#the bus was packed there were people standing in the aisle and everybody was just super tired

[scribl1ta]

A girl fell asleep with her head on my shoulder on the bus today

[katsuukiwii]

Proud-Levi X Reader Chapter Two

Chapter Two- “Normal Days...For Now, At Least.”

Chapter Warnings: Language, Implied Masturbation, Gay Relationships, Tattoos, Implied Gay Sex.

Contains: Fluff

Levi holds Liam’s hand as they walk through aisles filled with costumes. The smaller boy’s icy blue eyes twinkle as he stares at all of them. He then spots a costume out of the corner of his eye and runs up to it, dragging Levi over with him. Liam points out a ‘My Hero Academia’ costume, “Ooh! Look, Papa! I can be Bakugo!” Levi smirks at the boys enthusiasm, pulling the neatly packed costume set off the wall. “C’mere. I need to check if this is your size,” he stares intently at the costume measurements, then to Liam, then back to the measurements. “It should fit you. Do you wanna be Ba...Baku…” Liam smiles, “It’s Bakugo! And yes!!” Levi chuckles, “Alright, here you go,” he hands the bag to him, “If you find a costume you like more tell me.” They continue to walk around the costumes. 

Levi grumbles, he hates costume shopping, if it's for him at least. But, like he told Jean, he was desperate. “Hey Liam, what should I be for Halloween?” Instead of Liam's voice, he hears someone else’s, “You should go in drag.” Levi turns around, seeing one of his closest friends, “Very funny, Mike.” Liam listens to the two men talking confused on almost EVERYTHING they were talking about. But, nonetheless, he answers, “You should go as something creepy! But not too creepy, ‘cuz I won’t like it..” All three of them looked around as Levi and Mike talked. 

Suddenly, Levi sees something that catches his eye. A wall filled with simple things you could pair with any normal clothes. Yeah, he’s kinda boring. Mike speaks up, “God, you’re no fun dude.” Levi sends him a glare, grabbing a pair of mid-length black horns and large black wings. “Yeah, I know. But every other costume is either a fucking joke, extra, or sexual.” Mike rolls his eyes, “Fine. Y’know, the ladies might like you more if you have an out-there costume!” Mike argues. Levi smirks, shaking his head in disbelief. He speaks quietly, but loud enough so that at least Mike can hear, “I can’t believe I’m doing this just to get pussy.” Mike laughs, patting Levi’s back, “It’s okay dude. You’ll get some eventually.”

...

Levi bought the costumes, and now he was laying on the couch watching Liam color. Suddenly the boy turns around and looks at him, “Papa?” Levi raised a thin brow, “What is it?” Liam stands up, grabbing some markers, “Can I color in your drawings?” He lays there, confused until he realizes what he meant. “Oh! My tattoos?” Liam nods his head gleefully and Levi sits up, taking off his shirt and lifting his right pant leg up to his knee, revealing two hidden tattoos. 

One started on his left upper arm, covering part of his chest, it contained daffodils and two cobras. Kuchel loved daffodils, and Levi helped her get over her fear of snakes by getting one, named Sir Racha (pronounced like sriracha). He obviously didn’t have a cobra, but he was fascinated by them. The second one started the side of his right calf, reaching down to his ankle. That one was a small portrait of Liam, with a border of things he loved. Everytime Liam started to like something new, Levi got it added. Technically, it was more than two tattoos, but it still counts as two to him. On there, he had Mr. Krabs (his favorite character in Spongebob), the ‘My Hero Academia’ logo, Tigger from Winnie The Pooh (since he’s so energetic), and a cat drawing Liam made when he was 3 (his favorite animal). Yes, it looked very childish, and often became a conversation topic, but people loved the story behind it. 

Liam moved to sit next to Levi, and started coloring the one of his chest. While he waited, Levi would start his homework, “Papa, what color is a cobra?” Levi looks at him and ruffles his hair, “Whatever color you want them to be.”

...

Levi was dropping his boy off at his elementary school, “Bye, Papa!”

“Cya buddy. I’ll pick you up today, alright?” He watches in the mirror as Liam jumps happily in his seat, “Yes! I don’t have to take the bus today! Woo hoo!!!” Levi smirks, “Nope, not today. Have a good day, I’ll see you later kid.” With that, Liam gets out of the car, waving goodbye before walking into the school. 

Levi loved him, he really did. But as soon as he drove away he took out one of his Mr. Bungle CD’s (!dont use headphones when listening!)and turned up the volume. He listened to somewhat... strange music. He had no idea what the hell he was supposed to call it other than that. But hey, he liked it nonetheless! He makes a left turn, pulling into the school’s parking lot, choosing one of the spots closest to the exit. He steps out of his car seeing a familiar blonde figure outside, staying away from the crowd of kids waiting for the doors to open.

“Yo, Erwin. What’s up?” The large man turns to look at him, nearly looking straight down, “Hey. We’re you listening to the with Liam in the car?” Of course Erwin had to mention his choice of music. “No! And who’s his father? Me. Not you.” The taller man shrugs, and Levi speaks up again, “I heard about Petra’s party. Are you going?” Erwin shrugs, “No, I’m not all for parties and-” Levi smirks, interrupting him, “But maybe you can hook up with someone. I know you’re still a virgin!” The blonde glares at him, “Levi, no offense, but you’ve had sex with more women than you can count. I, however, don’t want to waste it on women I don’t know.” Levi rolls his eyes, “Yeah, yeah. I hate when you’re right.” 

Just then, someone comes to unlock the doors, and everybody walks in. He taps Erwin’s shoulder, “I’ll be right back. I’m gonna cover my tattoo.” Erwin nods, and Levi walks into the locker room (it was closer than the bathroom). Just as he does that, he notices four feet instead of two in a stall, two of those feet quickly moving up to hide themselves. Levi shakes his head laughing, “It’s just me.” He starts to wrap some cloth around his tattoo, rolling his eyes as he hears two shy “hey”s and the stall opens. Levi turns, seeing Marco and Jean, “Have a good time?”

Marco blushes, “We were just having a little makeout…” Jean nods, “Yeah, people are too gossipy around here. We’re smarter than you.” He finishes wrapping the cloth around his arm, pulling the t-shirt sleeve back over and grabbing his backpack, “Yeah. Well, at least you know not to be like me.” 

...

The bell rings, and he’s finally done with school! He gets into his car and gets a call. He puts it on speaker and starts driving, “Hello.” Suddenly, Hanji’s voice comes from the other end, “Hiya, Levi,” he hears muffled voices, until he hears Liam’s, “Hey, Papa!” He smiles to himself, “Hey bud. How was school? Did Aunt Hanji teach you guys anything?” 

“Uh-huh! We’re learning all about the moon! We have one, but Jupiter has 79!” Levi makes a sound of acknowledgement, “That’s cool buddy. Do you know why Hanji called me?” He hears Hanji and Liam giggle, and Hanji speaks yet again, “Can I hang out with Liam today? I know you have work, and I don’t have much to do!

He shrugs, “Sure, just make sure he doesn’t eat too much sugar. I’ll take him home around 6? That gives him three hours with you.”

They both squeal, “Thank you Papa!” He laughs, “No problem. I love you, be safe.”

“Yes sir! Hehe” And they finally hang up, Levi turning back to drive home.

...

Levi groans out of boredom getting up to look for something to eat, legs shaking and arm hurting from a...busy afternoon. He passes the counter spotting something orange and white in the corner of his eye, he stops, taking a couple steps backwards to see what it was. A bag of Goldfish crackers, hell yeah. He grabs the bag and walks back to his room, flopping on the bed and curling up in warm blankets. Shit, maybe letting Hanji babysit wasn’t the worst.

.............................................................................................................

Boom! Chapter two! Kinda boring, but it will start to get good around chapter four! Let me know what you thought! Upload schedule for each chapter is here 

[angelbabyszn]

You’re The One (Cesar X Reader)

OMB Masterlist

B/F/N: Best Friend

E/N: Frenemy

"We! Are! Freeridge High! We get down for our school!"

It was late January and basketball season was almost over. The cheerleaders were practicing a new cheer for the next game later on today against Brentwood which is going to be the biggest game of the season.

You don't cheer but you were one of the photographers for the school yearbook this year which was a big deal. You have to earn more credit to graduate so you decided to help the school with the yearbook this year.

You were in charge of taking photos of all of the big school events like the homecoming game and dance, new clubs, and the school sport teams.

You were wearing a jean jacket with a black romper and cute knee high boots that goes with your outfit.

Once the cheerleaders finish the cheer, you slowly start to come up to the cheerleaders with your camera.

"H-hi. Um, I n-need a picture of this team for the yearbook?" you asked stuttering.

"Awe, Y/N have a stutter problem?" said your frenemy, E/N and started to laugh out loud.

"Four more months and I'm out of here." you whispered to yourself and you scoot back far enough to take a picture of the squad.

Once they got settled, you were about to take the photo until one of the gym doors opened. You turn your head to see the school's basketball team coming in from their warm up.

The cheerleaders and E/N start to stare at the boys coming in and start to drool with heart eyes.

You rolled your eyes at them and realized the lens of the camera wasn't clear enough. You changed it and looked back up with your eyes landing on a familiar person.

That figure is none other than Cesar Diaz. The guy that every girl wants. He's sadly your crush.

You glanced at him and looked away after a few moments later to finish fixing the lens. Once you were done, you heard the cheerleaders squealed.

You look back up to see Cesar coming over to the cheerleaders with a few other basketball players.

"What's up, ladies?" asked Cesar with a smile and the cheerleaders giggled.

"What's up, Cesar. You excited for the big game today?" asked E/N with flirty eyes as she started to feel Cesar's muscles with her hands while staring up at him deeply.

Your heart starts to burn in jealousy. She knows about your crush on him and surprisingly she hasn't told the whole school yet for some reason. E/N always knew what would make you boil.

"What's up, Y/N girl." shouted your best friend, B/F/N as they entered the gym and walked over to you. You gain a smile and turn around to them happily.

"B/F/N! Hey!" you said and both of you hugged in happiness.

Cesar was glancing at you and B/F/N hugging, more specifically you. He starts to stare while he is surrounded by E/N and the other cheerleaders.

"Girl, guess what! I'm going to the game with you!" said B/F/N which was music to your ears because you thought you were going to be alone. Both of you start jumping around in happiness which made E/N and the other cheerleaders look at you.

"Y/N. B/F/N. Get a room." said E/N and her and the other cheerleaders start to laugh. You and B/F/N stop jumping and look at them weirdly.

"Mine your own business, E/N. Aka the biggest person to sleep with." said B/F/N and the cheerleaders stopped laughing and gasped from B/F/N's response making E/N's face turn fusiously. Cesar was trying not to chuckle.

"Let's go and leave these can't-cheer cheerleaders and go to my whip." said B/F/N as she pulls out her keys to her car and both of you left.

"Ugh. Who do they think they are." said E/N and they turned to Cesar who looked like he was in a different universe.

"At least I got you." said E/N as she hugged Cesar tightly which made him feel disgusted.

"E/N. How many times I have to tell you. I don't like you!" shouted Cesar and he moved E/N's arms from his wrist and walked back to his teammates.

"Don't worry, baby! We'll be together soon!" shouted E/N at Cesar.

-

"Now, Y/N. I won't be able to take you home cause I got a date with Ruby after this." said B/F/N as both of you start to walk into Brentwood High where the game was. You stopped in annoyance.

"Are you serious, B/F/N?! I can't call my mom because she is at work at this hour! I don't want to go back on the bus with those chicas!" you said with your arms cross against your chest. 

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. I got you a gift to make it up to you." said B/F/N as she hands you a bag in her hand you didn't notice until now.

You took the bag from her hand and looked inside.

"B/F/N, I am not-"

"Yes you are!"

"Noooo!"

"Yesss."

"No!"

"Come on!" said B/F/N as she starts to pull you inside the school and into the bathroom with B/F/N's gift.

A few minutes later, you come out in Freeridge color-themed outfit with cute vans and your hair down wavy with a headband.

"Look at you showing our school spirit." said B/F/N looking at you head to toe.

You rolled your eyes and put your camera strap that is connected to your camera around your neck. You hate that you have to go to games for this yearbook for college.

"Now, come on!" said B/F/N and both of you entered the gym. It was packed with students from Freeridge one side of the gym and Brentwood on the other.

You and B/F/N walked up the stairs of the bleachers to see Jamal, Monse, and Ruby with snacks and drinks in their laps.

"Hey guys!" you said and hugged each one of them.

"Hey baby," said B/F/N as she sits right next to Ruby and they kiss each other.

"Hey! Stop with all of that lovey s*it." said Monse as you sit between Monse and Jamal. You laughed at what Monse said and the young couple stopped.

"Oh, shut it Monse. You're just jealous, you don't have a body." said B/F/N and she kissed Ruby again.

"But seriously stop. Y'all don't need a baby." you said as you looked at them kissing.

"That's what she said." said B/F/N and Ruby, Monse, and Jamal laughed as you gave them a serious face.

"Y/N, I would never give something like that...unless she wants to." said Ruby as he turns to B/F/N with a smirk.

"Ooo...yes papi." said B/F/N and they kissed again.

"Y'all need to go." said Jamal. Music started to play and everybody in the gym started to cheer as both teams started to come out and show off their basketball skills.

You start to take photos of people cheering on both sides, the basketball players and the cheerleaders.

One of the coaches that coach Freeridge starts to signal you down to take close up photos of the game.

"Man. I guess I'll see you guys later." you said as you got up and walked down to the gym floor.

You heard your friends say bye and you walked and stand at the edge of the basketball game.

You start to take pictures of your school's basketball players up close as they were dodging Brentwood's players, making shots and doing teamwork.

Cesar catches the ball from one of his basketball teammates and makes a basket. Everyone on Freeridge went wild. You were so happy you caught Cesar making a basket with your camera.

-

An hour later, the game ended with Freeridge winning which made everyone crazy happy for Freeridge leaving Brentwood defeated and disappointed in themselves.

The Freeridge basketball players and cheerleaders jumped and shouted in excitement that Freeridge won.

You watched from the sidelines and saw Cesar happy with his teammates from winning the game today.

"Now, how come E/N is going to call us out for jumping and being happy when she's doing it right now?" said B/F/N with a stink face on as she looked at E/N jumping happily.

"Let's just go. I want to go home." you said and you walked out with B/F/N, Ruby, Monse, and Jamal out of the gym.

Jamal and Monse got into Monse's dad's car and drove away. You were standing right next to the driver's side of B/F/N's car where she was in the driver's seat while Ruby was in the passenger's seat. B/F/N rolled down her window.

"Y/N, I'm still sorry about this." said B/F/N.

"It's fine. Have fun. I'll have my earbuds and nobody won't talk to me." you said with a shy smile and B/F/N smiled back.

She rolled up the window and left in her car with Ruby. You watched them leave and onto the streets.

You sighed and turned around to see the school bus open for the Freeridge team and cheerleaders to come in and be taken back to the school.

You walked in first and you went to the middle of the bus on the right side to sit down in one of the seats.

You took off the strap that's connected to your camera off of your body and started looking through the gallery of your photos you took at the game.

You keep on checking your photos until you see the photo of Cesar making a basket. You start to stare at it for a while.

"How do you not notice me? I'm right in front of you." you said quietly as you looked deep into Cesar eyes in the photo.

You heard voices and quickly turned off your camera and put it inside the bag with your old clothes from earlier that were sitting next to you.

You saw the cheerleaders and basketball players coming inside the bus with new clothes on. You took out your earbuds from your purse and started to listen to music.

You were wondering where Cesar was because he hadn't come on yet. You look out the window and your eyes widened to see Cesar and E/N shouting at each other.

"What's going on?" you thought as you saw E/N walking away furious and get into the passenger's seat in a car It drove away leaving Cesar in the parking lot.

Cesar growls in anger and tries to calm himself down for a few moments. He grabbed his bag from the ground and walked into the school bus where you and everybody else was in.

Cesar starts to walk down the aisle and cheerleaders start to beg to sit with them while his teammates want him to sit with them.

He starts to come closer to you quickly. You look outside the window and turn up your volume of your music so he would notice you.

A few moments later, you felt a tap on your left shoulder. You take out your left earbud and turn your head to see Cesar looking at you.

"Can I see here?" asked Cesar and you hesitated for a moment until you said yes.

Cesar gives you a shy smile and he moves your bag and his bag on the other side of the bus that was empty.

Cesar slides in and sits right next to you. The bus starts up and starts to drive away from Brentwood High to go back to Freeridge.

You looked out of the window hoping he won't talk to you for the whole ride. Meanwhile questions were flowing through your head.

"What happened? He looks upset. I hope he is okay. Should I say something to him? Should I just be quiet? Why does he want to sit right next to me?"

As questions were going through your head, you didn't realize Cesar was taking glances at you.

Cesar's eyes lit up when he thought of an idea. Cesar pulled out his phone and started to text.

A notification popped up on your phone you noticed quickly because your music unexpectedly becomes low.

You opened your phone to see Cesar texted you. Your eyes widened and you looked at him to see him looking at you with a small smile.

Cesar looks at you to your phone to signal you to text him back. You opened his message.

Cesar🖤: Hey 

You: Hey 

Cesar🖤: What's up with you? 

You: Nothing. You? 

Cesar🖤: Nothing. Nice emoji next to my name.

You looked at him and you saw him doing his signature grin at you. You pause your music playing through your earbuds and put them away. You decided to look at his phone to see your name as "futura esposa❤️"

"Nice name for me." you said and Cesar stopped looking at you to his phone. His eyes widened in shock and blushed in embarrassment. You laughed at his face.

"Are you done?" said Cesar as you calmed down from laughing and nodded.

"So, what happened back there with E/N?" you asked.

"Why do you care? Don't you hate her?” said Cesar with an annoying face.

"Hey, don't come at me with that tone when you get my name like that in your messages." you said reminding him.

"It's nothing. She's just a crazy chica that I'm not interested in. She doesn't get the hint." said Cesar.

"I thought y'all have a thing for each other." you said and Cesar looked at you surprised.

"Are you serious right now?"

"Yeah. Junior high. Both of you are always hanging out with each other and everything. Well at least to me, that's what I thought." you said and look back out the window.

"Well, you're wrong." said Cesar and he grabbed your hands with his which made you look back at him confused.

 Cesar was staring deep into your eyes which made your heartbeat beat faster and faster worrying what was going to happen next.

"Y/N. I like you." said Cesar and your eyes widened.

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do."

"No, you don't. Stop lying."

"Yes I do, Y/N. Believe me." said Cesar and you start to look into his eyes to see if he was telling the truth. His eyes sparkled and you saw his eyes dilating bigger.

"Oh my gosh...you do." you said and you looked down trying to process this. Cesar puts his fingers underneath your chin and lifts it back up for you to look at him again.

"Y/N, you're so different around me. You make me feel so special inside. I don't think I can live another day without telling you except now. You're the one for me. Can you accept me?" said Cesar confessing and it made your heart beat even faster than before.

"Cesar...I...I like you too." you finally confessed and Cesar gained the biggest smile you ever seen in your life. He kissed you very passionately without warning.

You kissed him back not a second later and continued to do another kiss after another.

You and Cesar stop kissing and give each other the cutest smile ever. You lay your head on Cesar's right shoulder as he wrapped his right arm around your wrist.

Cesar grabbed your earbuds, pulled out your left earbud, and put it in his left ear. You grab the right and go on your phone to play "Hold On, We're Going Home" by Drake.

Both of you relaxed in happiness as you went back home as boyfriend and girlfriend.

[let-love-run-red]

Green

Tag List: @keithseabrook27​ @imaginecrushes​ @but-kairis-not-that-smart @zeuniel​ @bittersweetbooke​ (Sorry one of the tags didn’t work loves)

"(y/n), are we gonna talk, about last night?" Ben asked as the two of you sat in the car on the way to school. Leia had considered grounding him for the arrest but after he explained the situation to Leia she relented and let him off after chewing him out for nearly two hours. But you still hadn't talked to him all morning. Every time you looked at him you thought about how his lips felt against yours and how close you were to, having sex. With Ben.

You just turned to look out the window of Ben's car as he pulled into the school parking lot. He turned off the car and locked the doors before you could get out, the locks retreating down into the door so you couldn't pry them up and manually unlock the door. You sat back in your seat, avoiding his gaze and looking at your hands as you wrung them together.

"(Y/n) you have to talk to me sooner or later. You're staying in my house until your parents get back." Ben said, trying to look at your face. You kept turning away from him. Ben sighed and looked out the windshield.

"(y/n), do you, regret it? Kissing me I mean?" Ben questioned quietly. You turned to look up at him, seeing the red blush covering his pale cheeks that you could just see through his curtain of black hair. You resisted the urge to reach out and brush his hair behind his ears and instead cleared your throat.

Ben looked at you hopefully and held his hand out to brush his hand over your hair, stopping short and dropping his hand into his lap.

"No. I don't regret it." You said quietly. Ben felt a smile cross his face and ran his hand through his hair with a breathy laugh.

"Oh thank god, I was so worried about that." Ben smoothed his hands over his jeans, picking at a stain on his thigh. You did the same with the leggings you'd chosen to wear that day, waiting for Ben to say something else. You didn't even know where to begin.

"I-I'm sorry I shouldn't have brought it up." Ben said as he looked down in his lap. You hesitantly reached over and took his hand, squeezing it reassuringly. He snapped his head up to look at you and gave a lopsided grin.

"We should probably go inside." you said, hearing the bell ring. Ben unlocked the door and jogged around to the other side to open your door for you. You chuckled and took his hand as he helped you out of the car.

"M'lady." Ben said as you stepped out of the car. You smiled as the both of you walked towards the doors.

"So the dance recital is coming up, is the coach going to put you in or no?" Ben asked as he opened the door for you. You figured she would, she had you working with one of the boys on the team to choreograph a duet. You couldn't imagine any other reason she would have you choreograph.

"I think so. It's a tradition that the new members do a duet they have to choreograph, why?" You questioned as you walked down the hall to first period, one of the classes you shared with Ben.

"Just curious." Ben said with a shrug. You looked down the hall and saw Hux standing at his locker, holding an ice pack against his cheek and a bandage across his now crooked nose. Ben saw him too, puffing his chest out and stepping in front of you, pushing behind his back. You came face to face with his patch covered guitar case. You clenched your jaw and dug your nails into your palm to quell your anxiety. You stared hard at the green "Flogging Molly" patch on Ben's guitar case. It was one he didn't listen to often but when he did the whole neighborhood could hear it. You heard the quiet sound of Hux's shoes on the tile as he approached Ben. You heard Ben growl as Hux stopped in front of him.

"Solo." Hux spat. His voice sounded nasally. You risked a glance around Ben to see Hux's very bruised face caused by Ben's forehead and knee. He saw you and took a step forward, only for Ben to plant his hand on Hux's chest and push him back.

"Do I need to break some ribs too?" Ben asked. Hux flinched when Ben touched him, stepping a few feet back.

"Don't ever come near her again. She doesn't want you." Ben growled, reaching behind his back and grabbing your hand. He kept himself between you and Hux as he skirted around the ginger and towards your class.

The rest of the walk was silent as Ben let out a huff and rested his arm over your shoulders. You leaned against him and listened to the comforting jingle of the chain on his belt and the heavy thud of his boots on the tile. Everybody else shied away from those sounds but not you. You knew Ben, and knew what a big softie he was.

"Ben what are you wearing?"  You asked when you met Ben at the bus stop. He was dressed in a pair of black skinny jeans with a chain dangling across his hip. His boots looked like they were two sizes too big, and the black Metallica shirt looked two sizes too small. His guitar case seemed small across his back. He had filled out in the summer between ninth and tenth grade, and grown at least a foot. You however, were still the same size you'd been since eighth grade.

"Clothes?" He said, looking at you. You laughed and punched his shoulder halfheartedly. He gently shoved your shoulder, catching you before you fell over with a laugh. You stuck your tongue out at him, and he did the same. You froze when you saw the silver stud  in the center of his tongue. He laughed at your face. Not a small chuckle they way he normally laughed, an uproarious laugh.

"Ben what the hell?!" You exclaimed. He opened his mouth and stuck his tongue out again to give you a better view of the stud.

"I got it lasf weeken, like it?" He said, his words muddled around his tongue. The stud jumped as he spoke. You didn't know how to react, you never expected Ben to get a piercing, especially one on his tongue. It was weird.

Kinda hot though.

"You look like you have a nail stuck in your tongue." You said halfheartedly. Ben pulled his tongue back into his mouth and tilted his head. He thought you'd like it.

"I'm sure Malarus will like it." You said as the school bus pulled up to the stop. Ben followed you into the bus, sitting down next to you with his guitar case across his back.

"Nah she'll hate it, which is why I got it." Ben said with a shit-eating grin. You raised an eyebrow at him. He and Malarus had been dating since the beginning of ninth grade, he just now decided he was sick of her? This wasn't at all like the Ben you knew.

"Ben are you ok? You're acting kind of weird." You questioned.

"It's high school (y/n), time to remake myself. I want to be a bad ass, I'm sick of people picking on me." He said. You shrugged as the bus pulled into the transfer point. You grabbed your backpack and stood, ready to move to the bus that would take you to your new high school. You followed Ben out of the bus. He let you get into the new bus first and find a seat. He was about to sit next to you when someone in a lime green shirt pushed him aside and sat next to you instead. Ben huffed and landed in the seat across the aisle before standing up again.

"Hey, I'm Elrik." The boy said, leaning towards you with a waggle of his eyebrows. You squished yourself against the window, shooting Ben a pleading glance. Ben tapped Elrik's shoulder. Elrik rolled his eyes and turned to see Ben's angry face.

"Move." Ben said sternly. Elrik rolled his eyes.

"Or what?"

Ben reached down, grabbing Elrik's green shirt and hauling him from the seat, dropping him into the seat Ben had been pushed into. Elrik landed with a heavy thump before Ben sat next to you, propping his guitar case between his knees. He leaned back and threw an arm around your shoulders and fluffed your hair.

You walked into your first period class. Math. You and Ben took the two empty seats at the back of the room, hoping the teacher wouldn't notice the two of you had walked in late.

"Ben Solo, what have you done to my favorite student?" The teacher asked without looking away from the board. He finished the equation he was writing on the board, before capping his marker and turning to glare at Ben.

"She's never late, the one day she is she shows up with you." Mr. Madden said. Ben rolled his eyes so hard you thought they'd roll out of his head.

"I'm waiting for an answer, Mr. Solo." Mr. Madden said.

"You got me Mr. Madden, I've corrupted her. We were behind the school shooting heroin and cooking meth. I finally broke bad, the metal in my mouth finally leeched enough poison to screw up my head just like you said it would, and now I've gone and ruined your favorite student. Oh the tragedy." Ben said, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he spoke. You suppressed a chuckle. Ben could always be a little, dramatic. Mr. Madden's face turned a glorious shade of pink as Ben spoke.

"Mr. Solo. Stop speaking like that this instant." Mr. Madden snapped.

"Alright alright. Dude I woke up late and I'm her ride." Ben said, holding his hands up in surrender. Mr. Madden grumbled under his breath before turning to the board.

"See me after class Ben." He growled before launching into an explanation on the problem he'd been writing when the two of you walked in the room. Ben gave you a look and stuck his tongue out again, the metal stud on his tongue catching on his teeth and making a clicking sound. It was a habit he'd picked up. If he was bored or deep in thought he'd drag the stud across his teeth to make a clicking sound. It drove Leia to her wits end, but you never minded it.

"So there's a battle of the bands type thing coming up." Ben said, walking backwards down the hall so he could face you to talk. It was the end of the day and he was walking you to the extra dance practice Phasma had scheduled so everybody could be ready for the recital in two weeks. You tilted your head and urged him to continue. He tilted his head to mirror you, sticking his tongue out and knocking the stud against his teeth again.

"Wanna come? The school's putting it on, I figured I'd do something a little more mellow. It's supposed to be covers of school appropriate songs." Ben said with a roll of his eyes. and putting air quotes around the words 'school appropriate.' You chuckled.

"Sure Ben, when is it?" You asked, stopping outside the locker room. Ben leaned one arm above his head against the wall. He told you the details of the concert and let you get changed while he waited outside the locker room for you. A few girls walked past him, including Rey. She gave Ben a quick nod. Despite being one of your friends, your friendship stopped at the teams you shared. She knew Ben was one of your closest friends however and figured she should be nice to him. Ben gave her a short nod back.

"Hey (y/n), think I could watch?" Ben asked as you walked out of the locker room in a pair of leggings and a tank top. You didn't mind, but you'd have to ask Phasma.

"I mean, I'll ask coach but I don't think she'd care." You said. You walked into the dance room with Ben on your heels. Before he could take a step on the hardwood floor you turned around and placed a hand on his chest. You pointed down at his thick-soled steel toed combat boots.

"She'll kill you if you scuff her floor." You said. Ben sighed and leaned against the wall to pull the boots off. He held them up next to him with a tight lipped smile. He shuffled into the room in mismatched green socks, setting the boots under the collapsible table in the corner that the dance team set their phones and water bottles on.

"Hey Coach," You approached Phasma at her desk. She was working on cutting the music for the concert but at hearing your voice she looked up with a smile.

"What's up (y/n)?"

"Could my friend Ben watch us practice? He's my ride home and I didn't really want to make him sit in the hall the entire time." You said, jerking your thumb behind you at Ben. He flipped his hair out of his eyes and flashed Phasma a crooked smile. She looked him up and down with raised eyebrows before turning to you and nodding.

"I didn't expect you to be friends with him, but yes he can watch." Phasma said. She finished the song she was working on before standing up and walking to the front of the class. Ben skated to the back in his socks, sliding across the hardwood before lowering himself to sit on the floor in the back.

"Has anybody seen David?" Phasma asked. David was the partner you'd been working on your duet with. Now that you thought about it, you hadn't seen him all day. You hoped he was alright.

"Uh, hey coach." You heard David call from the doorway. You and the rest of the class turned to look at him.

He had his left arm cradled in a sling, and his left leg in a boot. He had a crutch tucked under his right arm and hopped into the room, struggling to balance on his one good leg without the help of his other arm. Phasma's mouth dropped open along with yours. There was no way he could dance with one arm and one leg, and there was no way it would heal in two weeks. Phasma let out a deep sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"David what did you do?" She asked. David let out a nervous chuckle.

"I uh, went ice skating with my girlfriend, and I fell. Very hard." David said as he leaned against the wall of mirrors in the front of the room. You gave Ben a worried glance and he tilted his head at you. You could see his jaw moving as he chewed on his tongue, another habit he had when he was bored.

"Well, I guess you're out of the routines." Phasma said. David flashed her an apologetic grin. Phasma turned to you.

"(y/n) your duet with David was supposed to be in the concert, I can't cut it, the programs have already been ordered." Phasma said. It seemed more like she was thinking out loud rather than actually addressing you. She glanced behind you, a spark suddenly lighting behind her eyes.

"You said your friends name was Ben?" She said as she turned to fully face him. Suddenly every eye in the room was focused on Ben. He shuffled uncomfortably and looked to you for guidance. You simply shrugged.

"Ben, have you ever danced?" She asked. Ben stared blankly for a minute and in the silent room you could hear the stud clicking against his teeth in his mouth.

"I did gymnastics for a few years?" Ben said. You remembered his brief gymnast career in seventh and eighth grade. He'd gotten pretty good at the flips, but that wasn't dance.

"I can work with that." Phasma said. She gestured for everybody to clear the center of the room and for Ben to stand.

"Do a flip." She said. Ben gave her a confused look. It had been years since you'd see him do anything where his feet were above his head, let alone purposefully.

"Coach, come on that's Ben Solo. He just walks around glaring at people. I doubt he can even do a cartwheel." One of the girls in the corner said. She'd been rude to you since you tried out. Rey said she was always rude to anybody outside of her circle.

Ben shot her a glare, then stood from the floor, shucking his leather jacket onto the floor and emptying his pockets on top of his jacket .He slipped his socks off and stepped towards the middle of the room. He turned to look at everybody around him, standing in a perfect ballet third position. He gestured to the room with an exaggerated movement.

"Any requests?" He asked cockily. Nobody spoke and Ben nodded before lifting his arms and throwing himself into a cartwheel, then twisting into a back handspring and finishing with a backflip that brought him to the other side of the room where he landed effortlessly. Phasma let out a snort of laughter before turning to the girl who had previously spoken out.

"He's a better gymnast than you." Phasma said. Ben brushed his jeans off and straightened his shirt that had pulled up to show the smallest bit of his stomach. He walked towards you and held his hand up for a high five. You gave him one before he stuck his tongue out at you again. He'd been doing it a lot more you noticed.

"Ben would you be interested in being in the concert?" Phasma asked him suddenly. You heard a scoff from the girls in the corner and Ben looked bewildered. He hadn't come in the room today with the intent of being in the concert, just watching you practice. He looked between you and Phasma as if begging for an answer.

If you were being honest, you wouldn't mind Ben being your partner. David was nice, but he was lean and there were a lot of lifts in your dance. You were always nervous David would drop you, but you trusted Ben with your life. You knew he would throw himself to the floor to catch you before letting you fall. You hoped he would say yes.

"I mean, why not?" He said, more of a question than an answer. Phasma let a wide grin split her face.

"Wonderful, David can show you the video he had of the duet from last week, and you two can practice all you want. We only have two weeks." Phasma said. She dismissed you and Ben to follow David into the gym to practice the duet and teach Ben the new steps.

[allovertheworldblog]

A prisoner in Sucre

Trying to leave Sucre wasn’t proving easy. 

Thankfully the hostel I was staying in was a five minute walk from the bus station. 

So, I went to check out what time busses to Santa Cruz were at. 

I couldn’t find any morning or daytime busses from Sucre to Santa Cruz, only nighttime busses. That was ok.

Only trouble was this was Saturday. 

The bus companies I went to were either full or for some reason not running busses that day. 

Travelling by bus in Bolivia can be difficult enough what with poor quality roads, old uncomfortable busses, but now I couldn���t even get a seat.

I found one of the last seats out of Sucre for that night, but it wasn’t going to Santa Cruz, where I was bound for. 

It was going to Cochabamba, which isn’t even in the direction I wanted to go, just anything to get out of Sucre. 

I’d spent three days in the city, in reality, one day would have been enough.

I’d even tried to get a ticket to Villazon, which would have brought me back to northern Argentina, which would have enabled me move on with my new plan of travelling up through Brazil to The Guyanas. 

But, those tickets were sold out as well.

When I was buying my ticket the seller tries to charge me 10 Blivianos more than the locals. 

I make her sell it to me for the same price as the locals. 

I have my ticket and I’m ready to leave. I spend my last day in Sucre. 

I collect my bags from the hostel around 17.00 and walk across to the bus station. 

My bus leaves at 19.00. 

There’s a big rush of people to board the bus, what’s the rush, I wonder, they all have tickets. 

Our bus leaves at 18.45 because all the seats have been sold.

A policeman stands by to marshal the people getting on the bus, but doesn’t do much. 

As I’m standing on the platform a little old man with thick glasses who looks about 70 years of age calls out ‘hijo, hijo’ meaning son. 

I assume he’s looking for his son in the crowd, maybe his son has the tickets. We board the bus and I’m sitting up in the front seat of the single decker bus.

The old guy who was calling out 'hijo’ on the platform turns out to be the driver of the bus. 

He’s wearing padded trousers like a an airplane pilot from the 1950’s. 

He blesses himself a couple of times and kisses the steering wheel. And then we’re off. 

I get to sleep almost immediately in spite of everything.

We stop for a 20-minute break along the road in the dark. We stop at a row of houses and businesses along with a couple of other busses. I sleep again on the next leg of the trip.

We get in to Cochabamba at 05.20. 

I buy a ticket to Santa Cruz, I’m charged 80 Boliviano’s. 

Later I look at my folded up ticket and it says 70 Boliviano’s, was I ripped off, I don’t know.

As in all of Bolivia when you’re using a bus station you have to buy pay a tax. Sometimes they put a sticker on your bus ticket to say you’ve paid, sometimes they give you a small ticket. 

This is then checked when you go through to get to the departure gates. 

You also always have to pay a separate charge if you want to use the toilets in the station.

Our bus leaves Cochabamba at 06.30. 

Right after we leave a guy in a suit is standing in the middle of the aisle upstairs on the double decker bus. 

I didn’t see him sitting down so assume he’s the conductor of the bus. 

He’s fixing a microphone. 

I assume he’s going to introduce himself and tell us about the facilities and emergency exits, as a similar thing had happened to me in Peru and Argentina a couple of times.

The guy turns out to be a salesman, trying to sell tooth whitening toothpaste. He’s selling a miraculous paste along with a toothbrush for the small price of 10 Bolivianos. 

One of the small octagonal boxes containing the paste is handed to all the passengers so that we can see what’s on offer. 'As seen on TV three times’ the container proudly boasts. 

It’s not enough to encourage many of the wary Bolivians to part with their cash, the salesman makes a few sales, packs up his microphone and kit and is off at the next stop.

At the same time as the salesman is packing up his things

five local women get on the bus and go up and down the aisles selling their wares, egg and potato in a bag, chicken and potato in a bag, bread, juice. 

It’s 07.00 already, I had hoped to get some more sleep but the business of business has put paid to that idea.

Then the music comes on. Mi Corozon music as I call it, meaning sad love songs. Literally Mi Corozon means, my heart. 

It’s ubiquitous in song in Bolivia. Mi Corozon isn’t always in the lyrics of every song but you could be forgiven for thinking that it is.

The sun is coming up on Cochabamba of the 11th July 2010 as we drive along with the music blaring, por favor, mi amor, plays loudly on the radio. 

I’m left thinking that Bolivia must be a land of deaf people.

We’re stopped at an army checkpoint later in the day for about 30-minutes. Everybody has to get off as the bus is searched. 

I think they were looking for drugs. 

Local people use the permanent checkpoint to their advantage and have set up beside it to cater to the waiting passengers. 

They mainly sell ice-creams and jelly, just enough to keep you going.

Later outside the bus I see how the scenery has changed. 

I’ve left the high Andes far behind. 

The hills are green, the place feels warm.

We get in to Santa Cruz sometime after 17.00. 

I go to an internet cafe and see what accommodation is available in the city. 

I pass by a few pubs that open onto the street that are showing the final of the World Cup. 

I stop by to see what the score is.

I take a taxi to my guesthouse after negotiating a price with the driver. 

I’m worried that car mightn’t make it, it seems to be falling apart. 

There doesn’t seem to be any suspension and we rattle along with something scraping on the ground. 

The driver leaves me off where I asked him to. 

My guesthouse isn’t  in view straight away so I walk up and down the street. I find it after 10-minutes and check in. 

I have a private room with shared bathroom. 

I’m missing the hostel setting, where you’re nearly guaranteed of meeting people.

I ask directions of the receptionist to the centre. 

It’s a few streets away, about a 15-minute walk. 

He warns me not to be in the main square after 23.00. 

Before I’d got to Santa Cruz I was worried that it could be a dangerous place.

I’d read about it being the right-wing centre of Bolivia. 

The city usually votes against the populist President. 

An Irishman who was implicated in a plot to assassinate the President was shot in Santa Cruz last year. I was going to keep my wits about me.

It was a warm pleasant night in Santa Cruz. I got to the Plaza 24 de Septiembre to find it thronged with people. 

Friends and family catching up and people out for a stroll. 

Men in jackets with small trollies with flasks of coffee plied their trade. 

The place had a real relaxed atmosphere to it.

I go to a restaurant on the square. 

My meal and bottle of beer cost more than the price of my accommodation. Outside, supporters of Spain, who had that day won the World Cup, cheer and run up and down the street. 

After dinner I buy some ice cream and sit in the square.

[eenefangirlanalysis]

Returning from our sixth commercial break a bus door opens its hatch.

Jonny is immediately startled.

This is one of my favorite scenes of Jonny in the movie. It’s mysterious. Almost unsettling. It’s coming from the perspective of the bus driver. An adult. 

Jonny has rarely left his neighborhood. All these people including the bus driver are strangers. Jonny would rather be near faces that are familiar to him. Having social anxiety has always held Jonny back. Or rather the kids never wanted to get to know him. That’s another reason why the kids won’t accept the Eds. 

Middle school tends to be a tough time for all. Everyone feels that they need to like the same things in order to fit in. And if you don’t like the same thing you’re outcasted. Not that Jonny minds. He never deserved a friendship with the kids. It took the kids years to realize that all the Eds wanted was to be accepted.

Jonny deserves better post BPS.

This is an interesting scene where a few quarters slide off from Plank paying for bus fair.

It’s a little creepy seeing how it’s implied that the adults tower over the kids. Jonny can’t even reach the bus fair. It makes the scene more uncomfortable. He’s the only kid on this whole bus.

I have mentioned how Jonny’s mental state grows worse at the end of the movie. I think it is has been deteriorating for a while now. In the first few seasons he hung around with the cul-de-sac kids holding conversations. Then he spends all his time with Plank making mischief. This must be Jonny’s way of a call for help. He doesn’t understand what is going on. Nobody will help him. 

The kids ignored him throughout the whole car chase at the beginning of the movie. 

Then there was the episode Between a Rock and an Ed Place. Nobody showed up to his party except the Eds. The only reason the Eds went was because they thought all the kids were going to be there. Each kid gave off a pathetic excuse. They never cared for him. All those times they let him hang out was only to make the Eds jealous. Although it’s sad how the Eds are tossed aside Jonny has nobody. They don’t wrap their minds around this boy who talks to a piece of wood.

I can never see a friendship lasting between the Eds and kids. Although it’s satisfying to see the movie end on a high note, remembering how these kids tormented the Eds day after day makes you wonder how everything is going to work out. If they will.

I love this screenshot.

An actual bus!

We have seen cars and even a mail truck before.

The reason why this image is set at an unsettling angle is because they’re at the end of the town. Jonny is being taken away from his safe zone in a vehicle he has never been in before.

Cartoon physics can’t get him out of this. He has to face reality.

As soon as the bus is in motion Jonny loses his sea legs tripping into the aisle ways.

And bumps into the sea of legs.

ADULTS! OTHER CHARACTERS!

EENE fans have been waiting years to see an adult. Well, technically we do see them on occasions throughout season 5. Season 5 was different. That sense of freedom is gone. Summers are for no worries. The kids could run around and do what they wanted. As soon as school comes they have to face adults. Their parents are constantly on their backs needed to know what is going on in school. That’s why we see them more.

Jonny timidly apologizes to the man he bumped into.

Those stockings that woman is wearing in the background resembles the wicked witch of the east.

I also like the technique where Jonny stands out as the adults are grey. It resembles Wizard of Oz.

“The bus is sure packed to the wallop, huh, Plank?”

PLANK IS GONE!

Wonderful expressions. The artists who worked on this scene and any scene in the whole movie need to be given an applause. Cartoon work is not easy. You have to draw the same thing over and over while having to come up with different faces. The experience is quite rewarding. I’ve drawn out comics for years. I need to get back into it because drawing can make one feel so calm. 

Never say that you can’t draw. We can all draw in our own ways.

Jonny searches through the jungle of legs.

They resemble the cut outs from Urban Ed.

“Quit freaking me out, Plank!”

Jonny asks around if anybody has seen Plank. Nobody answers.

Wow, this scene was shot so well.

I think there was supposed to be more to this scene. Jonny grows smaller and smaller throughout this scene. @book-o-scams I remember you posted storyboard scenes which had Jonny pealing away from his sanity. They may have also been a part of a deleted nightmare. Weren’t you also saying that Jonny was to have a complete mental breakdown as he kept on shrinking in size?

Being around strangers causes Jonny to have a severe anxiety attack. We witnessed him having one in Dear Ed. Even being around many inanimate objects with faces drawn on makes Jonny nervous.

Jonny still doesn’t understand his place in the world. His parents have not been very supportive of him.

I’m not sure who it was but a theory was brought up the possibility that maybe Jonny lost a sibling. His parents are still grieving and have forgotten all about Jonny. Jonny doesn’t know how to grieve the loss of his sibling which is where Plank comes into play.

I love writing this scene in my novelization. We don’t know what is really going on. 

This is a fun theory: What if Jonny is retelling this to a therapist? I have hopes that someone is going to help him post BPS so he won’t be in danger of losing his sanity. He needs to lead a healthier life and see the beauty of the world. He also needs to have actual friends who respect him.

Jonny makes it back to the front of the bus clinging for dear life to bus fair machine.

Hold on, what’s this?

“Plank, is that you?!”

The bus route is changed to ‘VENGEANCE’.

“PLANK!!!!!!”

And that’s the last we see of Jonny until the end of the movie.

WHAT HAPPENS?? Again, that is not fair. We only see what happens to Kevin, Nazz and Rolf over night. The next time we see this bus the people who were passengers inside the bus never make another appearance. Did Jonny go mad tying them all up? Did he have to spend a night in the city? This scene must have gotten pretty dark off screen.

Look, the city!!! 

Urban Ed was such an important episode. Each kids has a different opinion of the city. Kevin may have moved from the city into the cul-de-sac when he was a little boy. And Ed has made a few trips with his father a few times.

Jonny is not too enthusiastic about the city. He calls it a bad place where everybody ignores you, it’s dirty and smelly, and people walk passed you without saying hello.

So, he has been in the city before. And it had a bad affect on him.

What if Jonny is allowed to leave the neighborhood unless under permission? He needs to lead his own lifestyle. There is this theory which states Jonny may have split personality disorder. Jonny’s parents leave him be. Jonny’s condition also makes them uncomfortable so they stay out from his life. They should have been there more to give him the better help he deserved.

What are your opinions? Is Plank alive? Or was he hallucinating?

My head canon is that Jonny was envisioning everything totally different. Maybe those adults weren’t stone stiff. They could have been trying to help Jonny. You have to pay close attention to when Jonny first stumbles into the corridors. Plank bounces off screen further into the bus, not the way they entered. I don’t believe Plank is alive, and that is hard for be to say due to countless theories of what Plank could be.

Jonny was hallucinating the bus driver as Plank.

Pay close attention to the set up of these highways and the town. They’ll come up again later in the movie where the Eds are walking in the nighttime.

Do the Eds walk three towns over? Or is it just one?

Oh, the theories you can think.

[franciebeck]

Quentin got his wallet and phone, then they headed out to the bus stop. He’d… rather not put on a seat belt, but this also came with a challenge: The general public.

He was still bruised and in pain. It’s not as if he would get seriously hurt from being bumped into or something, but he’d rather not tear a stitch, especially when they were a few days away from being removed. Beck still had his hospital bracelet on, even since he was due to come back so soon.

He was in need of special care as it were, so as he gingerly got on the bus, he took the window seat with Francis in the aisle seat, far away from others.

But the bus was slowly filling due to rush hour and they had plenty more stops to go. Soon, it was completely packed with passengers. No seats were left.

It all came to a head when KAREN and her snotty kid boarded. She was a middle aged lady with bad hair dye, cankles, fake nails and eyelashes, and of course the worst sense of fashion. Her kid was so absorbed into his phone game that he didn’t even pay attention to anything around him at the moment.

The boy seemed completely normal, where as the land-manatee obviously just wanted a spot to put her bags down and not watch her son.

Of course she decided that since Francie and Neo looked normal and healthy enough, she was entitled to their seats. Push around a man and his teenage daughter with the entitlement of a lady and her 12 yr old son.

“Excuse me sweetie, we’d like to sit down. My boy is so tired from walking. Could you both move out of our seats?”

They always start off sickeningly sweet, but awfully presumptuous.

Neo shot a glance between Francis and the pair with a grimace. The bus was packed with people standing. Standing was not the most fun, but that was mostly fine. What he couldn’t do is constantly be jostled around, especially with people boarding and leaving, pushing past every few minutes. Just sitting on a bumpy bus was murder on his ribs.

Quentin was a patient and needed to heal. He would certainly rip a stitch or three if he had to get up for the rest of the ride.

Francis looked between the woman and her son. Boy seemed fine. However Francie was already in hot water for being a villanious little shit. She supposed she shouldn’t dig her grave deeper by telling this lady that everybody was tired she wasn’t anyone special.

So we will be ‘nice’...for now.

“I’m sorry, Ma’am.” Francie told her in her fake polite voice, “But my father is currently recovering from rib surgery right now and really needs to sit down. But if you’re son is really tired I could give him my seat and stand.”

You know, if that what this was all about. Which it wasn’t.This bitch really better not lay hands on her father or Francie was gonna take this outside. Literally. Maybe Uncle Otto had kept his promise after all.

@neomysterio

[potato-chanxx]

Idiots in Love

Rating: T

Pairing: Sakamoto Tatsuma/Mutsu; SakaMutsu Published: 02/20/2017 at AO3 and FF.net Chapter: 4/?

Summary: An idiotic drama ensues when two grown adults chose to hide their feelings in fear of rejection. One hell of a cliché I-am-afraid-to-lose-you-in-my-life-so-I-kept-my-feelings-a-secret love story featuring our favorite Kaientai duo in AU setting.

Chapter 4

The weekday had come and gone like a breeze. Friday night was almost over, but our female protagonist was still up packing for the weekend trip to the beach.

The beach, oh boy, best place ever…not. It was definitely the worst place to be especially for somebody who is highly sensitive to sunlight. Call her a vampire or freak. She would rather stay under the shade instead of leaving herself exposed and susceptible to horrible skin burns. After all, it was not her fault, it just runs in her genes.

Whatever made her agree to Sakamoto’s Yorozuya buddy was beyond her. She justified it as the silver perm being an annoyingly convincing negotiator. However, Mutsu could have turned the tides and made him accept her ‘no’ as the final answer. Whatever happened to her negotiating prowess? It seemed the negotiator got schooled by the silver perm head’s persuasiveness. Shame on her. Sakamoto would be disappointed if he ever hears about it. But when did she start caring about people’s opinions, let alone that shaggy-haired boss of hers?

Mutsu sighed as her mental check list deemed everything to be in order. Paperwork? Check. Clothes and the essentials in her overnight bag? Check. Sanity still intact? Check.

After double checking that everything was in order, Mutsu placed her overnight bag by the bedroom door, then made a beeline to the futon she pulled out earlier. She promptly plopped down and buried herself between the sheets. With eyes closed, she could only hear her ragged breathing and the beating of her racing heart. She was nervous about something, she could clearly tell. This feeling she was currently experiencing could probably be chalked up to this little outing of theirs. Besides, it has been a while since she went out of town to loosen up. It is laughable how anxious she is for something that’s supposed to be relaxing. You cannot blame her restlessness especially considering the fact that she would be miles away from the office with zero control over work in the office. What if somebody called over urgent matter while she was away? No. Calm down. She had given every client her business card. They would surely call her mobile number, right? RIGHT???

Overthinking would not help she told herself. Mutsu ran a hand over her light brown locks and tugged a little while trying to sooth herself from those wild thoughts. Not good. She would end up tossing and turning the whole night if she keeps this up. Maybe she should try counting sheep then. One sheep. Two sheep. Three sheep. Four…five…six…sheep. She was starting to feel a little sleepy now. “Sheep have really fluffy hair just like Sakamoto”, she mused. “His hair’s real fluffy especially when it’s humid out.”

AHAHAHAHA! AHA! AHAHAHAHA!

Shut up, Sakamoto. I’m trying to sleep here.

AHAHAHAHA! AHA! AHAHAHAHA!

Goddammit! Get out! Stay out of my dreams!

Her hazel eyes scanned the room for an intruder but found none. She pinched the bridge of her nose. It was really just a dream. A freaking nightmare she would say so herself. She had been having these delusions almost every night and that shaggy-haired goofball would always be in it.  Different situations, always the same annoyingly reassuring laugh. She hugged herself just like any other night because of the tightness she feels in her chest. It ached just enough to leave a certain feeling of emptiness within her. A void that could possibly be filled if she has the courage to admit that maybe she might be harboring feelings for that sunglasses-wearing blockhead. She smiled bitterly to herself. This is going to be a long night.

The familiar chiming of the doorbell rang to reveal the usual bored looking Sakata Gintoki. “Yo. The rental bus will be here in 10 minutes so get your stuff ready, alright? Gotta hit the road on time.” He added and started down the steps. “We’ll be waiting for you downstairs.”

Gintoki was surprisingly early for the trip. Sakamoto did not expect his buddy to take this favor too seriously. The guy even went as far as waking him up via phone call that morning aside from the planning the trip, taking care of hotel and travel reservations. Who knew Yorozuya would actually come in handy? The brunette must say his silver haired friend had done a good job in the preparations and felt a little proud. Odd Jobs might encounter disasters here and there whilst performing their assignment, but their recent works have proven otherwise.

He was beaming as he descended the steps, overnight bag in hand, and about to join the Yorozuya leader. Tatsuma was expecting to see the foreigner kid and glasses boy, the interns, as Gintoki calls them but lo and behold, more people! His jaw dropped at the unexpected number of people waiting for the bus. He face palmed. WE. BUS. He was in too good of a mood that morning and subsequently overlooked how they have rented a bus instead of a van. Sakamoto looked up and spotted a familiar back, and another one here, also there. He paled as he imagined his impending doom aka the total bill as cold sweat beaded at his forehead.

“Sakamoto-san!” a feminine voice squealed beside him which temporarily snapped him out of his misery. He felt himself freeze as soon as he realized some of the Snack Smile girls will be joining their escapade. “So generous of you to invite us! Too bad Oryo-chan can’t come. She called in sick this morning.”

“OYYY, EVERYBODY! BUS IS HERE! GRAB YOUR BAGS AND GET ON THE BUS NOW, ‘KAY?” That was without a doubt that red-head foreigner intern on the loudspeaker. She stood by the bus parked on the street corner near the main road, waving her free hand for the people to get their attention (as if the loudspeaker was not enough). On the other hand, the glasses kid was guiding the others loitering at the other end of the street.

Tatsuma reached in his bag for his sunglasses but was startled by the view once he put it on. Mutsu was standing in front of him unmoving, bag in hand. He froze there not saying a word, eye to eye with his lady love. He cringed. There is no way he can call her that. Not when he was too afraid to even say a word to even anything at the moment. He forced himself to utter a single word but was cut off by the razor-tongued woman. “Oi, Sakamoto. Quit spacing out and let’s go. The bus is already filling up.”

“Y-yeah. Coming.” He nervously blurted out, following her trail.

As she turned her back on him, Mutsu sighed, tightening her grip on the overnight bag. Acting all weird around her boss would not be of help now, would it? To add to that, her anxiety was getting worse. Having to spend the whole trip with him then throwing in a mix of personalities certainly does not help her case. Truthfully, she was starting to regret ever agreeing to this more and more by the minute. It was absolutely going to be a long ass weekend. She stopped in her tracks to take a breather. With eyes closed, she could feel her head begin to throb from the lack of sleep.

“I guess somebody did not sleep from excitement. AHAHAHAHA!” He flashed her a grin, whilst she composed herself from the sudden loud intrusion.

Blunt as always, Mutsu quickly retorted. “Look who’s talking, hiding his dark circles behind dark spectacles. Looks like a middle schooler a night before their excursion.” She delivered that line with a poker face, her expression unchanging despite her inner turmoil; it is hard not to smirk when Sakamoto looks flustered.

Looking towards the bus, she finds a rambunctious crowd trying to get on. Her brows furrowed. The journey might turn out to be comparable to that of a middle school class outing. May Kami have mercy on her sanity.

The bus ride was all the Kaientai second in command imagined it to be. People, namely the Yorozuya bunch, started singing karaoke and even standing on the aisle unfazed by the moving vehicle. Some were starting with their alcohol intakes early, popping beer cans one after the other. Among the throng of people were the Kiheitai members, who were actually the most behaved bunch with their leader taking a nap(How in the world can he even take a nap in this chaos?) while the subordinates played card games. Zura and Elizabeth were distracting themselves with a game of Uno and was already planning on even amusing themselves with a round of Jenga(How the fuck would they even play here???). On the other hand, the cabaret girls joined in on everyone's fun. They have scattered all over the place, blending in seamlessly and entertaining their chosen group.

That leaves her and Sakamoto sitting side by side at the back end of the bus, away from the brewing insanity at the front end of the vehicle. Mutsu cocked her head to the side, observing the brunette beside as he gaped at the current situation. She thinks he may have been expecting the hostess Oryo to come to the trip that was why he was uncharacteristically in low spirits. Tatsuma would probably have been nursing a beer can or even be singing his heart out on the karaoke, frolicking around with the cabaret girls within the confines of the bus. But no, here he sat beside her looking weirdly scandalized by their behavior.

Mutsu closed her hazel eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. The headache is only getting worse from racking her brain for an explanation of the odd behavior by the man beside her. Good thing the driver announced that they will be at the resort in approximately 15 minutes. Locking herself in the hotel room and sleeping the whole morning was what she was planning on. A little peace and quiet would not hurt. Besides, socializing is the least of her strong points so it would be better if she stayed in.

Whose idea was it even to head to the beach during winter? Sure. Planning a beach trip in the dead of winter meant having the resort to yourself. The downside, however, is having to take a dip in freezing temperatures. Cloudy skies are also to be expected so sunbathing may not be possible. Weirdly enough, most of the crazy bunch quickly changed into their beach attire, not even batting an eyelash as they splashed and played amidst the chilly breeze.

Despite the non-present sun and its rays, Mutsu still chose to hole herself up in the hotel room and take a much-deserved nap. Socializing was not her forte anyway, so she thought it best to steer clear from the other participants of the trip. Best to keep it to herself than ending up accidentally insulting anyone with her anti-social tendencies.

What the Kaientai Vice President found when she reached the reserved hotel room made her look twice and question her state of sleeplessness. There were two twin sized beds; nobody has mentioned to her that she will be rooming with somebody else. So much for avoiding the crowd. She hopes she would not be sharing a room with one of the cabaret girls, not that she had anything against their group. She was just trying to dodge the awkward small talk that was all. The hazel eyed woman looked around for her roommate’s luggage but found none. Maybe there was a mistake in the room assigned to her but that was the least of her worries right now. She could really use a few hours of shut-eye to compensate for last night. Mutsu moved her things to one side and flopped to the nearest bed, promptly lulling herself to sleep.

That was how Sakamoto found her. Sprawled on the bed nearest the door, snoring softly as her chest rose up and down. “She looks less threatening this way”, Sakamoto thought to himself while setting his bag on the other side of the room. He hates to admit it but she looks cute like that, sleeping without a care. Most definitely a complete opposite of how she was in her waking moments. He debated on watching over her while she was asleep; he would probably get punched if she caught him observing her. Besides, it would be downright creepy to do that. No use to dampen the mood for anyone in this weekend getaway.

Tatsuma quickly changed into a Hawaiian floral-printed shirt and shorts, heading down to the beach to join everyone on their fun. There are plenty of chances to make a move on her within the duration of the outing. He wished Yorozuya had thought of clever tricks to help him finally land the girl of his dreams. After all, he had faith in their abilities…? Nerves started creeping though upon realizing what he signed up for. The Odd Jobs was not known for being discrete.

He could only pray Mutsu would never notice they are up to something.

Author’s Notes: Sigh. SakaMutsu deserves more love. But here I am procrastinating, even forgot to post Chap 4 here :)))

[ultrahenry88]

Academy Days

Chapter 2

The next few days flew by fast until Friday came along. Since it was a snowy day, students were excused from school, but that didn't mean they were excused from waking up. With the new day came the warm sun rising over the city. The many rays of light of the glowing planet peered into dozens of windows to wake up people. David's window amongst other residents of the city was woken up by the gentle touch of the morning sun hovering over the city. With the gentle prods of the sunlight, after he struggled with the sheets, David woke up with a large yawn. Looking at his clock he saw he woke up earlier than usual at 6:45 A.M. He supposed that he slept early so that he could wake up early. But now, it was time to get up and enjoy the day. After taking a quick shower, David dressed up and headed downstairs. Before he even got to the bottom stairs, he saw Steven there, holding a green envelope in his hands.

"Look what came in the mail for you today," Steven said in a sing-song happy voice. And when David walked further down the stairs and when he saw who the envelope was from, he and gasped for breath. He could not believe what he was seeing.

"You mean...?" David trailed off in shock. Rather than answer, Steven held out the envelope to him with a big old smile.

"See for yourself." The man said.

David took the envelope, opened it up and whisked the letter out of its comfort in the envelope. He opens the letter with his hands trembling from the anxiety of what the content read. He opens it and it read thus:

"Dear Mr. Blair,

We are proud to inform you are accepted into the Drift Mecha Academy on Tresser Time Island. A plane will pick you up the day after tomorrow, so prepare yourself for an adventure of a lifetime. We hope that our training will not only make you a good pilot but also give you a sense of belonging. Our facilities have the latest technology, so you will get to study on as well during your training.

Yours sincerely,

From the Mecha Academy Board"

Once he got to the end of the letter shock rippled throughout David's body. It wasn't a bad shock by any means. It was a shock of elation and relief. The elation that he was accepted and relief it wasn't a rejection paper. David was so overwhelmed by the rush of emotions that he fell backward into a chair with a stunned expression adorning his face.

"Here, have some tea," Steven said as he handed his adopted son a cup of the warm chocolate mixed with the pink lemonade he always likes, smiling at him.

"T-Thanks..." he said, stuttering as he smiled all through, gulping away its contents.

"So, you've been accepted," Steven said in affirmation.

"Y-Yes! I c-can't believe it! God, this almost feels like a dream." David said, pacing about.

"Well, it's not a dream, son. This is happening." Steven said with a smile.

"Oh God, dad, I could do cartwheels around the house!" David exclaimed.

"I'm sure you could... just don't do it while you're holding my favorite ceramic cup," Steven said with smiles as he took the teacup out of David's hands.

"Oh, hey. Sorry..." David said smiling, blushing pink.

The day seemed to go by so fast that, before David knew it, it was already night time and he was already eating dinner with Steven. After heading up to his room, David was still in a state of shock from the euphoria he felt from seeing the words, "you have been accepted…" as he bounced tired on his bed. Ten minutes later he got excited phone calls from John and Nozomi to tell him they had also been accepted. As the morning sun rose two days later, David's eyes opened with excitement.

"Today is the day." He thought to himself as he jumped out of bed and got ready.

"Hey Dave, better hurry!" Steven called up from below. "The bus should be here in the next half an hour."

"All right, I'll be right down." After packing a small duffle bag, David made his way down the stairs as fast as he could with Steven whistling at the door.

"Not bad. You've got twelve minutes to spare and your buddies are waiting outside." Steven said.

"John and Nozomi?" The raven head asked.

"Yep," Steven replied, then smiled as he patted David on the shoulder. "Good luck, son."

David smiled and nodded to dad, then stepped out the door to meet his two friends who were also ready to go.

"Good to see you made it." Said John, grinning wide.

"You should have set your clock a little earlier." Nozomi teased.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry about that. I guess the excitement took more out of me than I thought it would, and almost made me sleep in." David said.

"Well, it's a good thing you got up when you did because here comes our ride to a new future," John said and pointed down the road. David and Nozomi turned to look and saw the bus come around the corner. With a slow intake of breath followed by a long sigh, David put his duffle bag over his shoulder.

"Looks like our ride is here." He said with an anxious tone.

"All aboard!" Called the bus driver as the doors opened. The three youths stepped onto the bus, and from the front porch Steven called out to them.

"Keep safe now, you hear?" Shouted Steve from the house.

David turned and gave a reassuring nod and a slow wave to his father before he piled in along with his buddies. With that, the bus drove off. However, once he got a good look inside along with Nozomi and John, he realized something odd. The bus was empty; it was only the three of them. Why would a bus that can carry fifteen to thirty-five people be empty?

"Don't worry." The bus driver said as if reading David's mind when he caught his questioning look in the rear-view mirror. "The plane will have more people on it." David's head perked up at this.

"We're getting on a plane?" He asked, and the driver smirked.

"Didn't think I would drive across the sea, did ya?" He guffawed as if it were the funniest joke in the world. But John laughed, being the corny guy, he was, while Nozomi rolled her eyes. So, the group took their seats and about three hours later they got to the airport.

"Awesome, we made it!" John exclaimed in excitement. It wasn't so unusual, however, since this was the first time any of them have been in a big airport like this or any at all. And it showed both from John's words and the wide eyes of wonder from Nozomi and David.

"All right, everybody off and I will take you where you need to go." The bus driver said, and the trio gathered their bags then walked out of the bus after the driver. "Right this way."

The man ushered the three to follow him, which they did. After walking, they got to where their plane stood to wait. It was very large and could carry everyone in their town on it. The color scheme was dark blue with a red stripe going along its side. And the wings of the plane were so long they shaded a good part of the ground at its sides.

"Wow..." Nozomi lets out in awe.

"They will take off soon, so you'd better get seats while the getting good seats." The man said. David nodded in understanding and then shook the driver's hand in appreciation.

"Thanks for getting us here Mr.…?" David trailed off, hoping the man would drop his name, and he did.

"Gouda, son. They call me Gouda. Now, you'd best get along or you will miss your flight." The man, Gouda, said, shooing the group off. Without a moment to spare, they all ran to the plane and Gouda then left to get on the bus and drove away.

David went on board first, followed by John then Nozomi. The inside of the plane was even larger than the outside. It looked like it could carry two town's worth of people. However, since the plane would fly in a moment, they couldn't keep standing there. The sitting arrangements caused a little problem, the plane seats were made and arranged and made in pairs. The three friends wouldn't be able to sit together.

"Looks like you'll be sitting alone, David," John said with a frown.

"It's all right, guys. We'll at least be a few feet apart." David said with a smile. And so he took the pair of seats next to where Nozomi and John took their place. Then just as he had gotten comfortable and the plane doors were about to close, a voice shouted out.

"Wait!" Exclaimed a feminine voice. And her shout came just in time before the pilot closed the door.

"Oh, I'm sorry miss. I didn't see you there." The man apologized as he helped the young lady inside.

That was when David got a clear view of the sudden passenger for the first time. She was wearing a sleeveless green shirt with a pair of bellbottom jeans. Her hair were as red as fire and her eyes were the most wondrous shade of blue he had ever seen. Strapped to her shoulder appeared to be a sheath, the type that would hold a sword—and sure enough, a hilt stuck out from behind her head. When the mystery girl walked down the aisle, David became nervous as his hands became all sweaty from the thoughts that she would sit beside him. As she got closer to where he was seated, his nervousness transformed into outright panic.

"Can I sit here?" She asked him, piercing him with those blue eyes.

"Um, s-sure. " David stammered, trying—and failing—to keep his cool. In the seat adjacent, he saw his friends snickering. The traitors, he muttered below his breathe.

"Thanks." The red haired said as she put her sword in the overhead storage compartment before taking her seat. There was a thick silence between them before David gathered enough courage to speak.

"So... you a sword person?" David asked.

"A sword lady. " She corrected him.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't know." David could feel his cheeks flush with embarrassment. Smooth, Blair. Smooth as sandpaper.

"It's okay, swordsmanship is not well known as it used to be." The young lady said.

That was true enough. David thought swordsmanship had suffered a great deal because of a lack of interest. There are not even knives in weapons shops anymore you have to buy them at foreign antique showrooms now, and sometimes, pawn shops.

"And you want to learn to be a mecha pilot, I take it? That is why you're on the plane?" She asked and looked at him this time.

"Yes, I do," David said with more conviction than his previous sentences had. At this, she shrugged.

"Well, I want to bring swordsmanship to the world of mecha." The mystery lady replied.

"A giant robot with a sword? That will be something to see. I hope you can make it happen." David said with a small giggle.

"Thanks for the encouragement." Replied the mystery lady said with a small grin.

And with the ice now broken, the two of them engaged a conversation that lasted for the most part of the six-hour trip from the airport to the Mecha Academy. In that time, David learned a few things about this girl. She was an Irish-American, who lived with her mother in the United States. Her father was in the Irish military's mecha division, and she did not see him very much but for a few days a year plus vacations she got to spend some time with him when she could. It was from her father she heard the many stories that had influenced her to go down the road she was now taking. For another thing, her personality differed from what David had expected. While his old man had told him that redheads always had a short temper, this girl was nothing like that. She had pride, yes, but she was not arrogant and she had an underlying kindness to her, she was in fact, graceful. It was the personality that many guys are attracted to. And just like every guy, David soon realized that he was no different, he was attracted to her. The young man also told her about himself and all the experiences he has had. The pair shared many laughs together before the ride lulled David to sleep.

After several hours of sleeping through the rest of the trip, David felt someone shaking him lightly.

"Hey, sleepy head. Wake up. We are about to land." David stirred, his eyes opening to see it was the redhead who was waking him up.

"A nice sight to wake up to." David thought with a small smile.

"Hey, David! Come out and look at this!" Called John in excitement, and David and his new friend got up to go where Nozomi and John were standing peered out through the window into the beautiful blue clouds that covered the skyline of the Tresser Time Island.

They all stood there and said aww in amazement, with excitement lit in their eyes as the airplane hovered around the island exposing the beautiful landscape in which they will spend most of their time training. The island was rather large than they thought it would be—it even had its own port city—and they could also see the Academy dominating the one side of it. It was a massive place, David realized as he looked out over the grounds. The main school and dorms were in the center and the other Academy buildings radiated out from there.

It was then that the pilot spoke over the intercom. "We have arrived at our destination, so please fasten your seatbelts" the loudspeakers buzzed away, making the teens return to their sits in safety.

After landing, all the teens could do was wait for someone from the Academy to pick them up. Not too long, their wish was answered as a black van zoomed towards them.

"Now that's what I call timing," David said, picking up his duffle bag.

"I'll say." Nozomi chimed in as the van parked in front. Soon after, an older gentleman of around 65 years old stepped out. He was dressed in a fine suit. He took a moment to look at the four teens and then spoke.

"Welcome to Tresser Time Island Mecha Academy. My name is Daniel Hanley. I am the Academy Headmaster. your instructor would meet you but the Academy is undergoing renovations in most of the training facilities and that will keep them busy for at least two weeks. So you four will read part one of your lessons until they are done." Daniel explained to the squad.

"Where will we be staying, sir?" John asked.

"That's where we'll be going to, young man. I'm sure you all have lingering jet-lag. So if you'll get into the car we'll be on our way." Daniel said, gesturing with his left hand towards the large van and his right behind him.

They boarded the van, and it made its way to the Academy, the road led taking them through some thick forest paths. As they pulled up in front of the main building, David felt his mouth gaping. It was an amazing sight to take in. The front lawn had patches of colorful flowers and a large fountain. This was not what they had expected to see as they got out of the van.

"Welcome the place where you will spend the next four years of your lives. Now, let's get you four settled in." Daniel said and led the group to another building just a walk away.

The dorms were bigger than they had thought, too. It was about the size of a luxury hotel or a small casino or more, it was magnificent. The whole place divided into three sections: one side for the boys, the other for the girls, and the center was a large communal living area. Once the group entered the building Daniel left to let them take it all in first since it was a lot to take in.

"Well, this is nice. Headmaster Hadley wasn't kidding when he said it would have all the necessities." David said, dropping his duffle bag on the floor.

"Here I thought they would put us in tents." Nozomi joked.

"Don't give them any ideas," David said with a chuckle. The redhead who was a part of their group sat down on one of the chairs and put her sword down next to her.

"I hear the Tresser Time Academy treats its students well, so I don't think there will be any problems." She said in a knowing manner. David nodded, glad to get the reassurance, then realized something.

"Hey, we didn't catch your name," David said. The redhead looked him in the eye before replying.

"My name is Sayuri Kazuko. What's yours?" Sayuri asked in a way that made David's heart feels like it skipped a beat. But he could regain enough composure to reply.

"David Blair." The young man replied. Sayuri got up from her chair and held out her hand.

"I will be happy to learn with you and the others here." The redhead said with a kind smile, and David took her hand and shook it.

"Same here. I would like you to meet my friends." David said and gestured to his buddies.

John and Nozomi came forward and introduced themselves. After the introductions, Nozomi looked up and noticed the time on the clock. It had gotten much later than they thought it was.

"It's getting late, so we should head off to bed." The cat girl said and the other three nodded in agreement as the girls go off to their side of the dorms

"I agree. We all need our beauty sleep." John said and took a pose.

"Some, more than others," David said with a grin making John puff his cheeks while the girls giggled. "Anyway, goodnight Nozomi, and rest well, Sayuri."

"You too, David, pleasant dreams." Sayuri said and gave a wink to David then walked away with Nozomi to the girl's side of the dorms.

"Looks like you two clicked," John said with a grin on David.

"Whatever, just talked; nothing more. Now, can we please to bed?" David said, not paying mind to the smug grin of his friend. As they both retired to the boys' dorm, John soon slept off as he was dead beat from the travels and catch up. David however, on his side of the bed, could hardly sleep. All he could think of was Sayuri and how graceful her poise was. Moments later after daydreaming of his new friend, he slept off with a smile on his face.

The days seemed to fly by fast and two days went by. The friends saw how things were run and they soon got used to the way things were in the academy and got to the swing of things Every day, they would be in classroom 214, studying their textbooks with vigor. And at the free moments, they had between studying, they spent them getting to know their fellow students at the Academy Cafeteria. During their stay, David and the others learned that this eating room could hold well over 500 students. They met there each day for lunch, but today something interrupted them. There was some commotion near the cafeteria door and David glanced over to see a girl being pushed down to the ground by a rather mean-looking student who appeared to be older than they were.

"Who are those two?" David asks one of the other students.

"That is Wilson Bentley. He is an upperclassman, and the girl is Christine Navarro. She's new, like you." One student explained.

David gritted his teeth. He would not let this Wilson person push a girl down, so he got up from his seat and walked over before another student stopped him.

"Just leave it. Wilson is the top dog around here and does what he wants." The student said, however, David turned to the student with a determined look on his face.

"I think this dog needs a kick in the chops." With that said, David continued to walk to the front door.

"That's David for you," Nozomi said, recalling when she'd first met David.

They were just six years old, and she was being bullied because of her ears and tail. Then David came to her rescue and chased them off. Since then, he had encouraged her to stand up for herself.

"Now he was about stand up for someone else and show this Wilson a thing or two" said Nozomi with confidence in her friend. The Christine girl was on the ground whimpering as Wilson closed in on her, and that is when David stepped in between them. Wilson looked up at this new obstacle keeping him from his latest victim, this new rookie who seemed to think he could stand up to the best pilot in the Academy.

"Stand aside, rookie… NOW!" Wilson's voice was as cold as ice and so was his face and eyes. His eyes, not only were they cold, they looked like "nothing," like nothing could stop him.

"No, I will not," David stated standing his ground. There was no telling what this person would do to Christine if he backed off. The rest of the cafeteria was dead silent as the two stared each other down, like a lion and a bear ready to battle.

"I will tell you one more time: stand aside," Wilson ordered but David just shook his head in defiance.

"If you want to get to her, get through me." The raven-haired teen stated.

Wilson and David were eyes to eye at this point. The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Wilson's eyes were shooting daggers at David's fiery, determined ones with his resolve strong, still standing his ground. No one had ever dared to stand up to him before now. Yet here this punk rookie was stopping him from doing what he pleased.

"You do not understand who you're messing with." Said the upperclassman.

"I guess I'll find out eventually," David replied, crossing his arms, and daring the person before him to make a move.

Wilson was now getting frustrated., and just the threat of him doing something would make people back off. But David was different and wasn't going to be scared off so easily. This left him with no other choice but to withdraw. It would only be for now, though, as he would get back at David some other time. The onlookers couldn't believe their eyes as Wilson walked out the door. For someone to stand up to Wilson was one thing. But for him to walk away was unheard of and unseen. With Wilson gone, David turned his attention to the blue-haired Christine.

"Are you all right?" David asked, reaching his hand down to help pull her up.

"I am fine… thank you." Thanked Christine in a soft and meek voice.

"Is there any reason that Wilson guy was trying to hurt you?" David asked again. The blue-haired female hesitated to say anything for a while, but since David had saved her she felt indebted to tell him.

"I am telepathic, I can hear people's thoughts," Christine said. The reply surprised David. He never met a telepath before. Life was full of interesting people.

"Nice to meet you. My name is David Blair. What is yours?" The young man asked.

Now it was Christine's turn to be surprised. She was always laughed at and mocked because she was telepathic. Even her own parents sent her here because they wanted nothing to do with her. Yet, here was this total stranger, not only standing up for her but talking to her. Everybody else would have left her to that jerk Wilson to be beaten on. So maybe… just maybe, he could be a friend. Her first friend.

"My name is Christine Leontine. Nice to meet you." She smiled, and for the first time in a long while, she could smile.

"Would you like to sit with me and my friends? I am sure they would like to meet you." David said, gesturing to the table.

After the telepath nodded David led her over to the table where the others were seated, and just like that, four friends became five. They later found out that Christine Leontine was now a part of class 214. So now they would have their new freind to join in their studies.

[krissysbookshelf]

Enjoy An Exclusive Sneek Peek Of: The Art of Starving by Sam J. Miller! (Please Be Aware!! Contains Content Trigger!)

Matt hasn't eaten in days. The hunger clears his mind—and he needs to be as sharp as possible if he's going to find out just how Tariq and his band of high school bullies drove his sister, Maya, away. Matt has discovered something: the less he eats the more he seems to have . . . powers. The ability to see things he shouldn't be able to see. Maybe even the authority to bend time and space. Matt decides to infiltrate Tariq's life, then use his powers to uncover what happened to Maya. All he needs to do is keep the hunger at bay. But Matt doesn't realize there are many kinds of hunger…and he isn't in control of all of them. TRIGGER WARNING:

Eating disorders and body dysmorphia are recurring themes in The Art of Starving by Sam J. Miller. Please be aware if these are sensitive topics for you!  

LEARN MORE

  TRIGGER WARNING:

Eating disorders and body dysmorphia are recurring themes in The Art of Starving by Sam J. Miller. Please be aware if these are sensitive topics for you!

Congratulations! You have acquired one human body. This was a poor decision, but it is probably too late for you to do anything about it. Life, alas, has an extremely strict return policy.

Not that I’m some kind of expert or anything, but as an almost-seventeen-year veteran of having a body, I’ve learned a few basic rules that might save you some of my misery. So I’m writing this Rulebook as a public service. Please note, however, that there are a lot of rules, and some of them are very difficult to follow, and some of them sound crazy, and please don’t come crying to me if something terrible happens when you can only follow half of them.

RULE #1

Understand this: your body wants the worst for you. It is a complicated machine built up over billions of years, and it wants only two things—to stay alive and to make more of you. Your body thinks you’re still an animal in the jungle, and it wants you to eat ALL the food, and stick your DNA up in anything you can hold down. Lust and hunger will never leave you alone, because your body wants you grotesquely fat and covered in kids.

DAY: 1 TOTAL CALORIES: 3600

Suicidal ideation.

When you say it like that it sounds soft and harmless, like laissez-faire or any of the other weird sets of meaningless words they make you memorize in school. The letter from the psychiatrist sounded so calm I had to read it a couple of times before I saw what she was trying to say. She didn’t quote me. She didn’t tell my mom I said, Sometimes I think if I killed myself everyone would be a lot better off or Five times a week I decide to steal the gun my mom thinks I don’t know about and bring it to school and murder tons of people and then myself.

Instead, the psychiatrist said a lot of scary things in very tame and pleasant language:

Recommend urgent action— Happy to prescribe— Facilitate inpatient treatment—

Poor thing. How could she know my mom hides from the mail, with its bills and Notes of Shutdown and FINAL WARNINGS? I didn’t want to go see the psychiatrist in the first place, but the school set it up for me because I am evidently an At-Risk Youth. At risk of what, I wondered, and then thought, oh right, everything. At risk of enough that one or all my teachers filed whatever due-diligence report they’re obligated to file on someone who is obviously headed for homicide or suicide, so his or her blood isn’t on their hands. And as soon as the psychiatrist’s report came, addressed to my mom, I plucked it from the mail pile.

I read it on my walk to school. My mom still thinks I take the bus, but I stopped around the six thousandth time someone called me a faggot and punched me as I walked through the aisle. That kind of thing can really start your day off on the wrong foot. Plus, walking to school makes it easier to get there late, so I’m spared the agony of playing Lord of the Flies while we all stand around outside waiting for the first bell to ring.

The branches were almost entirely bare overhead. Stark and black like skinny fingers clawing at the sky. One crooked tree still had half its leaves. Hunger rumbled in my belly, and I felt like if I reached out hard enough, I could stretch myself taller than any of the trees. Hunger is funny like that.

Anyway. I shredded the letter, let it fall behind me like a trail of breadcrumbs. Lesson learned: Don’t tell people you want to kill yourself. Although really I should have known that one already. If high school teaches you nothing else, know this: Never tell anyone anything important.

I slowed down. Savored my last few steps before the hill crested and brought me in sight of the school. Stared up at the trees, and down the garbage-strewn road. Stopped. Breathed. Wondered what would happen if I turned and walked into the woods and never came back. I thought about this a lot. I had plans. I’d hitchhike or ride the rails or follow the river.

Under my bed there was a bag, full of books and hoodies and diet soda from the vending machine behind the ShopRite, and one of these days I would be ready to sling it over my shoulder and run away for real.

But I wasn’t ready, not yet. As miserable as it made me, I had to go to school. Not because I cared about college or education or a career or any of that pig shit, because anyone who spent five minutes in a Hudson High School classroom would know there was no actual educating happening anywhere in sight. The reason I couldn’t kill myself, and I couldn’t stop coming to school, was because Maya beat me to it. Because five days ago, my older sister ran away from home. She called the next morning from somewhere on the freeway to assure us she wasn’t kidnapped, she was taking a week off (“or whatever”) to go to some studio near Providence to record her band’s first album, she’d catch up on school when she got back. We shouldn’t call the cops. Etc.

She says she’s fine. She says nothing happened. But I don’t think that’s entirely true. I think someone hurt her. And I know who. And I had to keep coming to school because I had to find out what happened, so I could hurt him back.

So I crested the hill and walked down to the squat sprawling one-story building, an ugly heap of aluminum and brick, cursing my abject failure at estimating travel time, for I had arrived too early, and they were there, my peers, my fellow primates, hooting and hollering, pounding chests and grooming each other.

My senses felt like they’d been turned up too high. Maybe it had something to do with skipping breakfast, with the churning engine of my empty stomach generating electricity that danced in my limbs, crackled in my head, but these people stunk. They spoke too loudly.

Their clothes and bags were head-achingly bright. It made every step toward them harder.

And there, at the door, arms folded like the bouncers outside a club in a cop show, they stood. Three of them: Bastien, Tariq, Ott. Hudson High’s soccer stars; the shrewd-eyed roosters at the top of our pecking order.

“Pretty,” Ott said as one girl approached.

“Not pretty,” to the next. Grinning hyena-style at how her face crumpled.

“Pretty.”

“Fugly.”

“Thinks she’s pretty.”

At this, they cackled. Everyone but Tariq. Tariq, with his perfect stomach and impressive chest and a beard thicker than any high school senior’s ever, Tariq of the dimples and broad nose, Tariq who could have stepped out of my computer screen, because he’d fit right in on the sites I spent all night searching when my mom was asleep. Pages packed with boys, beautiful ones—a secret nation to which I would never belong. Tariq, who somehow made me feel fat and scrawny all at once.

Tariq, who saw me and looked away as fast as he could but not fast enough to hide the guilt that soured his face.

We had both been crushed out on Tariq, my big sister and me. He wasn’t like the other boys on the soccer team, even if he did spend an awful lot of time with them. He wasn’t a bully. He was handsome and smart, and even nice, sometimes.

That’s what made him so dangerous. Everybody knows to steer clear of a bully. Maya would never have gone to meet up with Tariq in secret if he had already showed us all he was a brutal thug.

But he seemed . . . human. So she did.

He didn’t know that I knew. And, admittedly, I didn’t know much. Just that they met up that night. So maybe nothing happened. Maybe he just gave her a ride to Providence, to this recording studio I don’t really believe exists, or to where one of her bandmates lived. The fact that he gave her a ride that night wasn’t what made me suspicious. What made me suspicious was this: something shifted, in Tariq’s body language, after that night. He doesn’t look me in the eye anymore. He turns his shoulders away from wherever I am standing.

Like right then, as I approached the front door, where he stood with his best friends, staring at the ground with his perfect lips pressed tight together.

I gnawed my fingernails furiously.

My mom tells me it is a disgusting habit. She tells me to stop. I can’t stop.

It hurt, how much I wanted to smash my face against those perfect lips. I wanted it even though I felt pretty sure Tariq did something terrible to my sister. And the wanting got rolled up with the shame and filled me with a sputtering, stupid animal rage. How could it be, that in spite of everything, I still felt lust when I looked at him? Lust, and hate, in equal measure.

That’s why I’m writing this Rulebook.

Your body is a treacherous savage thing and it is trying to kill you. I am here to help you win. Together, we are both going to win.

Ott saw me stop and stare daggers at Tariq.

“You want something, Matt?”

That’s my name: Matt. I didn’t want to tell you, because I hate it.

A matt is something people step on. A matt is full of filth.

I debated lying. Making up something badass or manly, Damien or Colby or Barrett or Bo, something gay-porn-star-y. But honesty is important. I want you to trust me. Because pretty soon I’ll be telling you some things you’re going to have a very hard time believing.

So, Ott called my name. My whole body twitched with fight-or-flight triggers, but I knew either choice would be disastrous. If I fought, I’d get my ass beat, and if I ran, my limited ability to make Tariq feel uncomfortable, to apply pressure, would evaporate.

People were watching. If Tariq hadn’t been standing there, I’d have gone about my business, but he was my real audience. Ott didn’t matter.

I winced, tasting blood where I bit down too hard on the cuticle of my ring finger.

In movies and books, all you need to do to stop a bully is to punch them back. Bullies are cowards, the story goes; they can dish out violence, but they can’t take it.

This, you should know, if you haven’t already found it out the hard way, is bullshit. I tried it, in middle school, and it made things worse. Maybe it’ll work for you, if you’re stronger than me, or a faster runner, but it earned me a lovely session of puking up blood.

I knew that hitting Ott wouldn’t get me anywhere. But I did see something flicker in his eyes, something like fear but not exactly that, something bigger, messier: hate and fear all at once. I took a step closer. I took a deep breath. I smelled him.

And don’t ask me how, but I knew. I knew from the smell: I made him nervous. I terrified him. My existence, my gayness, threatened his whole way of understanding the world, what it meant to be the male of the species.

I’d never understood the word homophobia before— people who are homophobic are not afraid of gay people, they just hate them! But in that moment it all made sense. Straight men will insult and assault and beat and kill gay men because they are terrified. Because masculinity is the foundation they built their whole worldview on, the set of lies that lets them believe they are inherently better than women, and gay people expose how flimsy and arbitrary the whole thing is.

I turned to him and said, “No, Ott, I don’t want anything. I was just wondering. What about me?”

His mouth curled into a snarl. “What about you?”

“Which one am I?”

He unfolded his arms with a slowness that revealed his uncertainty. “Which . . . one?”

“Yeah. Am I pretty? Not pretty? I definitely think I’m pretty.”

A girl giggled. Even Tariq cracked a grin, though he turned his head to hide it from me.

I took another step forward. Ott’s lips parted slightly, and I saw muscles tighten in his arms. He was confused and getting angry: he sensed I was humiliating him, but not in any way he could reasonably understand. He was desperate for me to touch him, or explicitly insult him, so he could hurt me. I had planned to tap his chest with one finger when I delivered the finishing line, but that would have made Ott feel justified in a physical response. So why bother.

Seconds ticked away—

“You are Not Pretty,” I told Ott an instant before the first bell rang.

Then I slipped by him and walked inside.

TRIGGER WARNING:

Eating disorders and body dysmorphia are recurring themes in The Art of Starving by Sam J. Miller. Please be aware if these are sensitive topics for you!

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