground and a few older kids messing around in the grassy field, then came across a figure sitting at the base of a tree.

I headed for the figure and took a seat beside him without saying a word.

Calum sighed as we both watched the sun set behind the houses. “Remember the day we first started talking to each other?”

I nodded as he stole a glance at me. “Yeah. You almost knocked me onto the ground.”

He smiled slightly at the memory. “I did, huh? You have to admit that my reflexes are amazing.”

I rolled my eyes and bumped him with my shoulder. “So what did you want to talk to me about?”

Then our mood changed from playful to serious with that one question.

“Who did you write that song for?” He came out and asked flatly.

I stayed quiet for a moment. “Why?”

He sighed before turning his head to face me as he draped his arms over his knees. “Because I’ve been hearing things and I want to know if they’re true.”

I crossed my legs and looked at him. “You’ll have to tell me what they are if you want to find out if they’re true or not.”

He raised his eyebrow at me. “If I tell you, will you really tell me the truth about them?”

I shrugged. “I can’t promise you that.”

He sighed. “Can you at least be honest with me on just one thing?”

“It depends on what that thing is.”

“Will you please just tell me who you wrote that song for?”

“If I say myself does that count? I did technically write it as a therapeutic method for myself.”

“Y/N…” Calum whined and pulled me to him and cuddled up to me. “Tell me…”

Do it. You’ll regret not telling him.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. “If I said that I wrote it for you…about you, what would you say?”

I could feel Calum stiffen before a kiss was pressed to my shoulder and he buried his head into the crook of my neck. “Does that answer your question?”

“Hold up there, Hood.” I say and pull back slightly which made him pull back too and look at me.

“What?”

“What do you mean ‘what’? You can’t just give my shoulder a kiss and snuggle up to me after that question.”

“I thought it was obvious that I liked you?” Calum asked confusedly.

“When was it obvious, Calum? You even told me that you didn’t like me in that way AFTER you kissed me.”

“In my defense, I thought you wrote that song for someone else which is why I said that I didn’t have feelings for you. I couldn’t handle the rejection.”

“You rejected me!” I pointed out.

“Again, I didn’t know it was for me!” Calum repeated.

“So, what now?” I ask him.

“Well, I really like you and I’d really like to take you out on a date then ask you to be my girlfriend.”

I smiled at him. “Well, I also happen to really like you and I’d love to go out on a date with you and then eventually be your girlfriend.”

He chuckled. “So it’s a done deal then?”

I shrugged. “Pretty much, yeah.”

He smiled. “Good.” Then he kissed my forehead.

We sat there in silence for a while just watching the kids play on the grass and on the playground with Calum resting against the trunk of the tree and me against his chest.

“Wait a second,” I said and sat up to look at him. “How was it obvious?”

He tilted his head to the side. “How was what obvious?”

“That you liked me.”

He chuckled and pulled me back to rest against his chest. “You didn’t catch on when I kept on giving you long hugs, constantly texted you, and even gave you kisses on the cheek, forehead, and hair?”

I blushed. “You have to remember that no guy has been interested in me since middle school. It’s hard to believe that you would actually like me.”

“Why is it hard to believe? I can think of many reasons about why I like you.”

“It will take some time to get used to.”

“Well, I’ll be here for as long as you’ll have me.”

I looked up at him and he looked down at me. He glanced at my lips before looking back at my eyes then leaned down to plant a kiss to my lips. I smiled into the kiss before he pulled away.

“You might be stuck with me for a while.” I tell him.

“Oh, darn.” He jokingly said before kissing me again.

________________________________________________