#y'all can either say positive uplifting things about her or leave

[themakeupbrush]

Celine Dion at the 2024 Grammy Awards

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #273

ew, wtf is this new /tagged formatting???? ugh.

What is something you dislike about the dating world? I haven't dated around enough to have first-hand experience, really. But from an outside view, people don't seem all that interested in serious commitment. Don't fwm if you aren't into the idea of working towards a whole lifetime together. What gives you confidence? Bitch nothing lmao. Have you ever dated someone with very different sexual tastes than you? No. What is the most meaningful gift you’ve ever given? Both Jason and Sara got a huge list of reasons I love them for certain relationship "milestones," both which really did take a long time because there were loads. I did it with each because I really did feel like it was a very personal, uplifting, and full-of-adoration gift, not just for the sake of recycling an idea because I had no others. I have a shitload of romantic ideas, ngl man. Do you feel as though someone ‘won’ in your last break up? Neither of us "won" or "lost," really. It was a mutual agreement that now just isn't the time for a relationship between us. Whatever happened to the first person you ever loved? Sometimes I'm scared to know. Do you still shop at the same stores you liked when you were a teenager? Yeah. Thankfully Hot Topic became more accessible to plus-size people. Is there anyone significantly older than you that you would date? No. I won't go over like... nine years. Even eight it pushing it. Please share your embarrassing and weird celeb crushes. Post pictures. What do you like about them? I don't have any "embarrassing" or "weird" ones. What is something your partner does that is unattractive to you? N/A What is something that would have made the show better/you would have liked to see happen on one of your favorite series? I honestly wish Weed in Ginga Densetsu Weed was more realistic and realized Hougen was worth killing himself. The lightning seemed cheap and anti-climactic. He had EVERY reason to kill him, and it sounds weird to consider killing as a form of growth, but I feel like it would've been. Maybe that's just a personal thing, believing killing is sometimes justified, but it actually annoyed me. Nevertheless, fucking fantastic show. How do you feel about celebrities that are silent about political or human rights issues? Do you think celebrities should use their platform to speak out? I have... mixed feelings. I think most of me says to use their prominence for good, to be a loud voice to look up to and bring greater attention to issues, but at the same time, some people just like/feel safer being non-political. When you were a kid, what child characters did you admire or relate to most? BINDI IRWIN!!!!!!!!!! I still follow and fucking adore her. Y'all she recently got married and she is just so beautiful and so happy and the Irwins are just genuinely angels on this earth. Tell me about a time that you were bored in a relationship (can be romantic or friendship). What was it about them/the situation that bored you? I've never been romantically bored, and not really with a friendship, either. Sure, I've been bored in another's presence, but it was never a consistent issue. Who’s your favorite Tiktoker? I have never even touched it. How high or low is the barrier to entry in your field or desired field? It's tough, but not that high. More than anything, photography depends on who you know to help get you out there, sadly. It's luck, too. There is most certainly skill involved, but yeah... building your brand up to stand out with only your own hands is ridiculously hard. But that's really any small business/self-employed position. Where would you look if you were looking for a job (e.g., indeed.com, company websites, asking a friend…)? I've pretty much always used Indeed, or I hear from family/friends. How much lower than your ideal salary would you take? What would the job have to entail for you to take a less than ideal wage? Hi, I live in America, where the government doesn't give a fuck if you can support yourself on minimum wage or not. :^) But anyway, this is a difficult question to answer with how little experience I have. I can say, however, that I will fucking not work to just barely scrape by with minimum wage. If I'm going to bust my ass, it's gonna be fucking worth it. Even if you were able to support yourself/your own family, would there ever be a situation in which you would choose to live in a shared house with another family or individual, be it your parents or a sibling’s family, or some other housemate? Sure, I wouldn't mind. Especially family. Do bridges make you nervous? To a degree. Are there any movies that you find so dumb, you find funny? Napoleon Dynamite, of course. How often do you vacation? Pretty much never ever. Do you think it’s cruel to leave a live fish to die in an ice box? I am genuinely concerned for you if you say no to this. Have you ever done anything sexual with someone of the same sex? Yes. Have you ever pawned anything off at a pawn shop? No. Do you have stomach abs? OH, HUNNY- Do you know anyone who is trying to physically impersonate a celebrity? No. Have you ever seen a shuttle launch? I mean, on TV, but even then I didn't seriously watch it. Are we having signs of the apocalypse? I don't believe in the "apocalypse." We're going to fall through natural methods. We're definitely heading deeper into destruction in some ways, though, by our own hands. I'm quite sure humans themselves will be the end of humanity. Would you rather see The Blue Man Group or Fear Factor live? BLUE MAN GROUP!!! They're dooooope. Do you have any exciting plans for this upcoming weekend? No. I'm staying in the goddamn house like we're fucking supposed to. What color of colored contacts would you like to have? To wear regularly? Sapphire blue. Ohhh, maybe one that, and the other icy blue. What’s on your bedside table? It's more a shelf than a table, so I have quite a bit. My medicine basket, fan, a drink, books, sketchbook, some other miscellaneous things. What’s on your bed? A bedsheet, comforter, two pillows, and me, ha ha. Your floor besides furniture? Nothing. Your dresser? All my meerkat stuffed animals, plus some others. The top shelf in your closet? Ha, good question. Are there any dead stuffed animals in your house? No. What’s the best prize you’ve won on an amusement park/carnival game? *shrug* Have you ever done anything sexual in a school? No, I was a good noodle. Have you ever been indoor skydiving? No. Would you have any interest in going on a cruise? Not really. What did you have for dinner last night? I made some hot wings. What's your ideal indoor temperature? High 60s, ig. It’s hard to really tell because my room is always the hottest in the house and I have a fan on me, so I don’t really feel the “normal” temperature most of the time. Does your kitchen have a theme? No. What's the grossest thing u have found in your food? Probably nothing worse than a hair or something, idk. Are you a flip flop lover? I am NOTORIOUS for wearing flipflops absolutely year-round. A little bit of snow on the ground? I’m wearing my gd flipflops because they’re just easy to slide on and I care about convenience probably too much lmao. What namebrand dishwashing liquid do u use? … Dawn, I think? I don’t really pay attention. Do you like ice cream sandwiches? UGH yesssssssssss hunty. Do you prefer hard or soft shell tacos? I hate tacos, but I’d definitely rather have a soft shell than hard. Ever worn a flower in your hair? Maybe as a kid? Name five random things in your kitchen? Nothing abnormal, really… no, wait. You know those sticky cylinder things that flies are attracted to and die a slow death for their brazen intrusion upon your property? We have one of those hanging up in there. Magnets and pictures on the fridge is considered pretty normal, right? Name four things in your fridge? Milk, apples, a bigass bag of pepperoni, and some cold water bottles because I strongly prefer cold water. Name two things in your meds cabinet? We’ve got a load… Different kinds of pain pills, things like Pepto, etc. Name six things in your family room? A couch, a reclining chair, the TV, Mom’s bed, loads of pictures on the walls, and uh… sidetables? Name three things in your bedroom? My snake, my bed, and my dresser. Name three things in your yard? A bird feeder that squirrels like to steal from, a random fucking dolphin statue thingy that deadass looks like a distorted dick (it’s been here since we got here, idfk), and two sheds. Name two things in your bathroom? Our bathroom is tiiiny, so very normal stuff. Y’know, a toilet and sink. What health problems do you have? A lot that I don’t feel like thinking through. Fave name brand of water? Essentia. Do you have a trampoline? Not since I was a teenager. The last time you were in the fridge, what were you looking for? Jam to make a pb&j. Do you like clowns? No opinion. Are you listening to anything at the moment? Surprisingly nothing, but Halocene’s cover of “My Immortal” is seeeeeriously jammed in my head. Do you twitch when your falling asleep? YES. They’re more like muscle spasms. Are your dishes in the dishwasher clean or dirty? We don’t have one; we have to wash by hand. Buuut that house we’re moving into has one! :’) When is the last time you were on a bicycle? Not since I was a teenager. I used to love love loooove to ride my bike after school. What have you eaten today? Special K cereal and aforementioned sandwich. Do you own a strapless bra? Fuckin Y I K E S that would not work w/ my size lmfao. Does the person you like know it? Ye. Did anything brighten up your day today? Our lawn FINALLY got mowed and the bushes trimmed. We had to tidy it up before we can move. It looked like a jungle, deadass serious. Do you ever wonder how other people see you? Only all the time. What is one good thing you're known for? I write well. How about one bad thing? I’m very dependent. When was the last time you sang an ENTIRE song? Wow, no clue. I rarely sing, never mind an entire song. What is one thing that is currently bothering you? Actually my stomach kinda hurts. What did you do today? Wander around the Internet looking for something to even mildly entertain me, play World of Warcraft for a very brief period since I’m going through a bored phase of it, read for a bit, showered… not a lot, but later today we’re celebrating my mom’s birthday early, actually. Do you consider yourself to be attractive? No. I think my dimples are kinda cute, but that’s it. Do you regret going out with the last person you did? Not at all. Do you realize it when you curse? It’s so normal in my vocabulary that generally, no. I’m very mindful around kids, though. I still remember the first time I said “fuck” in my mom’s presence without realizing it and she just like f r o z e. Have you ever been extremely tired but refused to go to sleep? Yeah, for various reasons. That is veeeeery rare nowadays, though, partially because I’m so fucking bored that I’m just happy to close the day. What's the longest amount of time you've been stuck in traffic? An hour or so is my guess while traveling. I don’t recall any specific instances. Best field trip experience? We went to the zoo!!!! It was the one and only time thus far that I’ve seen meerkats irl. What is the most amount of money you've spent on a meal before? I’ve never really been able to buy my own meal, never mind something expensive. What museums have you visited, if any? Just local ones centered around art or science, generally. What's your worst traveling experience? Idk. Sims 1, 2, or 3? Why? Never played. Not my kinda game. What area of math are you best at? Worst? lol I suck at them all. How do you feel when you meet someone with the same music taste as you? It’s exciting! Do you believe in luck? Why or why not? No, because I don’t believe in any “magical” influence over events that occur. Shit just happens, sometimes to good people, sometimes to bad people, and everything in-between. How often do you "half-ass" things (put little effort in)? IIII tend to do that a lot.. Do you ever feel self-conscious when you eat around other people? Not really. Have you ever missed a meeting/event that was required/necessary? You could say so, but it turned out fine that I missed it anyway. What's something that makes you incredibly nervous? Talking to people I don’t know or being alone with a man. If you don't have glasses, how would you feel if you had to get them? N/A If you do have glasses, how would you feel if you didn't need them anymore? I’d be fuckin’ stoked, I could get my undereye dermal without it looking stupid. How many vegetarians do you know? I’m not sure. Have you ever considered going to art school? Does Photography count? I majored in that. Otherwise, no. Have you ever had problems falling asleep in class? No, I was always very attentive in class. Are your parents supportive of you? Very.

[douxreviews]

Legends of Tomorrow: Luchas de Apuestas

"You were right. There’s no such thing as happily ever after."

Legends of Tomorrow is back with its first episode in nearly four months, and it comes out swinging.

The second half of season four just got real, y'all.

Wow. That is a lot to process. Just... wow.

The most admirable thing about this episode is how much every additional tragedy felt like a natural consequence of the events that led up to it. So often when a show wants to create big, dramatic rifts between its characters it ends up coming across as incredibly contrived. The writing staff wants A and B to have a falling out for whatever reason, and so they find some way of starting a fight between them that usually comes wrapped in a big sign that says 'this is an excuse for A and B to fight.'

That's not the case here at all. What we have here is a bunch of characters that we know quite well by this point, responding to events in ways that feel perfectly true to who they are. And the actions that they take cause other characters to react in ways that are true to who they are, and soon the reverberations of all of those in character actions are careening off in tragic but understandable ways. It's like watching a meticulously arranged domino pattern but with crying.

Obviously, I'm girding myself to discuss Sara and Ava.

OK, right now I'm rocking gently and repeating to myself, 'It's not permanent. They'll work it out' over and over again. But as much as I hate that Sara and Ava have broken up, I can't help but watch all the little steps that led up to it and think, 'Yes. That is exactly how Sara would respond to that' and 'Yep, that's exactly how I would expect Ava to react to that situation.' Of course Sara would choose to give Mona and the Kaupe the benefit of the doubt and try to shield them from the Bureau. Of course Ava would feel betrayed by that and respond by attempting to take more control over Sara and the Waverider in order to protect time. Or course Ava would ultimately try to prevent Sara's team from doing something she sees as reckless by sending in troops, and of course Sara is going to respond badly to that. Just to make it more heartbreaking, they both genuinely tried several times to talk the situation through like adults so that they could head the whole thing off, but failed.

Ava needed Sara to be on her side, and Sara couldn't be because that would mean abandoning Mona and the Kaupe, both of whom are basically innocent, to punishment and torture. She feels like Sara let her down, because Sara did actually let her down, even if it was for the best of reasons. Sara needed Ava to back her up against Hank and the government forces that are torturing their prisoners, and Ava couldn't do that because without Hank and his funding the Time Bureau ceases to exist, which would leave time unprotected just as it's being overrun with magical monsters. She feels like Ava is compromising herself ethically by ignoring the torture because Ava is, in fact, compromising herself ethically by ignoring the torture, even if she is doing it with the greater good in mind.

Which was a great final twist of the knife, by the way. A lot of Sara's dilemma in this episode was not knowing if Ava was part of the corrupt system, or in danger from the corrupt system. And because Sara is an emotionally healthy adult her default position was to have faith in Ava. Which made that final conversation all the more painful when Ava not only revealed that she didn't have a problem with the torturing of prisoners, she also pointed out that the Legends were sending those same prisoners to literal Hell only a few months ago. Ouch. I had forgotten that. Hell, they were ready to send Charlie to Hell now that I think about it. Goodbye moral high ground.

Meanwhile, in the rest of the episode, wow we have a lot of characters now, don't we. So, Charlie and Ray hang out back at the Waverider, while Mick, John, and Sara go to check out the Lucha Libre to which they've tracked the Kaupe. Zari, meanwhile, heads to Time Bureau HQ to dig into their security software and find out if Mona is telling the truth about not having released the Kaupe herself. She pairs up with Nate, and of course uncovers that Hank doctored the footage and is behind the whole 'creature torture' thing. Nate shows that he's undergone some character growth and doesn't fly off the handle at Hank, but instead pretends to be cool with it so that he can go all monster hunter Donnie Brasco. I like that new direction for Nate a lot. Having him investigation the TB from within is a lot more interesting than him slowly turning to the dark side and siding with Hank during the inevitable upcoming civil war, which is where I thought he was going.

Mick, John, Charlie and Ray don't get a ton to do this week, but Mick does get a couple of solid bonding scenes with Mona, over his Buck and Garima books, of which there are now apparently many. I guess that's what Mick was doing over the winter break. John, similarly, doesn't get a lot, but had a couple very nice moments with a Luchador who is supposed to be a big hero, but who's been supplanted by the time displaced Kaupe who's now wrestling under the name El Lobo. The detail that John is apparently a big fan of that particular wrestler and his later monster movies is perhaps a tad too convenient, but it was earnestly endearing, and earnest helps to excuse a lot in my book.

So, after all that uplifting triumph over adversity, Mona has the opportunity to run away with the Kaupe, but makes the emotionally correct choice to not run away from her problems, and everything is warm and fuzzy and deeply moving. But then the Kaupe is abruptly shot and killed and Mona is apparently a werewolf (were-Kaupe?) now, and all you can think as a viewer is, 'Oh, that's why they reminded us about her Kaupe-injury and why we had all the wolfman references made to the Kaupe. They were setting up that moment really well as the natural consequence of this sequence of events and I didn't even notice.'

If only every hour of broadcast television understood and used cause and effect as a result of character choices this well. What a world that would be.

So what have we learned today?

That the show isn't even remotely concerned about what the knock on effects of changes to the timeline might be anymore. That was actually the one big flaw this week. If the presence of the Kaupe in 1961 was changing the timeline in a way that the Bureau could see, then it would have eliminated a lot of the underlying problem. Specifically, if Ava could have seen that having the Kaupe fight the Lucha de Apuestas fight was the only way to get history back on the correct course, then the whole final fight could have been avoided.

Of course, the whole final fight was much more about Sara and Ava and their relationship, so it doesn't detract that much from the episode. But it would be nice if they'd addressed it at all.

Everybody remember where we parked:

This week the Waverider went to Mexico City, 1961, to catch a little Lucha Libre. And Zari somehow flitted back and forth between the Waverider in 1961 and the Time Bureau in the present day.

Present day, interestingly enough, is still stated here as 2018, probably unavoidably, as the action picks up right where "Legends of To-Meow-Meow" left off.

Quotes:

Gary: "Aw, what an adorable little puppet." Puppet: "Eat my fuzzy dung, ya dick!"

Ava: "Gary. Close that hospital gown or I will report you to HR."

Gary: "I don’t know who I am. I don’t know why anything is things. I don’t know where my nipple went. Where’s my nipple? Where’s my nipple?!?"

Constantine: "Oh, come on Raymondo."

Nate’s mom: "Zari? What a beautiful name for a beautiful woman with excellent childbearing hips."

Ava: "Sara, my ass is already on the line. Feeling me up in front of my boss is not a good idea right now."

Constantine: "Trust me, there’s nothing people like more than a good comeback."

Bits and pieces:

-- Please don't let them be hinting that Zari and Nate are going to be a couple. I'm just not down for it.

-- Zari and Sara again looked absolutely amazing in their party dresses.

-- On the one hand, I like the implication that the show has finally remembered Nate's hemophilia, since it's implied that that's why his parents host an annual fundraiser for it. On the other hand, it's weird that that never came up once from anyone.

-- Seriously, powers that be, if you're going to take a four month mid-season break, for the love of god make the first half's episodes available on-demand so that we can get back up to speed. I spent most of this episode thinking, 'Oh yeah, I forgot that that happened,' which really killed several of the reveals for me.

-- I really, really wish that there'd been a luchador with the number 5 on his mask, somewhere in the background.

-- Luchas de Apuestas means a fight with a wager on it. Usually either the opposing wrestler's mask or hair.

-- Was the Kaupe a demi-god before? Because I think that was a bit of a ret-con.

-- Apparently the heavily hinted Gary/Mona/Kaupe love triangle is not going to be a thing. I hope they find a way to fix Gary and that he forgives Mona.

-- I did not see Mona's monster transformation coming. Can't wait to see where that goes.

-- When exactly did Sara and Ava learn that Tango? Not that I'm complaining, it looked amazing.

-- I would totally play Ray's 'Cards to Save the Timeline' game.

An episode that was both a lot of fun, and a lot of heartbreaking. Welcome back, Legends. You were gone too long.

Three and a half out of four missing nipples.

Mikey Heinrich is, among other things, a freelance writer, volunteer firefighter, and roughly 78% water.

[seriestrash]

The Story of Us

PROLOGUE || 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 || 5 || 6 || 7 || 8 || 

Chapter Nine: The Dance

Word Count: 4012

✮ ✮ ✮ ✮ ✮ ✮ ✮

Friday evening the four boys that felt closer than the blood that was shared between three of them, got dressed in Lucas' room for the pending dance. The mood had been weird all day knowing that Riley's bus to the airport had departed whilst they were at school. 

Thomas was the first dressed. He lay in the middle of the floor throwing a baseball up in the air playing catch with himself, a trip hazard for those surrounding. The huffy twin claims that he was going with his usual 50% effort with his appearance because he didn't want his date thinking he was interested. Lucas gave Thomas a gentle kick as he passed, reminding his cousin that they had to be decent and respect their dates, even if neither of them actually wanted to go with them. Thomas lets out an exaggerated sigh and sits up, the teen struggles to cross his legs in the tight black jeans he wore, decorated with knees exposing rips. 

"I still can't believe Tris is taking Mabel to the dance." Thomas shoots a side glare to his brother whom is fixing his hair in the small mirror above Lucas' dresser. 

Tristan remains silent and rolls his eyes, the reflection of which Thomas catches in the mirror. 

"Hey, he's taking me to the dance too." Zay jokingly snaps. "Well, we're both taking her rather?" Zay seemed unsure of their actual dynamic for the evening. 

"Yeah but you're only going to the stupid dance to spy on Vanessa with Miles." Thomas less jokingly snaps back. Zay scrunches his nose up in disgust for the very implication. 

"I can't believe you're threatened by your gay twin brother taking Mabel to the dance." A strong hint of sarcasm present in Tristan voice. 

"I'm not threatened." Thomas gets defensive. "I just didn't know you were so friendly with her." 

"You mean the nice girl we've sat with for the past three weeks? Yeah, super hard to to imagine me taking a liking to her." Tristan turns around to face his brother. 

“I just find it strange that you’re going with her.” Thomas mumbles. 

“You’re either stubborn or an idiot.” Tristan exhales loudly.

“Both.” Lucas playfully taunts.

“Why?” Thomas asks his twin but directs his scold at Lucas. 

“I asked Mabel to the dance for you.” Tristan crosses his arms close to his chest. 

“That makes zero sense.” Thomas knits his brows. 

“Riley mentioned that Mabel was leaning towards not going so I thought it would be nice if I helped encourage her to come.” Tristan explains. 

“You’re a real hero.” Zay scoffs playfully. 

“I asked Mabel because I wanted her there, she’s my friend.” Tristan says proudly as he turns to Zay. “And I knew that Thomas was too chicken to ask her himself, so at least this way he benefits too, kinda...”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Thomas frowns. 

"Are we seriously still pretending that you don't like her?" Tristan groans.  

"You mean like Lucas is pretending that he doesn't like Riley?" Thomas shifts the attention.   

"Hey!" Lucas whines for being dragged into it. 

"Exactly like that." Tristan says firmly. 

"Hey!" Lucas whines agains, feeling ganged up on. 

Zay is on the verge of hysteric laughter. Oh how he's missed this times like these. 

"Come on Luke, you practically signed your own death certificate the moment Riley suggested you do another rodeo." Tristan shoots him an accusatory look. 

"It may have been her suggestion but she’s not the reason I agreed to go through with it." Lucas retorts. 

"When we spoke on the phone you called her the pretty brunette, dude." Zay highlights. 

"So?" Lucas gives his best friend a look. "I can't think a girl is pretty without having feelings for her? Vanessa's pretty, so is Mabel, real pretty actually. That doesn't mean I like them!" 

"Hey!" Zay and Thomas whine in unison. 

"I thought you two didn't care?" Tristan smirks. 

“I don’t.” Thomas folds his arms. 

“Maybe I care a little.” Zay shrugs. “But so does Lucas.” 

“Hey!” Lucas whines, again.

“The heart wants what the heart wants.” Zay moves over and sits by Lucas on the bed, slapping his back roughly. 

“Do I need to remind everyone that Riley went back to New York today?” Lucas sighs. “To surprise her boyfriend.” 

“Surprise?” Zay looks guilty. 

Lucas gives him a quizzical look but Zay just shuffles his position and continues, “None of that matters because I go back on Monday too.”

“That’s supposed to make me feel better?” Lucas squints one eye. 

“Well I’ll force my friendship on her, I’ll be enough Texas for everyone so she’ll never forget Hillford.” Zay grins goofily. 

“Yeah, I don’t like the sound of that.” Lucas grumbles. 

“Jealous.” Thomas coughs into his closed fist. 

“Yeah of f-friendship...” Lucas stutters realising immediately how ridiculous he sounds. 

“You’re all so immature,” Tristan sports another eye rolls. “Why can’t we just be honest with each other?” 

“Coming from the king of secrecy?” Thomas scoffs. “Don’t think we haven't noticed that you’ve been acting strange lately.” 

“Strange?” Tristan chuckles nervously. 

"Are you losers nearly ready?" Jacob playfully taunts from the doorway. No one in the room noticed his presence until he spoke nor knew how long he was there for. "If y'all don't leave soon your dates are going to think you stood them up..." 

The two with dates arranged by the bidding process leave in Cassidy’s car to meet the two cheerleaders whom got ready together whilst Zay takes the rental car with Tristan to Mabel’s house.

✮ ✮ ✮

Hours later, after the dance, Lucas walks alone in the brisk air, a guitar slung over his shoulder as he makes his way to the inn. The Texan climbs up the creaky steps and is surprised to see the door is open ajar. Lucas cautiously steps over the threshold and into the inn with his phone torch in hand. 

“Hello?” He calls into the eerie building. “Is somebody there?” 

“In here.” Her voice drifted from another room. 

“Riley?” Lucas knits his brows in confusion as he follows the direction of her voice. Lucas enters the room with the bay window and finds the burette sitting at the far end of the burnt out window with knees brought up close to her chest. 

“Hey.” She looks up at him with a soft smile.

"Don't mistake my confusion for disappointment, but, what are you doing here, Riley?" Lucas asks. 

“I needed a bay window.” Riley answers. 

“And your one in New York was occupied?” Lucas lets out the tiniest laugh. 

“No. My one in New York was in New York.” Riley huffs. 

“Okay...” Lucas sits on the floor by the other end of the bay window seat. “Care to tell me why New York is the enemy all the sudden?” 

Riley remains quiet and lowers her gaze to the floor. 

"Hey," Lucas says softly as he shuffles a few inches closer to her. "Remember that whole trust thing we've had going on lately?" 

Another quiet moment passes before Riley finally speaks, but even then her gaze remains pointed to the ground. "I got to the airport today and I was sitting outside my gate waiting to board when my phone rang. I got excited thinking it would be Maya, she'd called me six times already expressing excitement about my return..." Riley wears half a smile. "It wasn't. It was Charlie." Riley paused almost expecting a reaction from Lucas, which he remained neutral. Riley continues, "Somehow one of his friends found out I was coming back and told him so Charlie called me to ask if it was true. He seemed kinda mad about it. Or annoyed that I didn't tell him... I asked why because I thought he’d be excited and then he told me he already asked someone else to the dance.” 

“Are you serious?” Lucas frowns. 

Riley gives him a slight nod. “So naturally I asked him why and he told me that these past three weeks have really helped clear things up for him. He told me that I wasn’t the girl he had a crush on in middle school anymore and that he held onto the idea of me for so long it clouded his ability to realise that we just didn’t work. So we broke up and then I called Maya after and I told her everything and I said that I didn’t know what to do, that I was embarrassed to come home and she got angry at me. She said, ‘who cares about Charlie Gardner when the real reason you’re coming home i s for me?’ and then we started fighting and Maya told me that I’ve changed and maybe I shouldn’t bother coming back at all. Then the airline called for passengers to board my flight and even though I knew Maya didn’t mean it, I just walked away and didn’t get on the plane.”

“Whoa.” Is all Lucas can say. 

"And to complete the trifecta of uplifting phone calls I had, there was the one with my mom and all I wanted was for her to make me feel like things were going to be okay but instead I got yelled at.” Riley says weakly. “Charlie, Maya, my parents, they all have opinions on who I was or who I am and I just don’t know why I’m trying so hard to hold onto a life that clearly doesn’t even want me anymore.”

“Whatever his reasons were, it’s still a sucky thing to do... Ask someone else to the dance..” Lucas furrows his brows. “I’m really sorry.” 

“Don’t be.” Riley says simply. “I mean once I got over the initial shock of it all I realised that I was relieved. I know that sounds horrible but maybe I only liked the idea of Charlie too..” 

Suddenly, ‘he ticks all the boxes’ came to Lucas’ mind but he doesn’t say anything.

“I grew up with the textbook definition of soul mates for parents. I think that I just conditioned myself to believe that love isn’t like that for everyone.” Riley speaks and theres a hint of sadness in her voice. “Or at least not for me... I’ve known Charlie since I was young, he was always so nice, very gentlemanly, perfect boyfriend material... Dating him felt like a safe version of love.. If you could call it love. I thought that maybe my new attitude was what made us feel off but I think it was just not the right fit.”

“You say you’re okay but you still seem sad?” Lucas lightly presses. 

“I’m sad that I’m not sad.” Riley shares a weak laugh at the silliness. “Love is supposed to be epic right? The stable boy and the ballerina..” 

"Two souls finding each other a long way from home." Lucas adds. "Maybe without the heartbreak." He softens.

"Yeah but even then..." Riley finds Lucas' stare, "...at least I'd know it was real, epic."

Lucas nods lightly to show he understood what she meant.

“Do you think you’ll wake up tomorrow morning and regret not leaving for New York?” Lucas asks. 

“Maybe..” Riley admits. “But maybe what I want and what I need are two different things.” 

“How do you mean?” Lucas asks for clarification. 

She sighs heavily. “Do you know why I got suspended in New York?” Riley doesn’t wait for an answer. “Maya did this painting in art class that was honestly amazing and the teacher fell in love with it. He made a really big deal about it and urged Maya to showcase it in the schools open day which she wasn’t too interested in doing but then the teacher emailed her mom saying he hadn’t received the permission slip back so Katy gave him the okay to do it. When Maya found out, she wasn’t really happy about it and she convinced me to ‘borrow’ my dads keys to the school so we could take the painting before the showcase... She said it wasn’t stealing because the painting was hers. So late at night, once the school was locked up, we broke in... Maya found her painting but as we were leaving I accidentally knocked over a shelf of paints and it went all over peoples artworks... The following day the principal found the mess and traced it back to me because my dads keycard registered in the system but Maya couldn’t really afford to get in anymore trouble so I said I was alone...” 

“You were trying to protect her.” Lucas nods, he’d been there before. 

“Yeah but that’s not the point.” Riley shakes her head. “I was only in that situation because I accepted that Maya didn’t want to show off her talent. I encouraged her to hide it, I helped.” Riley looks at Lucas as she stresses each statement. “That’s who I am in New York. I’m someone who pretends to get bad grades.. I help Maya do bad things and I use the excuse that it’s for friendship.. That’s not friendship... Three years ago I would have hung her painting on my wall and I would have bought her paintbrushes for christmas... I am a fake in New York... I thought being Maya was the best thing I could be. I shouldn’t have tried to copy her fierceness, I should have let it inspire my own.” Riley says. “That’s how friendship works.” 

“If you keep this in mind when you really do go back to New York I think you’re going to be okay.” Lucas says encouragingly. 

“Maybe..” Riley shrugs. “But I don’t think I’m ready yet. I mean, does anyone ever really know who they are?” Riley asks not expecting an answer. “I don’t, I just know that I like who I am when I’m with you.” 

Lucas smiles like he’s just heard the nicest thing in the world. 

“Enough of the heavy stuff..” Riley laughs nervously. “How was the dance?” 

“Well, Zay was his usual piny self for Vanessa. Worried about her and Miles all night. Tristan kept Mabel company while Addison didn’t let Thomas out of her sight all night... Then the dance wrapped up and I walked Mabel home because she was very adamant on not attending the after party and then I came here.”

“That’s very sweet of you to escort her home.” Riley says with a small smile, a small wave of excitement hit her at the idea of hanging about with the shy girl again. 

Lucas shrugs a shoulder like it was no big deal. “I’m sure Thomas would have liked to have done it but Addison insisted that his duty as her date continued into the after party.” 

Riley lets out a small laugh. “What about you, did your date get her ninety-eight dollars worth?” 

“She got pictures and a few awkward dances out of me,” Lucas chuckles, “Then her dad picked her up after the dance so I was off the hook.” 

“Sounds like fun, sorry I missed it.” Riley says half seriously. 

“Yeah me too.” Lucas is quiet. 

 “So what’s this?” She leans forward and pulls the guitar into her lap. 

“That would be a guitar.” Lucas says playfully. 

“Wow,” Riley chuckles through the word. “Thanks for clearing that up.” 

“You’re welcome.” Lucas says quietly. 

“So is this like your thing?” Riley pricks up a brow. 

“My thing?” Lucas matches her raised eyebrow. 

“You know, broody cowboy, tortured musician?” Riley fiddles with the instrument in her lap. “Or is it just a prop for the ladies?” 

“A prop?” Lucas shows a look of mock offence. 

“To make the ladies swoon.” Riley sways her shoulders about. “What’s your go to tune?” 

“You could not be more wrong.” Lucas chuckles. 

“Fine, if you wont tell me I’ll just have to guess.” Riley closes her eyes for a moment in thought. Riley clears her throat dramatically and strums the guitar before more strategically placing her fingers into position. “So you, a girl and a twinkly sky.” Riley sets the scene before playing her first guess. “'Cause you're a sky, 'cause you're a sky full of stars...” Riley abandons the song quite quickly. “Nope that doesn’t feel right.” 

Lucas watches on with a coaxed head, amused to see where this was going and how long for. 

“Ooo I know.” Riley says excitedly, “Something a little more fun?” Riley repositions herself before strumming again, “Well you done done me and you bet I felt it, I tried to be chill but you're so hot I melted, I fell right through the cracks and now I'm trying to get back. Before the cool done run out I'll be giving it my best-est and nothing's going to stop me but divine intervention. I reckon it's again my turn, to win some or learn some. But I won't hesitate no more, no more, it cannot wait, I'm yours....” Riley sung goofily, her voice bouncing through the lyrics before strumming one last time dramatically and waving her hand in the air for her finale. 

Lucas raises his hands and claps them loudly with a laugh. 

“Thank you, thank you!” Riley giggles. She lets her laughter fade out, a small smile remains as she finds Lucas’ eyes. “No, you show them your softer side, something more romantic, don’t you, Lukey?”

Lucas ‘bleh’s’ at the pet name and Riley raises her index finger to her mouth and playfully shushes him before returning her focus to the strings. The brunette begins to pluck them softly and closes her eyes for the first line, really immersing herself in the lyrics, “Wise men say, only fools rush in..”  

Lucas snaps his head up in awe the moment Riley sings the first word. She had been playing around before but something about approach to this particual song was so pretty. Lucas was captivated. 

"But I can't help falling in love with you.” Riley continues. “Shall I stay, would it be a sin, if I can't help falling in love with you? Like a river flows surely to the sea, darling so it goes, some things are meant to be. Take my hand, take my whole life too, for I can't help falling in love with you..”   

Riley stops, opens her eyes and immediately grew anxious under Lucas’ stare. “It sounds better with a piano..” Riley’s nerves seep into her laughter. 

“My grandma used to love that song.” Lucas says softly. 

Riley’s smile creeps wider and the two teens were just looking at each other with goofy faces. Riley’s the first to break she pulls the guitar off her lap and fakes a cough to break the silence, “So that’s the song, right?” 

“The guitar is Tommy’s.” Lucas says with a small smirk. “I confiscated it off him before he went to the party after the dance. The last time he was drunk he smashed his guitar like a ‘true rockstar’.” 

“So you let me go on like that for nothing?” Riley’s glare proves to be weak with her smile. 

“I just wanted to see how long you’d go on for,” Lucas grins. 

The two end up just looking at each other again, like neither of them noticed when the room fell silent. An obvious moment between them. Again Riley breaks first, “I think I should get going and you should get a decent sleep before the rodeo.” 

“Right, yeah.” Lucas matches her bumbling speech and the two stand. “So does this mean you’re coming tomorrow?” 

“Well, I mean, yeah..” Riley laughs, “That’s alright isn’t it?” 

“Yeah. Totally fine.” Lucas smiles. 

He and Riley walk back together. The two stand at the edge of Jed’s porch as they wish each other a goodnight. Lucas notices Riley stare past him, he turns to follow her line of sight and sighs heavily when he spots three familiar faces stumbling towards his front door. 

“Need any help?” Riley offers. 

“Thanks, but I’ve got this.” Lucas wears half a smile. “Years of experience.” 

The two break and Lucas rounds up his loud friends in the street and ushers them through his front door and up the stairs to his room. None of them even attempted to be stealth, stumbling over each other with loud chuckles. Cassidy surfaces from her room after waking to the commotion. A disapproving look is pointed Lucas’ way as the other three pile into his room

“I didn’t even go to the party.” Lucas tries to defend himself. “I was with Riley, completely sober.”

“Riley?” Cassidy pricks up a brow. “I thought she left this morning.”

“It’s a long story.” Lucas rubs at the crook of his neck. “But she didn’t end up going back.”

“Is she alright?” Cassidy asks, concern present in her tone.

“I think so.” Lucas nods lightly.

“Okay.” Cassidy says softly. “Make sure those three fools drink water before passing out and you should get some sleep. I don’t want you riding this darn bull tired.”

“Thanks Mamma,” Lucas says with a small smile and returns to the drunken teens in his room.

“Did I just hear you say you were with Riley?” Thomas gawks once Lucas enters.

“You just saw me with Riley.” Lucas laughs.

“Right, that’s right!” Thomas laughs too. “Rileyyyyyyy, eh?” He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.

“I’m going to get some water bottles from downstairs. Everyone just be quiet.” Lucas dodges the subject.

The blonde boy does just as he said and returns with the items. Lucas passes each of them a water bottle hoping to sober everyone up before bed. Thomas was already curled up on the beanbag by the bed whilst Tristan and Zay squeezed themselves into Lucas’ bed together. Lucas takes a moment to look at them all, each wearing innocent little smirks.

“I guess I’m sleeping on the sofa downstairs then, huh?” Lucas places his hand on his hips.

“You’re such a good friend.” Zay coos.

“The best.” Lucas chuckles, he kicks off his shoes turns off the light on his way downstairs. 

Lucas flops down on the sofa and pulls a spare blanket over himself. The Texan exhales loudly as he stares at the ceiling thinking about the evening that just was. Rustling followed by the creek of the stairs sees Lucas sit up and look over the back of the sofa. He spots Thomas coming down, lugging the beanbag with him. 

Thomas sleepily dumps it on the floor and snuggles up again with a smile pointed at Lucas. 

“Hey buddy,” Lucas says, wondering what brought on his cousins desire to switch rooms. 

“I lied earlier.” Thomas sighs. “I do like Mabel.” 

“Me too.” Lucas says. 

“What?” Thomas frowns. 

“I meant me too I lied not me too I like Mabel.” Lucas says quickly. 

“Oh good.” Thomas looks relieved. “So you like Riley?”

“Yep.” Lucas says simply. 

“Please explain why Riley’s here and not in New York?” Thomas asks. 

“She broke up with her boyfriend, or he broke up with her... I’m not sure but they broke up.” Lucas explains. 

“Wow.” Thomas says with little emotion in his voice. 

“Yeah, she decided to stay here for a while..” Lucas says. 

“It could have been the large amount of alcohol I consumed but when we arrived she looked pretty happy to be with you..” Thomas says. “Do you think there’s anything like there between you?” 

“I don’t know..” Lucas is dismissive. 

“Come on, Luke?” Thomas presses. 

“Maybe,” Lucas gives in quickly. “I could have imagined it but I think there was maybe this moment..” 

“A moment?” Thomas asks excitedly. “Did you kiss her?” 

“No!” Lucas says quickly. “She just ended a relationship.”

“But did you want to kiss her?” Thomas questions.

“No.. Maybe.. I don’t know.” Lucas shakes his head. 

“Do you think Mabel could like me back?” Thomas asks. 

“You could always speak to her tomorrow about how you feel and find out.” Lucas eyes his sleepy cousin. 

“Yeah... and you can talk to Riley too..” Thomas says with heavy lids, “Presuming you don’t die riding Tombstone first.” 

“Thanks for the pep talk, Tommy.” Lucas lets out a deflated laugh but Thomas was already asleep. 

End Notes: At least this update comes a week after the last and not two weeks after!! Sorry it still took a while!

A skam inspired scene, can you believe???? The songs were all also chosen by you guys a while back! Mostly anons so I cant really shootout everyone individually but woooo 

Single Riley!! 

Next Chapter: The rodeo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!