#ucla radio

[aeolianblues]

Also, from one campus radio station volunteer to all the other ones, exceptionally braver than me, putting themselves on the frontlines, broadcasting straight from the protests, getting themselves barricaded into their broadcasting booths overnight and continuing to be the only people bringing you live and on-the-ground coverage of the protests, I love you all.

CKUT, having covered the die-ins, coming live from the protests grounds at McGill, you have all my strength and love.

CJLO, for righting the disappointment we all felt in Concordia after earlier this year, thank you for your coverage of the Concordia protests, and supporting CKUT's coverage in Montreal.

WKCR, bravest of them all, putting themselves on the frontlines and bringing extraordinary coverage from Columbia. You are true journalists.

They're the future of journalism.

(A note about why some of these posts are coming from '[station]music' accounts: Meta, in retaliation to a demand from the Canadian govt to pay royalties for using news on their site (Bill C-18), decided to ban all news for Canadian accounts on IG and FB altogether. Of course, this did not touch commercial radio stations that simply play the same 5 songs over and over their breakfast shows, but every single campus radio station is now blocked in Canada, completely killing their reach especially to a younger, student audience. Many have made new accounts to continue posting about the non-news shows on air. There's never been a more important time to directly go to their websites for updates, and hell why not, throw them some donations if you can. They're the ones doing the good work in this time of need!)

[uclaradiointerns]

radio events >> 🪩🌟🕺🏼💿🎸

[makingcontact]

The Rise of the New Labor Movement

Brunswick cafe, Little Dog, where workers organized a union. Credit: Alex Spear, Bowdoin Orient The last few years have seen a wave of labor organizing as it becomes more and more clear to workers that their work is not expendable, but actually the heart of every business. From walkouts to unionization, workers at every workplace from Starbucks to Amazon to your local coffee shop have come…

[samalon]

DJ $weaty Money Interviews Sam Alon on UCLA Radio

Listen to Musicians of UCLA on UCLA Radio at Live at 3PM Sunday, November 20, 2022 as DJ $weaty Money interviews Sam Alon on her music journey!

www.uclaradio.com

[sturniozo]

Could you maybe do a fic where Matt or the reader has a panic attack?

I’m Right Here

Matt Sturniolo x Reader

Masterlist

(A/n: sorry this is short lol)

it’s been two weeks. Two weeks since my letter of either rejection or acceptance should have been here. I’ve been chomping at the bit, biting my nails waiting for it.

There’s no way I got in if it’s this late. There’s just no way. They probably forgot about me and that’s why it’s not here. They didn’t even look at my application, it was so bland I bet. They just knew it was bad looking at it and just tossed it to the side.

I lay in bed crying, breathing heavily. My entire body shakes as my heart beats so loudly it’s all I can hear. I begin choking and coughing as tears stream down my cheeks.

Matt comes through my bedroom door. “Baby, I’m taking Nick and Chris to Sonic do you-“ he stops when he sees me. “What’s wrong baby?”

“They hate me.” I mumble.

Matt sits on the bed next to me. “Who hates you baby?” He asks as he rubs my back soothingly.

“UCLA. Everyone’s gotten their letters now, I haven’t even gotten so much as an email saying ‘no you suck’”

“You don’t suck baby.” Matt leans down and kisses my forehead.

I sit up and breathe heavily. “You- you don’t under-under stand Matt.” I sob as the anxious knot in my stomach grows. My throat forms a lump as tears fall down my cheeks.

“No, baby, it’s okay. I’m sure it just got lost in the mail or something.”

“They didn’t even look at my application.”

“That’s not true, baby.”

“It was so bland they threw it out without even reading it.”

“Y/n, look at me.” Matt says. I look at him and breathe shakily. “You are amazing and they loved your application. You’re going to get that letter of acceptance soon, I promise. It just got lost, that’s all.”

I nod my head hesitantly.

“Let me take you with us to get Sonic, huh? You live sonic. Let’s go, baby.” Matt helps me up off the bed. “Let’s wash off your face baby, then we can go.”

I nod and follow Matt to the bathroom. He grabs a wrap and wets it with warm water before gently rubbing it over my cheeks and eyes to get rid of my tears. He sets the radio down on the sink.

“Is that better?” He asks and I nod. “Good.” He takes my hand and leads me downstairs and to the van where Nick and Matt wait for us.

“Everything good?” Nick asks as I get in the van.

“Yeah. Everything’s good.” I reply.

TAGS: @bernardenjoyer @sturniolosreads @mbbsgf @xxsadlovexx @whicked-hazlatwhore

[childrenofcain-if]

Do the LI have any siblings? Very curious about their dynamics, I love this story of yours and all the characters are so well-rounded and lovely in their own way ❤️

thank you, dear bonnie! i tried my best and i’m so happy you love my babies 😭🫶🏻

and ooh, that’s a good question because i don’t think i ever eluded to it. let’s see:

C LACROIX: has a younger (by two years) brother named lucas and they used to be close to the point C was the only one he could come out to at age eight about not feeling quite like a girl. their father got the custody of their brother after their divorce while their mother took care of C.

V NÆSHOLM: i think i’ve mentioned before that they had a fraternal twin sister, katja, but she mysteriously disappeared during the time that they were six and living in the orphanage. the caretakers there vaguely mentioned something about her getting adopted but who knows if it’s complete truth.

W OSTENDORF: no siblings cause their parents didn’t even want to take care of one 💀

D DIACONU: has an older brother, mihail, who wants nothing to do with the family. he has no contact with their sperm and egg donor and strictly only communicates with D for everything. he works as a popular radio/podcast host for musicians (think the zach sang show) and is a UCLA alumni.

M WHITLOCK-SINGH: they’re the dreaded middle child with an older sister, charlotte (she prefers ‘lottie’), and a younger sibling, winslow (they prefer ‘winnie’). both their siblings don’t live in the palace currently as lottie is doing her postgraduate at cambridge and winnie is stirring trouble at brighton college.

[readyforevolution]

History They Didn't Teach You In School

Scholars have left him out of the history books and Hollywood couldn’t be bothered to acknowledge his existence either. He was Howard Hughes’ top engineer and lifelong best friend. This is about Frank Mann, the hidden genius behind much of Howard Hughes’ success in the world of aviation and mechanics. Frank Calvin Mann (November 22, 1908 – November 30, 1992) was an African American engineer who was known for his participation in many Howard Hughes's projects including the Spruce Goose. He also starred in the Amos 'n' Andy radio show. Apparently, his lifelong friendship with Hughes was instrumental in opening doors for Mann's exceptional talents.

A native of Houston, Texas, Frank Calvin Mann's parents wanted him to become a schoolteacher, but from childhood, he had a natural ability to fix things. At age 11, he had his own mechanic shop. As a teenager, he worked alongside airplane mechanics, repairing engines. By the ago of 20, he had designed and built several of his own Model-T cars. It was unheard of in the 1920s for a Black man to have anything to do with cars, trains, or airplanes. His life-long friend Howard Hughes was instrumental in opening doors for Mann's exceptional talents.

Mann attended the University of Minnesota and UCLA where he earned a mechanical engineering degree. World War II equipment that revolutionized military weaponry would not exist if not for his involvement. Incredibly, few Americans are aware of Frank Mann. He was the first Black commercial pilot for American Airways. He was also a distinguished military officer. In 1935, following Italy’s invasion of Ethiopia, Frank Mann flew reconnaissance missions for the Ethiopian army.

He served in the World War II Army Air Corps and was the primary civilian instructor of the famous Tuskegee Airmen in 1941. He left Tuskegee after a rift with the U.S. government, which didn't want the Squadron, an all-Black unit, flying the same high caliber of airplanes as their White counterparts. An angry Mann had refused to have his men fly old "World War I biplane crates," because his airmen had proven themselves as equals.

Though they were being given inferior equipment and materials, their squadron never lost a plane, bomber, or pilot, and they were nicknamed the "Red Tails.” After the war, Mann was instrumental in designing the first Buick LeSabre automobile and the first communications satellite launched for commercial use.

His pride and joy was a miniature locomotive enshrined in the Smithsonian Institute, Mann also played a principal role in the Amos ‘N’ Andy radio show. He moved back to his hometown in the 1970s.

Frank Mann died November 30, 1992 in Houston.

[diazheartsbuckley]

In the line of love 💕

Hi angel 💕

I’ve answered that one here

But here’s another snippet 💋

(For context, Adam is Eddie’s partner at the precinct and Molly is Buck’s friend and coworker who he has known for years)

TW: mentions of blood and gun violence

There had been something off about this particular day. Eddie had been late to work for the first time in years, rushing out of Buck’s bed without kissing him goodbye. Then he had spilled scorching hot water down his body while doing the dishes in the break room.

He was in the patrol car with Adam, his hands tightly gripping the steering wheel as he stared blankly ahead of him, completely unaware of the fact that Adam had been talking to him for the past five minutes about some girl that he had met recently.

“You with me?” His partner questioned, sensing that there was something off about Eddie.

“Sorry, bad morning” Eddie chuckled and released the steering wheel a little, allowing blood flow back to his hands.

Adam was about to make a snarky comment about how Buck had probably kept him up all night when an eerie call came in over the radio.

“Attention all units. We have an active shooter situation at UCLA Medical Center, proceed with caution. I repeat, active shooter at UCLA Medical Center”

“Isn’t that-…”

“Where Buck works” Eddie’s mind can’t stop spinning yet he has to remain focused, his heart pounding against his ribs.

“Dispatch, this is Unit 12. Show us going” Adam spoke into the radio, Eddie’s foot already on the gas, swerving in and out of traffic, lights and sirens paving the way for him.

“Copy, Unit 12”

As Eddie navigated the tense drive, his phone buzzed urgently in the cup holder next to him. Relief washed over him when he saw Buck’s name and picture on the screen. Adam grabbed the phone and put it on speaker.

“Buck, are you alright? Are you at the hospital? Are you safe?” Eddie asked quickly. Buck wasn’t supposed to be at work today. He had worked nearly 72 hours straight this week and he needed to be at home, resting.

But the phone call from him would soon indicate that something else entirely was going on. At first, Buck didn’t speak and when he did, his voice was barely above a whisper and with every word that he spoke, his voice sounded like it was going to break.

“I don’t know what happened, Eddie. They just-just came in and-and-and started to shoot people. I’m-.. I’m-..”

Buck’s breathing was strained and panicked as he spoke, clearly trying to calm himself down before continuing to speak. Eddie could tell that someone else was with him, whimpering in pain. “-… with Molly. She’s been shot. It’s really bad, Eddie. I don’t-… I don’t think I can save her. There’s blood everywhere”

Despite Buck used to the stress and the tense atmosphere of the ER, this was nothing compared to that. Right now, it didn’t feel like he was a doctor. It didn’t feel like he was anything at all. Except scared to die.

“I can’t stop it, Eddie. He-…he shot her twice in the stomach”

Eddie's heart sank, adrenaline surging as he pushed the gas pedal harder. Before he could respond, Buck’s voice trembled again

"I have to go. We need to stay quiet. It’s okay, Molly. We’re going to be okay”

The line went silent, and then a muffled thud echoed through the phone. Eddie's pulse quickened as gunshots erupted in the background, only seeming to come closer with every single shot.

Using this as my Fuck It Friday 🫢

It’s a very rough draft of both action and dialogue but I’m so excited to write and wanted to share 🥹

Tagged by @disasterbuckdiaz @jamespearce9-1-1 and you @daffi-990 💋

Tagging!! @jesuisici33 @cal-daisies-and-briars @callmenewbie @butraura @giddyupbuck @honestlydarkprincess @thewolvesof1998 @theotherbuckley @watchyourbuck @knightlywonders @fionaswhvre @wikiangela @athenagranted 💗🦋

[try-set-me-on-fire]

Tagged by @rewritetheending for wip Wednesday! I’m giving Eddie heat stroke sorry dude the torments continue

It’s so hot Eddie’s stomach muscles have locked into a permanent clench. The call about a fire at an apartment complex over near Wilshire had come in at around 6 this morning and it’s almost noon now, and they’re still working their way through hotspots that seem to flare right back up after they’ve been put out. Eddie is in an apartment he’d been in two hours ago when he’d used it to get to the unit next door, and which hadn’t even been touched by smoke then and has since become an inferno. There had been a big poster of one of the Texas Rangers players on the wall next to a UCLA pennant, and Buck had nudged him and cackled as he made a gesture Eddie thinks was supposed to convey tipping a cowboy hat. Both decorations are gone, probably floating around them in ash, wall completely engulfed.

It’s hard to catch your breath when you’re bathed in this much heat, and Eddie is grateful for the years spent honing his and Buck’s dynamic duo act. There’s no need to try to force words out when he holds out a hand and knows Buck will be there to put a hose in it. Just holding the hose steady is making his arms shake, and he’s fighting down waves of nausea, but they’re beginning to knock the flames down when the radio crackles on.

Tagging @devirnis @kitkatpancakestack @homerforsure @iinryer @rogerzsteven @bigfootsmom @burins @shortsighted-owl who are you tormenting on this fine Wednesday

[hemmohaze]

The One With The Camera.

Warnings: Cursing

August 2019

"Hey Mom!” Gabriella answered her phone, setting her camera down and leaning against a mural she was photographing. She always had the brightest smile on her face whenever one of her parents called.

"Hey baby.” Her mom said with a smile on her face sitting on the patio of her childhood home in Laguna Beach.

Gabriella currently works as UCLA's photographer for the campus, ranging from highlighting the art that students have made and displayed around school to creating posters for upcoming events on campus.

Her and her mom continued talking until her roommate, Ashlyn sent her a text urging her to come back to their shared apartment.

Gabriella got to their apartment as Ashlyn basically dragged her in and sat her on the couch.

"Ouch could you pull my damn arm any harder!" Gabriella exclaimed once she sat down.

Ashlyn disregarded her statement as she was pacing back and forth around the apartment while having the biggest Cheshire cat smile.

Ashlyn ran a podcast on campus called The Ashlyn Show almost a direct hit to her favorite show as a kid 'The Amanda Show’ even if the creator of the show was a complete creep.

She talks about topics ranging from the Sephora kids she's been seeing on TikTok to environmental issues. Gabriella also films and edits every video she does.

"Okay so you know how I've been sending countless emails and messages to the radio staff to have musical guests on my podcast right every week, just to bring in more viewers?" She started.

Gabriella shook her head yes as she picked at the skin around her grown out acrylic nails.

"So obviously I've been getting some pretty shitty soundcloud producers and rappers." Gabriella’s lips pursed into a thin line as she raised an eyebrow. "Don't look at me like that."

"Well look no further than here, 5 Seconds of Summer are coming on the podcast in less than 15 minutes!" Ashlyn exclaimed, shaking Gabriella’s hands and jumping up and down with her.

"Oh my god shut up! I love their newest single 'Teeth' so much. Not to mention I've had the biggest celebrity crush on their lead singer ever since I was 12 and saw him doing covers on Youtube."

"I'm telling you this would be a great opportunity for both of us, you can plug your video and editing skills and I could woo Ashton with my impressive conversion skills." Ashlyn suggested while dramatically flipping her long red hair over her left shoulder.

"Hey, you guys have matching hair colors. I guess it's a sign." Gabriella joked with her.

"Oh my goodness you're right!!" Ashlyn said, taking the joke seriously. Gabriella just chuckled at her friend.

Gabriella's eyes soon widened as she racked over her appearance. An old graphic tee, some biker shorts and her beat up black converse. "I didn't even straighten my hair today. I look disgusting." She pointed to the messy strands of blonde hair falling out of her bun that she spent too much time this morning that she'd rather not mention.

Ashlyn scoffed as she grabbed her studio keys and clutch wallet from the bowl at the door. “Oh please you look gorgeous as always."

She sighed and collected her video camera, lenses, and tripod before following Ashlyn across campus and into her studio that she rents in the radio station.

"They should be here within the next 5 minutes. I'm gonna go pee before I piss myself mid interview. You can set up your camera and video stuff over there." Ashlyn pointed in the middle of the room

"Well if you did that Ashton would be surprised! I don't think it would be a good surprise nonetheless a surprise." Gabriella yelled as Ashlyn flipped her off from behind.

Gabriella laughed as she set up her video camera and tripod and scrolled on her phone on instagram stories to wait for Ashlyn to return from the bathroom.

She stopped at the @5SOS instagram story as it was a picture of Luke walking across their campus with the caption of 'Tune into our interview on 'The Ashlyn Show' podcast 2pm EST/ 11am PST'

Ashlyn returned less than 2 minutes later and started turning on her LED lights around the small space and turned on all the mics to make sure they worked correctly. She turned on their song 'Teeth' as the boys came in. Gabriella got up and turned her livestream onto the waiting room page and set the timer for 3 minutes.

They all shook her hand and sat down while introducing themselves. Gabriella looked everywhere except in Luke's direction. He looked so good in his yellow satin shirt and black jeans, his signature boots on his feet. Such a simple outfit but on his tall frame it had her weak in the knees.

"Hi guys! It's me, Ashlyn and welcome back to The Ashlyn Show. Obviously you guys know Gabby," Ashlyn dramatically held her left hand out towards the girl who peeped her head in the camera frame and waved. "Hey guys."

"Andddd that was Teeth by 5 Seconds of Summer, their latest single! Thank you guys so much for taking the time out of your busy day to come chat!" Ashlyn spoke to the video camera Gabriella had set up to livestream.

"Thank you so much for having us, we hope people enjoy us fucking around for about 2 hours." Micheal joked after 2 minutes of awkward silence. Gabriella made a mental note to herself bleep most of the cuss words they use when she goes to edit.

The interview was going great. They had amazing chemistry with Ashlyn as she kept up with their jokes and chaotic energy, Gabriella even joined in on some of the jokes with them.

Ashton made a joke about the two having matching hair as Ashlyn blushed redder than a tomato. Gabriella even started laughing along with them which she felt Luke’s eyes on her whenever she did.

Within 10 minutes of the interview starting, they already had close to 100,000 people watching them, the most viewers they've seen all year. Close to the end of the interview, Luke subtly found Gabriella’s Instagram account through the podcast account.

After the interview they guys had to leave to go do more press interviews. Luke was bummed out because he really wanted to talk to Gabriella.

Back in the car Luke finally had the guts to follow Bianca's instagram thanks to Calum basically grabbing his phone and doing it for him. It took everything in him to not follow her professional one as well, he thought that'd be a little stalker vibes, he did scroll through it though.

—————

Gabriella stood in the kitchen as she watched her instant microwave noodles spin when she felt her phone buzz in the waistband of her Victoria's Secret pink pajama shorts. She pulled it out and saw an Instagram notification she never thought it a million years would she see.

@lukehemmings started following @gabriellaaacampbell

"Ash! Ashlyn! Oh my god you have to see this." Gabriella turned to the girl laying across the couch watching The First 48.

"What?" She said with a mouth full of hot cheeto’s.

She flipped the phone to as her eyes widened in shock. "No way!! He followed you? How'd he get your instagram??"

"Im pretty sure it's on the bio of the podcast instagram." She quickly replied. "Do I follow him back??"

"What kind of question is that! Yes of course!”Ashlyn said while lightly smacking her arm.

"Okay you really need to not do that." Bianca said rubbing her arm slightly.

@gabriellaaacampbell followed @lukehemmings

She put her phone face down on the kitchen counter and stirred her noodles and added pepper until 10 minutes later her phone buzzed twice. Gabriella’s eyes widened in suprise and shock.

@lukehemmings sent you a DM.

" Did you just get a message from THE Luke Hemmings?" Ashlyn said looking over her shoulder.

"I guess so yeah." She said unsurely.

Gabriella’s hand shook in excitement and nerves as she opened the message.

'I know your probably wondering how I got your instagram aren't you😂' The message read

'Well I mean I'm not not wondering. I'm yet flattered and scared at the same time' She replied back.

'Well I got it from the podcast account. I didn't expect you to follow back so fast.'

'How could I not?! A really famous guy from my favorite band followed me, the 12 year old in me is screaming'

They stayed texting back and forth for another 4 hours until she stopped responding at close to midnight because she passed out from exhaustion from editing.

——————

Gabriella was currently at their upstairs neighbor's apartment babysitting their 7 year old, Ethan. She was on her 3rd energy drink of the day, babysitting a 7 year old can be a lot of work especially when she was up late editing their interview and doing some lab report essay for her Physics class that was due two days ago but her teacher is still accepting it.

She kept checking her phone to see if Luke responded to her messages but nothing. She assumed he was busy, I mean he was a rockstar.

Until then she got a DM while Ethan was napping.

'I know this is gonna sound so crazy but I'm in Southern California for another week, wanna possibly get a coffee together?' The message read. She had to read it five times until she came up with a response.

'Yeah that sounds awesome! I know this place about 10 minutes from me.'

'Pick you up around 3 tomorrow?'

'Absolutely!'

'Sounds like a plan then:)'

[nightsprung]

bee has brainstormed new ocs! here's the short rundown:

sloane kelly, 20, cis female, diana silvers. sloane has always been a relatively quiet and unassuming person. little does her sleepy town of yellowknife, ohio know that she's the mysterious voice of the observer, the host of semi-hit nighttime radio show the watch. the show delves into stories of the paranormal, supernatural and occult, and especially puts the town of yellowknife under a critical lens when it demands to find answers to several inexplicable disappearances over the years.

julie mason, 28, cis female samantha logan. julie mason is a well-enough known name to the public. one of the most promising and revered athletic talents to come through UCLA's women's basketball team with sights set on a professional career with the WNBA, those dreams were ripped away cruelly in a collision with a drunk driver on the way home from a championship victory party when she was 22 years old. since then, julie completed her schooling in psychology, obtained her masters and now works in mental health therapy, specializing with athletes.

harlow olson, 22, cis female, maya hawke. spontaneous is one way to describe harlow's childhood. turbulent is another. she never knew much about her father, and her mother was always free-spirited to a fault that forced harlow to grow up faster than she should have. multiple new schools, multiple new cities and towns, multiple new places decorated her childhood and teen years but none of them ever felt enough like home. she'd balance her dreams of attending film school with the realities of having to work countless hours in her spare time to help cover bills; and even then, it wouldn't stop debt collectors from finding them. in the midst of her adolescence, harlow tracked down her birth father and found he could offer her something her mother never could - stability. she petitioned to move in with him in an effort to have a more "normal" life as a teenager - a job to cover her own whims instead of bills, the same teachers semester to semester, a consistent group of friends. after high school, she finds herself studying film at NYU as she had always dreamed, but there's still some pieces of her that feel fractured. missing.

skyler cauldwell, 23, nonbinary (she/they), ayo edebiri. skyler has always been adept with technology; growing up in the digital age certainly helped with that. it's no wonder she ended up studying computer engineering in college, with the hopes of a promising career in cybersecurity. life is relatively normal for them; they have challenging courses, a core group of friends, several extracurriculars that eat up their time, debate team included. she's set to go to nationals with the rest of the team her senior year, but comes down with a nasty case of bronchitis days before the team is set to fly out to the competition and has to concede her spot to the alternate. the guilt they feel when the top news story a few days from that point is on the missing flight the team was on. months later it'd be discovered that the plane had crashed on an uninhabited island, and only a few members from the team survived.

summer beaumont, 19, cis female, sadie stanley. summer beaumont is your quintessential girl-next-door type. she's never had a bad thing to say about anybody and you're more likely to find her getting a cat out of a tree than doing anything particularly thrilling. it's no wonder that she's celebrating finishing her first year of undergrad by spending two months of her summer as a counselor at camp pinewood. she's great with the campers, especially the younger ones, and is always happy to cover for her fellow counselors, so long as they extend the same courtesy when she needs it. she will need it, by the way - typically on nights when the moon is full and the wind is howling. yeah, definitely the wind. don't mind the fact that she spends most of the next day in her bunk, or that her favorite pair of keds have been discarded completely for a fresh pair.

(reading this back summer sounds like a werewolf - she's not lmao. but she hunts them, and other monsters! a girl needs hobbies, after all!)

melanie ford, eternally 27, cis female, ella purnell. melanie ford has been dead for years now. the definitive story is a drug overdose, but she swears she'd never touch the hard stuff. no, this wannabe socialite has standards! the truth of the matter is melanie's death was far from an accident, and until the mystery around her demise is solved, she's cursed to continue walking the earth. in the meantime, she's trying to bide her time in limbo by doing good deeds, in the hope that it'll balance out some of the less than savory things she did while she was alive and secure her a spot in the good place.

[lovebillyhargrove]

Wake me up when July is around

Chapter 20/? "Early Spring Fever"

Billy's listening to Alice Cooper's "I'm eighteen" (released in 1970)

***

Billy doesn't remember ever seeing a tornado in California. Supposedly, they do happen there, but very seldom.

Usually it's just strong winds, quite often San Diego gets hit by a storm, and once in a blue moon they would issue a hurricane warning.

But Billy's never seen an actual twister. One time though in March 1983 a tornado touched down in Los Angeles, damaging buildings and injuring dozens of people. There were news reports on TV, shit was disturbing.

Apparently, in the wonderful state of Indiana tornadoes occur every year, it's nothing extraordinary.

Billy's watching one go through the field as he is driving to work. It's unstoppable and unpredictable like a serpent, twisting and hurling. Creepy as fuck. A ghost coming from nowhere and on the way to nowhere

Thin and even fragile, but Billy is aware of the destruction tornadoes can inflict.

A strange sense of foreboding comes over him while he's watching the spinning column of air desperately reach down from the sky, digesting anything it finds on its path.

Seeking.

The feeling chills him to the bone, lasts only a second and dissipates quickly.

Fucking Indiana. It's dangerous to live here.

Hawkins remains unharmed this time, the tornado making its route further into the fields and forests, away from the town.

Mr. Dailey is surprised Billy's on time for the shift, and Hargrove doesn't understand why.

"They sent out a warning on the radio and you had to be staying in a hideout, not driving across town when it was passing. Thank heavens it was only an EF-1."

"An EF-1 ..?"

A first-level Effing Fuck, that's what it was.

"It means that the wind speed wasn't very high. But still, gotta be careful, kid. The sucker came early, usually they don't start roaming around till summer. Anyways .. if you ever hear a warning, drop whatever you're doing and find a safe place to hide."

Billy should probably inform Max on that. Susan must have done it, but it's better to be sure the gremlin knows about this shit. After all, Billy's leaving in summer, but Max is gonna be staying.

***

During the second week of March together with the first spring tornado, life-changing news arrive in Hawkins. Seniors are getting their acceptance or rejection letters from universities.

Anxiety is through the roof.

Yikes.

Steve gets a rejection from Purdue University in Indianapolis. No biggie. It's not like he was riding his expectations high. How many places did he apply to in total? A couple of more in Indiana, he didn't even try anything out of state. There are definitely some options left, so there's hope.

There's no hope.

Steve knows he won't get into a university, and that's actually fine with him, but his parents are gonna behave like it's the end of the world.

Mom has told him to have a plan B several times already this year. Steve still doesn't.

He'll come up with one, there's nothing to worry about.

If only his parents knew about the monsters wandering under - is it under or is it like an absolutely different dimension? - their quiet town, that would certainly change their perspective of what is really important in the world.

***

Billy gets an acceptance letter from Chicago University and a rejection from UCLA.

Fuck.

Fuck !!

Billy is not planning on going to Chicago. He isn't going to stay in the fucking middle of the continent. He wants to go back to his state where he knows his way around, where there is access to the ocean. To air, and .. water. He sent a couple of applications to the nearby institutions just for kicks, to have some more options which he knew, he was never gonna use.

UCLA is probably out of his league as it is, and it was too ambitious to aim for it in the first place, but Billy is still a bit disappointed.

That's where he wanted to go.

Billy is not one of those super lucky kids who are unquestionably sure what they want to do in life, from the cradle. He's had different ideas and aspirations, as well as his ups and downs - he almost got expelled from middle school once .. or twice, due to behavioural issues and general neglect towards studying. Guess when this happened. Yes, mama, the first couple of years after you'd run away were the toughest. On the other hand, he's always had one true constant all through the years - his interest in cars. Repairing, yes it's a passion, but also .. perhaps .. developing and building them? Automotive engineering. That's the dream. That's the ultimate dream.

Yeah, sounds too much for a guy like him, he thinks so too. A too big piece to swallow.

There are still some answers to receive, so he's gonna wait for those. The UCLA rejection doesn't come as a total shock though. His mind wasn't in the right place when Billy was sending out those applications back in the fall. In August the news about their move came out of the blue, dad didn't exactly talk things through with his son, so Billy was absolutely not ready for fucking relocating to butt-ass Indiana. He didn't have time to get any recommendations from his teachers in San Diego, the school was closed in summer, couldn't get any from Hawkins High faculty, having just started the year in a new place. His mood was awful and he lacked the reason to get up in the morning, let alone forage for recommendations. It's like the timing of this move was the worst possible. His motivation letter that he wrote hastily and on emotions sounded probably too desperate. The GPA and SAT results were good, however, apparently, other candidates have outperformed him.

It sucks, big time, but he can live with that. He can try next year, or .. or maybe he'll just stick to fixing cars. Now all Billy wants

Is to breathe with a full chest.

Go back home. He's had enough of this place.

Fucking tornadoes just roaming the fields, can you fucking imagine?

***

He's had enough of this new sickness, too. Billy decides to refer to it with the help of this word, cause he can't think of any other.

It's like years ago, when Billy was little and there was this period of time after his mother had left. He would open his eyes in the morning and feel

Normal.

The day was beautiful, the sunshine would be pouring through the curtains

Billy opened his eyes, still lingering in the haziness of sleep.

He felt .. light. As if nothing was burdening him.

And then, morning realisations put their weight on him, slowly crushing him, like under a huge press

The first thought - that he was, as of recently, motherless.

She wouldn't be in the kitchen making breakfast for him. She wouldn't be anywhere around.

And then - that his dad was an unmelting iceberg.

The little boy lay in his bed some more, wishing just to go back to sleep and maybe never even open his eyes anymore

Because what was the point.

A minute later Billy would get on his feet and go about his day.

But even now, he so clearly remembers those couple of seconds between waking up and sliding into reality

Those few seconds were his safest haven before the truth became too crystal clear.

It's like now, not so tragic of course, but the overall idea is kinda the same. Billy's eyelashes fly open, he's still in the grasp of sleep, not fully conscious.

Everything is fine, the way it usually is

He's feeling

Normal.

Uhm, no. Did you forget about

Harrington ??

..

It lies heavy, the unwanted intrusion.

Like a pile of rocks in his chest.

Fucking Harrington sickness. Fucking everything. Billy's feeling discontented, neither his body, nor mind are at ease. When the fuck is it gonna get better.

It will get better, right?

***

At school the boys have purposefully avoided being in the showers together ever since Steve's visit to Mr. Dailey's garage. Ever since Hargrove touched the royal dick for the first time and the horny dam got broken and fucking flooded all around. It was actually Billy who began to be very particular about not coming to the showers when Steve was standing there in the nude under warm streams of water.

A fucking wet dream

Usually he just skipped it altogether and took a shower at home or didn't have one at all if there was no time. Sometimes when he knew that Max was going to get held up at her AV club a bit longer, he stayed alone in the gym and shot the hoops for ten or fifteen minutes to make sure Harrington would be gone from the dangerous territories and Billy got a green light to go in.

The basketball court is a problem, but the showers? Standing there completely naked next to a butt-naked Harrington?

Let's just be honest about it, Billy is not able to do it anymore. His dick is not gonna behave, and there would be nothing to cover it with.

Today when the guys leave the court, Billy's staying behind. He waits for fifteen minutes, dribbling the ball, practising various tricks. He usually smokes in the parking lot anyways if Maxine has AV, so he has time to spare.

There's no-one in the showers when he gets there. Good. Billy takes a quick one, turns the water off, wraps a towel around the hips and goes into the locker room, to find Harrington sitting on a bench and looking savoury as hell.

As fucking always.

Those eyes, stop looking at me with your fucking eyes

Steve's waiting for Billy.

They are alone in the room, all the other guys have already left.

Billy is aware what's about to happen to his body in a matter of seconds. The sickness. His heart is gonna be jumping out from his ribcage, the sound of blood roaring in his ears will deafen him, knees will feel as if they are giving out from under him, failing to hold the bulk of his trembling body.

Billy moves to his locker and digs in it to find a t-shirt.

His cock is already swinging like a bat between his legs.

Fucking pavlovian shit.

He can't .. he's feeling too naked, he can't be naked in front of the fully dressed King Steve who's leering at him

Salaciously.

What the fuck is this, the sensation of the world narrowing down to just the two of them? Zooming in, and the rest is inexistent?

How would it feel to be absolutely naked with Steve in bed? Would he be shy? Just a little bit? Or will he be as shameless spreading his legs in front of Billy?

Because Hargrove's suddenly fucking shy, and blushing and

His temperature is rising, it's the disease.

Neither of them utter a single word, and this is so damn weird, yet they really don't need to say fucking anything

Steve's eyes are raking over Hargrove's bare back and arms, and Billy is in a hurry to put the t-shirt on. He needs to be on equal terms with Harrington.

He's burning up. He's definitely coming down with something.

"Quit fucking staring."

"You never had a problem with people looking at your body."

How do you even know what I have and what I don't have a problem with

"Just shut up. It's so much better when you're not talking."

Bitch.

Steve is getting up from the bench, comes closer to Billy

An inch away

There's a heat wave standing behind him.

Hargrove turns around, grabs Harrington by the shirt and drags him behind the row of lockers, out of the plain sight. Slams him into the metal and the motherfucker smiles as if he's getting off only on that.

The towel is dropped on the floor

Billy's fingers get tangled in the pretty boy's lush hair

Lips clashing, tongues diving in deep

Fuck, he's so weak, he's so weak

Harrington bites Billy's lower lip, and Billy growls, left hand sliding down Steve's chest and belly to reach for his dick, the right one still pulling on the hair

Steve's fly is already open, the asshole knew what they would be doing.

Billy puts his hand into the furnace

He can't, seriously, he absolutely fucking can't with this bitch

He squeezes Harrington's cock in his palm, it is piping hot, lets go of the king's hair and guides Steve's hand to his own hurting dick

Why does everything in his abdomen hurt like that, like muscle cramps

The moment boys get ahold of each other's cocks

The world becomes a better place, instantaneously.

They kiss hungrily, in a hurry and jerk one another off just as desperately. It's quick and it's dangerous but the fear makes them both cum in record time.

It's not enough.

***

***

The weekend is slow and uneventful. Billy drowns himself in work. He would actually prefer to stay at home, in bed, not see or talk to anyone, loaf around, watch porn on the VCR - given the family's been abducted by aliens and he's home alone - and masturbate minimum five times a day to all the recent and not so recent recollections of

Harrington's everything.

Extraterrestrial creatures do not show any interest in the Hargroves, and Billy has things to do at the garage, an old Chevy truck and a pricey-looking beautiful Oldsmobile Cutlass expect his undivided attention. If he's gonna be repairing cars for the rest of his life, he's fine with that, he can continue honing the skills.

He interrupts his work to step outside for a few whiffs, watch the world around change and gradually regain its vibrancy. Despite the fact that March weather in Indiana is unpredictable and volatile - one day it can be relatively warm, sunny and windless and the very next day might be chilly and pelting cold rain - winter inevitably loosens its grip.

Billy's been working for two days straight, long hours, there isn't much sense in doing useless homework anymore, the spring break is just around the corner, and seniors are one foot over the school doorstep, ready to leave for good, even teachers themselves have been cutting the students some slack.

It's already late on Sunday, and Billy wonders what Steve is doing. Most likely, spending time with that new girl of his. Maybe he took her out to a diner or something.

How does it feel to sit across King Steve, talk about stupid shit, mindlessly sucking on a milkshake straw? Billy would make Harrington choke on his food right there, right in front of everyone. He would ignite that fire in those two pools of darkness, would do his magic, making Harrington turn to ash.

How would it feel to drive to the royal palace, fall between the sheets, bodies a mess, and do all the things your minds tell you to do, eager and unrestricted

Taking the time. Not having to rush it.

Maybe the king and his new concubine are fucking right this moment. Maybe Steve's coming, shutting his eyes, throwing his head back, moaning stupid, that Adam's apple under the thin skin quivering

Billy wants to watch it quiver, needs to put his mouth on it, trap it under his lips

Hargrove keeps on wrenching one especially tough nut in the Chevy's insides.

Lucky bitch.

Lucky fucking ugly cow bitch, that fucking Tammy or whatever her name is.

Billy can always call Harrington, the offer is surely still on the table, but it is still a very firm

No.

He doesn't want to feel like a fool. He doesn't want to accidentally come across Harrington's parents, doesn't want to call at an inconvenient time, or god forbid, interrupt something.

No.

When Hargrove sees Harrington at school on Monday, and that girl is glued to his arm, Billy thinks he guessed right. The lovebirds must've had some nice time at the weekend together.

The sight is literally crippling Billy

He looks away, and then back, and then away, and again back

Stop fucking staring at each other like you're getting married tomorrow, for fuck's sake

It's school. People come here to study, not to fornicate.

The disease is flourishing, sweeping through his insides, and Billy's helpless. There is nothing for him to do, so he'll just be simmering in his own gall

It's bitter, stifling, and he can't run away from it.

Hargrove's putting his forehead against the cold metal of his locker

"Are you okay? Billy?"

It's Jennifer's voice

"Yeah."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Stop nagging

"Are you coming to lunch?"

"Sure."

He slams the locker shut and Jennifer coils her arm around his.

The medicine isn't working.

***

***

This week more news from universities and colleges arrive.

Steve has officially got into none of the places he applied to.

Parents freak out. Dad, red in the face and roaring, shouts something like

"You're the shame of the family!" And something else about his brother's kids being way smarter than his own son and having a life plan, and Steve's aunt's children also having promising perspectives in life, but his child, his flesh and blood is just an irresponsible, immature, still holding onto his mother's skirt and hiding behind his father's checkbook

Loser.

Yeah.

He's heard it all before. Steve's the lamest among the Harringtons, he gets it.

Mom is nervously clutching a glass of wine in her hands, and after Mr. Harrington storms away to their bedroom, talks to her son in a different tone, but still very very disappointed.

She even cries a little at some point.

Mom what the fuck, why are you crying, it's not like I'm incurably sick or dead or something.

"Mom?"

"Oh, Steve .. What are we going to do? Maybe we can look into some undergraduate programs? Or maybe get you into an SAT prep program, retake the exams, try next year? .."

"Mom .."

"We can talk to dad, ask him to look for connections, pour some money into it .."

"No! Mom !! Would you just listen to me? I'm done with this higher education thing. For now, at least .. I don't want it, I can't, okay ?? Maybe next year, yeah. Leave me alone. I'll get a job."

"Oh Stevie, do you think it's easy to get a job??"

"I don't know? But people get some! Tommy's getting one soon .. in his dad's company. Hargrove's got one. Some other guys too .."

"Who is Hargrove?"

"Uh .. a guy from school."

"Never heard the name before."

"He is new in town. Doesn't matter, just .."

"Oh. Honey .. What job are you planning on getting? Minimum wage?"

"Mom, honestly? Right now, I'm not getting anything, let me graduate. But trust me, I'll get one. And maybe yeah, it'll be minimum wage, I need to start somewhere."

Mrs. Harrington finishes her wine and sighs unhappily

"Steve, I know and we know that this has been a hard year."

You have no fucking idea

"It's just more difficult for dad to accept .."

Mrs. Harrington cuts herself off

That his son is a failure?

"But Dad, he .. we want you to succeed in .. in life, to do well."

Steve's aware that his father considers him a disappointment.

"I know you want what's best for me, mom. I just .. Everything will be alright. Okay?"

"Promise me you are going to look into universities next year. You are not going to give up on the education."

Jesus Christ.

"Okay, mom. I promise."

Please just let me be young for a bit longer

Mrs. Harrington joins her husband upstairs. It's around eight-thirty, Steve's not feeling like staying at home. He calls Tommy and asks if he's free right now

"Yeah, man, did something happen?"

"Can I come over?"

"Yeah, sure. Gonna stop on the way and grab some beer?"

"Yep."

The stay in Hagan's room, drink a couple of cans of Budweiser

"Hey, Tommy .."

"Yeah?"

"Do you like .. you know what you're gonna do after school, right?"

"Sure. Work for my dad. I told you that."

Steve's nodding and taking a gulp of cold beer.

"And you're .. okay with that?"

Tommy's scratching his head and makes a vague gesture with his hand

"I don't really know what other options I have."

"Yeah, but .. you are okay with that? The fact that you're gonna sell farm machinery and you don't seem to have other variants?"

"Yeah, man. I guess."

"That's uh .. that's good."

They keep on sipping the beer and Tommy lights up a cigarette. Steve reaches for it, so Tommy gives him the cig and digs for another one

"Hey, do you know where I can get a job?"

"A job?"

"Well, I gotta do something after graduation."

"I thought daddy was gonna take care of that."

"Dad doesn't think .. he's not .. yeah, I don't know. No universities for me, and dad believes I'm a loser with a capital L. I need a job, alright?"

Tommy's thoughtfully blowing grey smoke up in the air

"They are opening this huge mall nearby, can always ask there."

That's actually not a bad idea.

"Can't imagine you working 9 to 5, dude."

"Yeah. Me neither."

***

On Friday Harrington bumps Billy's shoulder passing him in the school hallway - purely by accident, he can swear on the Bible in front of the judge and the jury - and Billy is quick to shove him back

"Watch where you're going, assface."

There's no malice in his voice, it almost sounds fond. Its low grumble sparks a pleasant tug in Steve's lower abdomen

Some people are looking at the two boys but no-one from the king's usual company is around, so Billy grabs Steve by the collar of his yet another excessively annoying polo

Gets his face close, inhales the pretty boy's scent.

Whispers in his ear

As though he's threatening him

"Meet me in the drama hall during lunch break."

The tugging sensation in Steve's lower belly flares into sharp twinges

They have to be careful.

Harrington is playing along keeping his voice low

"Tommy's gonna freak out if I'm not there to share my brownie."

That's true. Hagan might go scour the building.

Hargrove pushes the other boy away and keeps on walking

"Douchebag!" Steve's shouting, just in case, and flips Billy's tight ass off.

***

He catches Hargrove in the hallways later, before the last period.

"Whatcha doing after classes?"

"Picking my stepsister up."

"That redhead you're always carting around?"

"Yeah."

"You working tonight?"

Billy's glancing around, but nobody's paying attention to them. They are just two dudes walking alongside on their way to the class, and maybe exchanging a word or two. In a non-aggressive way.

"Uh-huh."

"I'll come by the garage then. You finish at eight?"

Jesus, Billy feels like .. like it's a date

It's probably as close to a date as they are gonna get, so why not accept the offer

"Yeah."

***

Old Joe is closing the shop at 8.10. Billy is hanging around.

"Are you coming tomorrow, kid?"

"Yes, Mr. Dailey, as usual. After school."

"Don't you want a free day from this place? You've been working your ass off lately. Wouldn't you like to .. I don't know what young people do these days .. take a girl out?"

Billy's snorting, not in a disrespectful way though

"Yeah, maybe. Gotta get those two ladies back into shape first. That olds cutlass is a beauty."

His boss is nodding

"Right .. Don't even know what I'm going to do when you leave, kid."

"Still plenty of time till July."

Old Joe is shaking his head in disagreement now, but doesn't say anything anymore. He gets into his old ford and Billy opens the camaro's door

"Have a nice night, Mr. Dailey!"

"You too, Billy. You too."

Hargrove starts the engine, but waits till the ford drives away first. His hands are already giving in to a slight tremor. He fishes out a Marlboro

Gotta calm down

He inhales the smoke deep and rolls out slowly.

Steve's car is parked nearby. It doesn't look conspicuous or anything, it standing on the side of the road. A buddy can be waiting for Billy, right? Also, it's quite late and all respectable Hawkins residents are most likely watching TV, all snug and comfy in their recliners. Wives scurrying in kitchens, kids diligently doing homework.

Billy drops in the backseat, feet still on the ground, finishing the smoke. Harrington is sitting there, huffing in irritation

"Where were you? You said you finish at eight."

"Yeah, got a bit held up, what's fifteen minutes, jesus."

Of course, King Steve doesn't enjoy being kept waiting.

Billy takes the last drag, throws the butt away and closes the door. Harrington's hand is already running up his leg.

They make each other cum. It burns too hot, it ends too quick. Billy needs more time to relish the things he wants to relish. Although it seems like some kind of a well-practised routine by now,

This time it's .. different.

Like Steve is searching for a hint of .. tenderness? Or maybe that's on Hargrove himself, and Harrington is just following the lead.

Or not, it's probably only Billy, but

The way they kiss is different.

It's slower. Tastier.

The way they are touching each other has changed. The shift borders on impalpable.

Yet it's right there.

Fuck.

Perhaps it's all in Billy's head, his imagination running wild.

It is breaking wild, always, always now.

Everything is slower but finishes too fast anyways, and

Please, that's all the drugs I'm gonna get to ease the pain ..?

There's a pack of Parliaments in the front passenger's seat again, and a box of tissues

Harrington has come prepared

After wiping his fingers, Billy takes two cigarettes out, just like last time, and flicks the lighter.

"I'm going away for the spring break," Steve says.

Oh.

The pretty boy wanted to get some time alone with him before fucking off for a week.

Don't read too much into that, Billy.

"Like I need to know."

Okay, he can keep the conversation up

"Where to?"

"Indianapolis. My parents have an apartment there."

"Sweet."

I'm gonna miss you I'm gonna miss you I'm gonna miss you

Shut the fuck up.

"You going anywhere?"

"Nah."

Not yet, your majesty. Not yet.

They finish the smokes, not saying anything else. Hargrove feels the sadness bloom in his chest and doesn't fight it.

When he's watching the beamer drive off into the chilly March evening, Billy's hunger awakes again.

It wasn't enough.

***

The last week of March is spring break, and Steve, indeed, leaves for Indianapolis on Saturday morning. He has to do some shopping, he wants to unwind a bit.

Steve also spends some time with dad in the office, watching it work, churn, make money that he likes spending so much.

Honestly, he just feels so out of place there, it's plain uncomfortable. Although Dad does his best, gotta give him that, stays on the phone most of the time, doesn't make his son feel like a piece of failed shit entirely, Harrington junior can't outrun the feeling that he doesn't belong where his dad thrives and prospers.

Parents and kids can be different, can want different things, right? Too bad Steve has no idea what he wants. He kinda feels bad for his father, imagine building a solid business dreaming of an heir, and then the heir turns out ..

Meh.

Steve has heard it from Tommy that Hargrove got accepted into the University of Chicago. Billy must be fucking proud of himself. His family must be proud

Come to think of it, he doesn't even know anything about Hargrove's family. Not that he needs to. He's only mentioned having a stepsister

"We are pleased to inform you of your acceptance to .."

Steve's jealous?

Nooooo. Of course not.

Jealous of what?

University education is not exactly something he wants to pursue.

Andy got accepted somewhere on fucking basketball scholarship. The scholarship Steve had been dreaming of, before .. before everything started happening all at once and falling apart, before he strated realising maybe he's not cut out for university, or college. Maybe it's just too early for him to decide what to do with his life. The money is of course an issue, but his parents have loads, so why rush it now? Having some kind of a career is important, do all the adults know what they want to become when they are 17 or 18?

His dad did, actually. Or so he told Steve, numerous times.

Is Steve just super stupid and slow on the uptake, or maybe it's actually okay for him not to know right this second what he fucking wants ??

Tina has been in tears for the last couple of weeks. She's happy for Andy, her high school sweetheart, she is. However, what's going to happen to their relationship? Harrington's kinda curious which place Andy made it to, he needs to be filled in on the news.

Steve's sliding his hand down his face. Yeah, whatever. He's standing at the traffic lights, and it's time to move, but he can't decide which turn signal to switch on, whether to go forward or back.

On his shopping spree in Indianapolis Steve visits a perfume store. He's sampling different brands and

Oh my god

That's .. that's Hargrove's smell.

He spritzes the fragrant liquid on a strip of paper and places in under his nose again

That's it, that's definitely the smell.

Steve glances at the label

Paco Rabanne

Pour Homme

After Shave

Yeah.

He has finally identified it, the scent that's been on his mind for months

However, at parties - whenever he found himself in Billy's vicinity, or when they were actually getting in each other's space and kissing - Harrington caught a whiff of different perfume notes

Another distinctive Hargrove aroma.

Hmmm ..

Gotta crack that one as well.

***

***

Gods of Indiana finally have fucking mercy on Billy because Neil and the family go away to visit Susan's relatives again. For three days, what a delight.

He runs into Hagan in Fair Mart where he's buying a block of Marlboros and two six-packs in the evening after having left the garage at six

All work and no play is gonna make Billy a dull boy

He thinks he's entitled to have a little fun, and Tommy just happens to be in the right place at the right time.

First, Hagan suggests driving up to the quarry, the evening's actually pleasant and relatively warm

"Can't believe you've never seen the quarry, man. It's like the coolest place around Hawkins. You need to check it out."

Alright. So they follow Hagan's plan.

He didn't lie, the view from the top of the cliff is spectacular. Wow. They smoke usual cigarettes, down a couple of cans of beer each, and Tommy of course asks Hargrove if he still has some of the Californian weed left

Billy's feeling generous and hospitable

"Actually, my family aren't home tonight - thank fuck - we could uh .."

"Totally!"

Say no more, brother.

They stop on the way to pick Carol up. Ladies always brighten up the mood, however small the party is.

Hargrove needs a love interest for tonight as well. Unfortunately, Jennifer happens to be out of town, but Billy is in dire need of some kind of a sedative, even if for a short relief, it's not gonna cure the problem, but it'll help deal with the ache. The disease hasn't stopped spreading through his body and mind, it's like the fucking plague. He doesn't say all that to the happy couple of course who are already getting handsy near Tommy's ford, but he makes it clear that they need to come up with some ideas on the subject of Billy not third wheeling tonight.

"Hey, Carol, you know Alison, right? Alison Bell from the 11th grade?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Do you have her phone number?"

"I don't, but I can call Tina and ask her. I think she might know."

Sounds like a plan.

"What about Jennifer, Billy?"

"She's away from town. We are not dating. So what about her?"

Carol doesn't have anything to object to that, and Tommy's urging her

"Come on, baby, let it be a fun night."

So Carol goes back inside, makes a couple of phonecalls. Alison is on board with the evening program.

After picking the girl up, they all drive to Billy's place.

Make themselves comfortable on the couch and the floor in front of the tv, turn MTV on, lay the coffee table with beer, cigarettes, some snacks and weed

No fucking adults around

Paradise.

The four teenagers smoke their brains out, turning dumb, numb and horny. Billy takes Alison to his room, leaving the other couple in the living room. They kiss and giggle and

Alison sucks him off in his bed, but

Damn it. Not much of a surprise.

Hargrove pictures Harrington doing it. This has become a habit lately - whatever action he gets with a girl - he closes his eyes and imagines Steve in her place.

Fucking make-believe, fucking stupid. Is that even healthy?

Ahhhahah.

This time even his tongue slips, and Hargrove almost gives himself away when he cums

"Fuuuck .. Take it deeper haa .. rr .. Honey .. girl. Ahh fuck."

That was a close one.

***

Next day Billy stops by at school before work. With an agenda.

School's closed.

Well, the door is open, but there are no people around, maybe a couple of teachers' cars parked in the parking lot. Billy comes inside and is greeted by the school janitor, Mr. Willis

"Whatcha doing here boy? Missed school much?"

"Yeah, I uh .. just need to pick up some books from the locker."

Mr. Willis looks at him incredulously

"Knock yourself out."

Billy proceeds to his locker, takes out Harrington's welcome gift from behind a stack of books, stuffs the box into his messenger's bag, heart pounding for some unclear reason.

He drives it around in his car all day and when he gets home after eight

He puts the box on the bed. Goes to the kitchen, rummages around in the fridge. Takes a shower. Comes back to his room, throws the towel on the floor, stands there naked, looking at the box.

He isn't sure what he wants to do with the dildo, but he wants to do something. Billy gets on the bed, opens the box, takes the plastic dick out.

He's hard already.

Billy is sliding his fingers over the dildo. It feels cool to the touch, feels weird and .. arousing. It's not as big as Harrington's dick, maybe seven inches,

King Steve is bigger

The sex toy actually looks as realistic as possible, the skin-like material with a pattern of barely visible veins and a couple of thick ones running up and down

The texture is soft and it even has the plastic ball sack.

God, Billy's leaking like a bitch.

He wraps his deft fingers around himself, holding at the dildo with the other hand, imagining he's touching Steve's cock.

Caressing. Squeezing.

And then sucking it.

Billy brings the dildo closer to his face. He's not gonna take it in, no, what he really wants to suck is the pretty boy's pretty dick

But he sticks his tongue out to fuel his imagination to the point of explosion, licks the ridge of the head and

Moans loudly.

Oh fuck .. oh god.

He must look so stupid, jesus

Hargrove licks it again and again and it still feels cool on his tongue, but Billy knows

Harrington's dick is gonna burn in his mouth.

Volcanic.

Nnnuuugh ..

He doesn't last, shooting cum all over his belly.

..

..

Thanks for the gift, King Steve, it sure came in handy.

Billy lies down for a while, eyes shut, listening to his own heartbeat

Christ in heavens, the stuff Harrington makes him do, not even stirring a finger, not even being in the near, in the same town for fuck's sake.

Finally, he gets off the bed, and stuffs the dildo back into the box and into the suitcase in his closet. He'd like to ..

Do so many things. Do so many fun things.

With Harrington.

He misses him. Billy fucking wants to see him at every damn moment.

He wants more. He wants to do so much more

With Steve.

***

The next day is March 29, and guess what date it is?

Yeah, it's Billy's birthday. He officially turns 18. His family are still out of town, so no-one congratulates him or anything, it's a usual day. The sun is out, which can be considered as a present, in a way.

When mom was around, there used to be cake and stuff, but then it stopped being a special day. Susan made a couple of weak attempts to revive the cake tradition but it didn't stick, so

Whatever.

Billy gets up late and searches himself for indications that he, as of today, is an adult, mature and earnest. He finds none of course, it's all bullshit, he's still same old Billy Hargrove. Nothing is gonna change for the time being, the only thing he knows dad's gonna do when he comes back - he's gonna have a serious man-to-man conversation with his son about responsibility and such, and inform him that now he will have to pay his share for food and utilities. Neil has mentioned it before. Billy is fine with that. Fair is fair.

Yesterday he asked Mr. Dailey if he can come to the repair shop only for like four hours in the afternoon. The boss didn't mind.

Billy wants to have his evening free. He has a plan to go to the quarry to smoke and look at the vast mirror of water below.

The place seems to calm him down.

When he gets there, a beautiful purple lightning cracks the sky open - another gift - and the rain comes suddenly, fresh and joyful.

Showers began pouring here on the regular maybe a couple of weeks ago, and they are not those awful icy winter drizzles

Nah, spring rains are cool. It's actual water. Just coming from the sky, can't swim in it, but it's still the element that's especially close to Hargrove.

Right now it is a thunderstorm and it's even better. Billy's like a fish, he straightens his gills in the humid air, and breathes more freely

He's in his car, listening to the sounds of raindrops tapping on the hood and the roof, and thunder rumbling in the distance.

Gonna be hell driving back down the muddy road

But it's worth it

Because here he feels closer to the water but also closer to the sky.

He watches the beauty unfold.

When the thunderstorm begins to subside, Billy turns on the music. He wanted to listen to this very song on this very day

Lines form on my face and hands

Lines form from the ups and downs

I'm in the middle without any plans

I'm a boy and I'm a man

I'm eighteen

Billy is eighteen, and as soon as he finishes school and gets everything ready

He'll leave.

I'm eighteen

And I don't know what I want

Eighteen

I get confused every day

Billy sure gets confused. The Harrington thing that's been eating at him, changing hues and evolving but never going away

Confuses him. Irritates him. Bothers.

Other than that predicament, Billy knows what he wants

I've gotta get away

I've gotta get out of this place

I'll go runnin' in outer space

I'm eighteen!

And I like it

Oh yeah

Billy stopped caring about his birthdays a while ago. However, this number now feels big, like he's starting a new page.

I'm eighteen

Lines form on my face and hands

Lines form from the ups and downs

I'm a boy and I'm a man

Billy's looking at his palms. They say, everything that's ours is written on the skin of our hands.

The lines are our life story.

That's all fortune telling nonsense, but he's tracing the lifeline on his left hand with his right thumb

Who knows what's gonna come.

Maybe one day l'll feel free and different.

..

Happy birthday to me.

***

***

On Saturday afternoon Tommy drops by the repair shop and hands Billy a flyer with spring-like ornaments

"Personal delivery to Mr. Hargrove."

His freckled face breaks into a hearty and mischievous grin.

"I knew you'd be here. So here I am, bringing the news."

Billy scans the piece of paper.

Tina is throwing another party right before the last school term.

It's Easter in the quiet town of Hawkins. Not exactly the type of holiday for a wild boozed up teenage mayhem but why not take it and make it sexier

"All girls are gonna be wearing bunny ears, dude. Oh, and fluffy tails on their butts. Can't miss that, am I right?" Tommy is winking and looking even more adorable.

He's got a valid point.

"So .. you gonna be there, Hargrove?"

***

[mrsvalbaker]

Amberline

Disclaimer: This story is going to be dedicated to a very good friend of mine, why she thinks I'm good enough to let me write a character for her, I dunno.

This a Kyle Scheible x OC, there's definitely smut, adult situations, all high school characters are portrayed by adults. There's mention of eating disorder.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Part I

Sacramento High School was no longer a public school.

This year it was changed to a charter due to its very low performance.

To be honest, this town is now poor or rich, and I fall into the latter as my mother loves to remind me. It's why I've been babysitting since I was twelve, and why this past summer I was working at a doughnut stand at a fair, and this school year I'll be working at Blockbusters.

College doesn't pay for itself, and mom made it no secret that she wasn't going to donate one red cent, why should she even though my babysitting and doughnut money go toward the nice apartment we live in and toward her payments for her Lexus she can hardly afford.

I don't even have a car, and does she ever drive me to work or school? No, it's my bicycle or a bus.

She's one of those southern women that always drone on about earning things, telling me life ain't easy and I best get a grasp of that early, especially since I'll be joining the rich kids of Sacramento for my senior year.

Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic High School is so graciously funded by Charlene Sixkiller, my dearest mother. She said it'll help me get to a good school. I'm truly grateful, but I feel so pressured, I feel like school and me leaving at eighteen is all we talk about at home.

I don't even know what I want to do.

Like fuck.

I love writing but my mom says that it doesn't pay the bills. It's a big reason why she won't help me with college, because I'm choosing to be an English Major.

Okay so maybe I do know what I want to do with my life.

I write gothic novels, a cross between horror and romance. I'm not very good at it but I love writing, between that and my diary it's the only way I can actually express myself.

-

It's awkward going to Catholic school and you're not a catholic, mom was brought up southern Baptist, and I hardly know a damn thing about my dad. Although he's probably the same, being from the same area.

I've only been to my mom's hometown of Rocky Mountain, North Carolina five times in my life, and every single time I count the hours for when we return to California.

My dream school is UCLA. It's hard as hell to get into, but going to this school will help. L.A. is far enough from central California where I won't have to deal with my mom again, and besides my dad's there. Maybe I can find him, ask him why I wasn't worth sticking around for.

My alarm clock blared Good Charlotte throughout my room. With a long groan and a painful stretch, I literally threw myself out of bed.

Dragged myself to the bathroom and pulled myself into the shower. I know being goth at a catholic school is going to be a total nightmare, but I was still Gung ho on making a good first impression. I washed my hair twice with the fruity smell of my Garnier shampoo and conditioner. Then massaged my loreal color mask into my waist length black hair before combing it through and clipping it up on top of my head.

My acne is starting to clear up but there's still some stubborn blemishes on my cheek. I washed my face with a morning burst about four times before using the scrub, why did I have to have problematic skin? Between acne, my fat ass and my boobs, I felt like there were twenty signs to point out how much of an ugly freak I am. I still tried though, some days I didn't think I looked bad, but days like today…

I scrubbed my skin with my electric apple lathered loofah until it was red and raw, and then rinsed my hair mask. I turned on the radio and brushed my teeth to the new Red Hot Chilli Peppers song By the Way, my eyes gazed with judgment at my reflection. How shall I fix myself today? I was getting over an eating disorder from last year, this weight is new to me. My doctor said I looked great, but sometimes I see a dancing hippopotamus in fantasia.

I rubbed Ponds onto my face and Bath and body works toasted hazelnut lotion on my skin. I sprayed my Secret powdery deodorant on. Blowing drying my waist length, ebony hair took a half an hour and that was me rushing. I sealed it with my Garnier serum and then did my makeup, far too much black eyeliner just past the point of you have gone too far, and cherry chapstick.

I pulled on my black panties and bra before pulling on the gray pleated school skirt I was forced to wear, I felt like a soldier preparing for war. The white buttoned down shirt was tucked in and I threw on my black zipper hoodie leaving it unzipped. I pulled on black knee high socks and scrunched them down before tying on my doc martens oxfords. I shoved on my many bracelets from a Hot Topic haul and made sure my black, stretchy choker constricted my neck. I brushed my hair down one more time and sprayed on my Victoria's Secret love spell body spray I got for my last birthday. I looked at myself, the kohl making my green eyes pop like I was on something. I wouldn't call myself hideous, just not pretty, not enough.

I wasn't enough for my old friends, when I was found passed out in the girl's bathroom everything changed. Nobody wanted me around, Alyssa and Taylor stopped sitting with me at lunch, and Alyssa started dating my crush Zach. They all acted like we never met.

But I was always the one who brought the least to the group. If I couldn't make it to a Marilyn Manson concert, they still went, but when Alyssa had the flu and couldn't make it to Disneyland, everyone canceled.

I was the one who was everyone's shoulder to cry on, at twelve I taught Taylor how to use pads and take motrin when she got her period, I told Zach he was good at drums, and anytime Alyssa had guy troubles it was me who lost sleep talking to her until 3am on the phone, it was me who bought her Häagen-Dazs and watched her stupid guilty pleasure show with her, Sex and the city, it was me who washed her hair and ran her a bath.

But it was never enough. Who knows, maybe I'm not meant to be happy. It's not in the cards for me I think.

The main reason for starting fresh and going to a new school wasn't just about college. It was so I wouldn't have to see the faces of the people who were supposed to be my best friends in the whole world, and couldn't get off their asses to visit me in the hospital.

I put my headphones and placed my Simple Plan CD into my player and turned it on blast.

Mom already left for work, she wasn't the kind of mother to prepare me a big breakfast for my first day. I grabbed an apple and granola bar and left to go catch the bus, getting catcalled on the way by guys old enough to be my dad.

Getting on that school bus was what you expected, the kids caught a look at the girl with black hair and equally black eyeliner and snicker or get out my way faster than a bat out of hell.

I sat in the very back next to a girl with shoulder length, dirty blonde hair pushed back by a headband that matched her gray school skirt.

She started talking to me, I saw her mouth move but couldn't hear one word. What is wrong with her? Can't she see that I'm wearing headphones? I wanted to ignore her so badly but I could not be rude to save my life. So I tapped the pause button with a black nail and pushed my headphones down before looking at her. "Can I help you?"

She smiled and laughed. "I was just saying you're new, I've never seen you before."

She wanted to bother me for that? I smiled though. "Yes, you're right. How perceptive of you."

The girl just laughed. "I'm Gretchen, I go to Mary's too, what grade are you in?"

"I'm a senior."

"Me too! We're the only seniors on the bus, did you know that?"

Thank you Gretchen for making me feel like such a loser.

The bus ride consisted of Gretchen asking for my entire autobiography. Was she a news reporter or something? All she got out of me was that I went to Sacramento High, which she made a snobby face at, and that I didn't leave behind any friends.

Once we got off of the bus, she didn't leave me alone. She was telling me about everyone who went to our school. I nodded along without paying attention but couldn't find the heart to be mean. I mean she's taking the time to get to know me and be my own personal tour guide.

"Amberline is a really strange name." She said suddenly.

I shrugged. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that, I'll change it when I get the chance."

She laughed and I held back the urge to roll my eyes. "I'll just call you Amber, come on Amber I'll take you to morning mass?"

"Morning mass?"

She nodded. "It's a catholic school of course."

I followed her to the chapel, it was all very beautiful and sacred looking. Pairs and pairs of eyes focused on me though, and I noticed boys filing in, which confused me since this was an all girls school. I asked Gretchen about it.

"The boys school shares certain things with us like the chapel for morning mass." Then Gretchen gasped and whispered loudly to me. "Oh there he is!"

"Who?" I asked with confusion, she was acting hysterical.

"Kyle Scheible!"

Walking in the line of boys to the priest was a boy far too handsome to be in high school, but you could clearly tell he is in fact in high school. Is he the usual ghostly pale and manic panic black haired with piercings type I go for? No, he was so much better than that. Something I thought I'd never say.

I can't believe that I can actually understand Gretchen's state of hysteria, but I do.

He has hooded, sleepy looking dark green eyes, with flecks of Hazel, I saw this as he walked by me. His lashes were poetically long and his nose pronounced beautifully. His lips were drawn in a pout that matched his careless posture of hands buried in the pockets of his khakis, which should have taken away how hot he is but it didn't.

His hair, God his hair needed the attention of my fingers combing through the dark chocolate curls. He wore it longish in a poetic way, his lean physique made him look taller, and he has the sort of neck you just know smells so good.

And because Gretchen isn't that great of a whisperer, he did look over. It was a lazy look over at first, like he was used to these whispers of him, which he probably was. But then his lazily droopy eyes popped open and bit when looking over at us. At me.

Oh no, oh God he was looking over at me? I immediately felt self conscious, what if he notices my breakouts? What if he finds my nose strange or finds me annoying looking? It's a catholic school. What if my look was too Crucible for him? Why did this guy who I don't know, opinion matter so much to me?

He looked at me, he really looked at me– Oh God, he stepped out of line to walk over straight to me. I could barely hear Gretchen's panicking, it was just me and him in this place of worship. Someone whispered how Kyle never approaches anyone.

He then stood over me, my eyes widened a bit and a hardly there smirk painted his pursed lips. His dead eyes swept over me, and in a lazy voice he asked, "Do you smoke?"

"Yes."

I don't know why I said it, I've never touched cigarettes in my life and I've only had one beer when I decided alcohol wasn't for me. But for this mystery boy, I thoughtlessly said yes.

"I mean no, I lied, I'm sorry. I don't know why I said that." I said breathlessly. Why was I out of breath?"

Kyle just…smiled at me, it looked foreign on his lips like he wasn't used to it. "What's your name?" His voice was musically calm.

I opened my mouth to answer but I was up next to bite the wafer and sip the wine. I didn't hear from Kyle for the rest of the day.

@meetmyothersouls

[lboogie1906]

Dr. Clayborne Carson (born June 15, 1944) is an academic who is a professor of history at Stanford University. He has directed the Martin Luther King Papers Project, a long-term project to edit and publish the papers of Martin Luther King Jr.

He was born in Buffalo; the son of Clayborne and Louise Carson. He attended the University of New Mexico. He met Stokely Carmichael. Carmichael convinced him to attend the March on Washington For Jobs and Freedom as a member of SNCC.

He transferred to UCLA became more active and continued with SNCC. He changed his field of study from Computer Programming to American History. He earned his BA, MA, and Ph.D. He was involved with anti-Vietnam War protests.

He has taught and lectured in Britain, France, China, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and throughout the US. He teaches and lectures about Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, SNCC, the Black Panther Party, and other subjects related to the Black struggle and civil rights. He has been a frequent guest on Pacifica Radio station KPFA and has appeared on programs like Fresh Air, the Tavis Smiley Show, the Charlie Rose Show, Good Morning America, and the CBS Evening News. He is a member of the global council of the California International Law Center at the UC Davis School of Law. He is a member of several professional organizations including the American Historical Association, the Organization of American Historians, the Social Science History Association, the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History, and the Southern Historical Association.

He has written several books and articles and has made contributions to many more as well as documentaries and interviews. His first book In Struggle: and the Black Awakening of the 1960s was awarded the Fredrick Jackson Turner Award. He was the Historical Adviser for the film Freedom on My Mind, which was nominated for an Oscar.

He was nominated by President Biden to serve as a member of the newly formed Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board.

He married Susan Ann Beyer (1967). She was the managing editor of the King Papers Project. They have a daughter and a son. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[lesb0]

I really want to eat a frozen lemonade but it has to be $8 in the sweltering heat at the festival of books in UCLA and also 2006 and also I'm pulling my big radio flyer wagon stacked high with my new books and also I'm meeting rl stine for the first time so I feel a little scared