#got a deadline tonight a check in tomorrow another check in monday a different thing due in ten days

[ichorblossoms]

ougughhgg i wanna draw my ocs so bad but...the Obligations....

#which is me saying i'm balls deep in freelance work atm #got a deadline tonight a check in tomorrow another check in monday a different thing due in ten days #and at least two other upcoming illustration projects #which is great financially bc if everything goes through i'm more than set for the year #but also my brain is clogged with oc thoughts and i don't have the time to get them OUT until like. tuesday #sunday if i play my cards right. which is. mm......da adhd..... #rattling the bars of my cage i wanna finish that serena and phil comic and that honeybee comic and draw dalien again and grimm and yarrow a #AND i've been havign thoughts abt machina ex...oigh #mostly loose there though it's beginning to grow a plot #my problem is i can't just make a story for fun it has to have Themes so i can't just like. settle for shit. most of the time #behind the scenes

[13-reasons-ideas]

Can’t Go Back Part 18

A/N: This chapter got away from me a bit. It’s over 6 thousand words so tuck in guys. I hope you like it. And as I’ve said before, any time a character gets sick in this, it’s nothing more than a flu or common bug. Given this is a Before chapter, COVID didn't exist, but just given the situation currently. I feel like it is important to say that. Just a note on temperature. According to Google 52 degrees F is roughly 11 degrees C. 45 degrees F is roughly 6 degrees C. For my fellow non-USians. Feedback is appreciated as always and much love. -Em

Winter formal was upon us. It was only one day out now. Jeff was still on me about going, like he had been for weeks. I still had no intention of going. And as luck would have it, I had just run into the perfect excuse not to go. I woke up Friday morning to my stomach cramping and churning. Oh god this is awful. I feel like I got hit by a truck. Before I even had time to wake up wake up, I rolled over and grabbed my trashcan. My body shook as I coughed. Sitting up, I flung my legs over the side of my bed. My mom knocked on the door. “Addison? Are you alright honey?”

“Yeah Mom. I’m okay. Just not feeling very well.” She opened the door and peeked inside.

“Let me check your temperature.”

“Can I brush my teeth first?” Mum looked around the room cautiously.

“Of course. I’ll be downstairs. Come down whenever you’re ready.” I nodded and held my stomach.

I went downstairs once my teeth were cleaned and I had rinsed my mouth several times. Mum and dad were in the kitchen. I groaned. The smell of coffee brewing was making me queasy. “I already called the school. You’re staying home today.” Mum said, coming to fawn over me. I waved her off.

“Okay. I’ll call Justin and tell him he needs to get himself to school.” I grabbed a pack of saltines and a Gatorade to take upstairs.

“Feel better.” Dad called after me. I heard him say to mum that it probably wasn’t really that bad. “She should still go to school.” Mum didn’t answer. I changed into a different pair of pyjamas and crawled into bed. My crackers and juice were set neatly on the nightstand by my bed. I grabbed the book I was reading last night. As a last-minute decision, I grabbed my trash can and pulled it closer to the bed.

I called Justin after I got comfortable. “Hello?”

“Morning Justy.”

“Morning Addy.”

“I’m sick.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. You’ll need to find your own way to school today.”

“I can do that. Are you sure you’re sick? Or are you just trying to get out of going to Formal?”

“I have crackers and Gatorade. I wasn’t even out of bed yet.”

“Oh.” He exclaimed. “Um. Yeah. You stay in bed. And remember to drink water. And dry toast.”

“I will. Can you grab my homework? And tell Jeff Atkins that I’m sorry I won’t get to enjoy the magic of Winter Formal tomorrow.”

“Sure thing. Feel better.”

“Mhmm. Love you.”

“Love you too.” I rolled over in bed and tried to get a little more sleep. It was a useless venture. I spent half an hour tossing and turning. I couldn’t get comfortable. It was too hot with the blankets on. It was too cold with them off. One leg out didn’t feel much better. My head was starting to hurt. My stomach was doing flips and cramping. Frustrated, I threw the covers off and went to the bathroom. The bottle of Tylenol was shoved in the back of the medicine cabinet. I took two of the foil packets and went back to bed.

Briefly, my mind went there. I had a flash of another kind of foil packet. And a flash of a calendar. My eyes widened slightly before I counted. Then I remembered that we hadn’t not used a condom, ever. I had an IUD. We were protected either way for…. I couldn’t think the word. We also hadn’t had sex in a month. And I had gotten my period between then and now. I sighed in relief. That thought did make me realize I hadn’t texted Monty yet. I took my phone again and saw that he had texted me about fifteen minutes ago.  

Morning Addison. I swiped left and his message opened.

Morning Montgomery.

You’re up late this morning.

I’ve actually been up.

Oh? Everything okay?

Yes and no.

??

I’m kind of sick. But it’s nothing to worry about.

You sure?

Yeah. I’m alright. Just need to eat my crackers, drink my juice, and sleep. On the plus side, I can get out of going to the dance without lying to Jeff Atkins.

I can come by tonight if you want.

I’ll think about it.

Okay. A few minutes later he sent me another text. Why do you call him Jeff Atkins and not just Jeff?

I dunno. He calls me Addison Hawthorne. No one else does it. It’s kind of just a thing we do.

Can I call you by your full name?

No.

Not even occasionally?

No.

Why?

Is your name Jeff Atkins?

No?

Then there is your answer.

Fine, fine. Feel better, okay?

I’ll try.

I’ll text you later baby.

Mmkay. The Tylenol I took was starting to kick in and my eyelids were getting heavy. Before I could drop it, I put my phone on the nightstand. I woke up again around noon. My stomach was feeling a little better, so I sat up and ate a few crackers slowly. The medicine had worn off by now. I grabbed my phone and scrolled through my missed notifications for a bit. Nothing too interesting had happened. I sighed heavily and tossed my phone to the side of my bed.

My book was more interesting than I expected it to be, and soon enough I was almost done. The tri-tone buzz of my phone distracted me. I rested the book in my lap and grumbled to myself. “Who’s texting me now?” It was Jeff Atkins.

Hey Addison Hawthore. Justin tells me you’re sick. I hope you aren’t trying to just avoid the dance.

Jeff Atkins. I would NEVER. I am definitely sick. Doesn’t seem like anything major though. Probably be at school Monday. I trust you will give me a very thorough report on all things Clay Jensen and Hannah Baker?

Glad to hear. Leah says feel better by the way. I’ll find you.

Tell her thank you. Now. I don’t want to be rude, but I’m almost done my book.

See you Monday Addison. I didn’t answer him. I texted Monty instead.

Don’t worry about coming over tonight. I should be fine by Sunday. I’ll see you Monday.

Sounds good.

The rest of the day I lounged in bed. My mum came in to check on me when she got home. Saturday was much of the same as Friday. I stayed in bed. I read another book. I slept. My illness was doing better. Not well enough to go to the dance, but I could handle toast which was a good sign. Justin called me while he was getting ready at Bryce’s.

“Hey Justin, what’s up?”

“Getting ready with Bryce and the guys.” I could hear the boys roughhousing in the background and Justin’s voice seemed far away. He must have had me on speaker.

“Hi boys.”

“Hey.” They called back.

“You stuck me with him tonight.”

“I’m sick Bryce. I would not be very much fun or help at the dance tonight.”

“You say you’re sick.” Bryce kidded back. He must be in a good mood.

“Would you like me to describe to you in detail what I spent my day doing yesterday?”

“Not really.”

“Didn’t think so. Now boys.”

“Yeah Addy?” Justin asked.

“I need all of your attention.”

“We’re listening.” Zach laughed.

“Oh no. Is she going to give us the lecture?”

“What lecture?” Anders asked.

“Yes. She is.” I said. “Please try to keep the shenanigans to a minimum.”

“But they’re fun.” Justin complained.

“So is not getting arrested. Do not add to the population. Remember that is often a permanent commitment.  However, I do support the right to choose. Do not fight anyone tonight. And please, for the love of God, if you are going to drink, do not spike the punch bowl. Do not be that guy. And don’t be messy drunk. I want to hear no stories about messy drunk athletes come Monday. And another thing, do not drink and drive. If you need a ride, my mum is perfectly happy to go get you and take you home.”

“She took the fun out of a dance in two minutes.” Someone grumbled.

“That was not me taking the fun out. I’m more than okay with some shenanigans. I encourage some. Please have fun for me. I just don’t want you getting anyone pregnant. You’re all old enough to go to the drugstore or the corner store and buy yourselves some damn condoms. If I can go do it, so can you. As for the drinking and driving thing, a DUI is bad. Especially when you’re underage. My mum likes Justin. So she will gladly give someone a ride if they need.”

“Wait. Wait, wait, wait. Back up. You have condoms?” Bryce asked.

“I’m not the Virgin Mary.”

“Who could you possibly be having sex with?”

“None of your business. And I swear Bryce if you say Justin.” I laughed. I may have said too much.

“You’ll what?”

“She won’t anything. I will.” Justin laughed.

“Oh! One more thing. Don’t screw up Clay’s night.”

“Fine. We won’t. Gotta go, bye.” Bryce said. I could hear him grumbling before Justin hung up. “Wonder how far she’ll go with Jensen, hey Justy?” I rolled my eyes. How can he go from fun and not horrible to a disgusting pig in thirty seconds flat?

By Monday, I was back to feeling like myself. I grabbed a soft cream sweater from my closet and paired it with a floral skirt. A worn in pair of black combat boots and silver studs rounded out the look. I left my hair down to let it air dry without a weird kink in it. Bounding down the stairs, I smiled brightly at my parents. “Morning mum. Morning dad.”

“Morning sweetie.” My mum laughed brightly. My dad looked at me strangely.

“You’re awfully happy this morning.” My smile faltered slightly.

“Well, I’m not physically sick today. I think that warrants being happy. And it’s the last few days before winter break.” There was a voice in the back of my head I tried to ignore. I was happy. I plastered on a smile and grabbed a packet of oatmeal. Silently, I warmed my milk and stirred my breakfast. My parents were going over their schedules for the day. It was just about grade deadline for mum, so she had a stack of tests and papers in her office. Dad was already prepping for tax season in a couple of months. The office at work was stacked too, I’m sure.

“I’m going to take this to school.” I mumbled.

At school, I grabbed my cup of oatmeal to eat before class. “Peaches and cream. Interesting.”

“Jesus.” I gasped. “Morning Monty.”

“Morning Addy.” I began walking to my locker. He fell into step beside me.

“Did you need something?” I was sure people were watching us.

“No. Just wanted to say hi.”

“Okay? You know we are at school, right?”

“Yes. We have chemistry together. Is it really so bad to walk to your locker together?”

“I don’t know Monty.”

“For all anyone knows, I’m looking for Bryce. Who will probably be with Justin. Who will be at your locker.”

“I guess.” I sighed. I handed him my cup of oatmeal. “If you’re going to follow me to my locker, hold this while I get my spoon.” Pulling my bag around me, I took the spoon from the front pocket. Monty handed back my breakfast for me to eat while we walked.

“Peaches and cream oatmeal.” He muttered.

“Huh?”

“Nothing. Just making a mental note.” He smirked. I could see the smile behind his eyes though.

“It was on sale. It was this or plain and plain oatmeal is….”

“Plain.”

“Exactly.”

We made it to my locker, where it just so happened that Justin was waiting for me. With my least favorite white boy in tow. “Hey Justin. Walker.”

“Addy.” Bryce nodded.

“Feeling better?”

“Much. What did I miss Friday?”

“Not a whole lot.” Justin shrugged.

“A better question would be what did we miss?” Bryce asked, looking between Monty and I.

“I was on my way in when I saw her pull in. Figured I’d stop and tell her about what she missed in chem.”

“Which apparently wasn’t much.” I shrugged, scraping the last of my breakfast up. “I need to go to class. I expect a full report on what I missed at the dance at lunch.”

“Jeff will give you one. Don’t worry.” Justin laughed. “You’re awfully invested in Clay and Hannah.”

“I could have been invested in you and Hannah. But….” I looked at Bryce briefly. “Here we are.”

“I don’t think she put out for him, if that’s what you’re wondering.” Monty added.

“Gross.”

“Don’t think he would even know how.” Bryce laughed.

“And I’m leaving. Be nice boys.”

My classes were abuzz with talk of the Winter Formal. Mostly talking about what so and so wore, or who such and such was dancing with, or that one song Tony played that went like this or that. Clearly, I hadn’t missed much. Apparently, Jessica had had one or four too many nips off Bryce’s flask. I rolled my eyes internally. I mean, at least the boys weren’t messy. By the time lunch came, I was excited to hear about anything that wasn’t the dance. I knew, of course, that wouldn’t be the case. But still.

Sliding into my usual seat next to Justin, I placed my head on the table. “What’s eating you?” Scott asked.

“Nothing. I’m just bored of hearing about the dance.”

“It wasn’t that bad. And you haven’t heard Jeff’s retelling of Clay Jensen and Hannah Baker’s dance.”

“I want to hear about that. And then nothing else.” He nodded in understanding.

“Seriously though, are you feeling okay?”

“Yeah. Just had a long weekend is all. Guess it knocked more out of me than I thought.” I heard him hum. Jeff laughed jovially as he sat down. How can one man be so damn happy all the time?

“You missed quite the dance on Saturday, Addison.”

“It seems that way. Though, anything would be better than what I spent the weekend doing.”

“Fair. You’re feeling better?”

“Yeah. Just tired now.”

“I bet. Now. About the dance. More specifically, Clay and Hannah at the dance.”

“Yes. And then no more dance talk please.”

“Okay. So, Clay was being a wallflower.”

“As usual.”

“Yes. But he was sitting on the bleachers across the gym from Hannah. And he waved and nodded at her. When I told him to go, he was all ‘I can’t dance’ and so I was like ‘no one can dance. It’s a dance.’”

“Of course. No one likes the ones who can dance.”

“That’s what I said! He was awkward as hell and then they were cute. Danced around like idiots. Had the best time. Leah thought it was fantastic. I was waiting for the slow song that was coming. Or I hoped it was. And then it did. They were awkward again.”

“Right.” I adjusted my position and leaned in to listen to him better.

“Hey gu-.” Justin said, sitting down.

“Shh.” Charlie cut him off. “Jeff is telling a story.”

“They almost kissed.”

“Almost?”

“But then Jess….”

“Ah, this part of the story I know. She was messy. And Hannah cleaned it up.”

“Yes. But that was the dance. Good time.”

“I’m sorry I missed it.” The boys around me spent the rest of lunch having their own conversations. Or giving me their own rundown of the dance. I tuned most of that out. It was hard to pretend not to notice the small glances Monty was sending my way. I sent a few his way too.

Christmas break, finals, and January flew by. Before any of us knew it, it was February. Valentine’s Day was fast approaching. Which, if you didn’t know from looking at the calendar, you certainly knew by the annual Oh My Dollar Valentines posters. There were little heart shaped boxes of chocolate at all the stores in town. The price of roses soared exponentially. I rolled my eyes as I passed one the first day of February. Justin tried to get me to buy one that day.

“No. I’m not interested in paying for cheer camp.”

“You’re always on my ass about school spirit.”

“Yeah. Because like it or not, you and your friends run this school. School spirit is not paying for the wonderful cause of sending the squad to cheer camp.”

“Fine.” He grinned mischievously at me. I watched him reach into his pocket as we passed one of the many tables lining the halls. “Two Dollar Valentines please.” My eyes widened.

“Justin. No.”

“Oh but it’ll be fun.” He laughed.

“I don’t care.” I couldn’t help but smile. He held it out to me, but I shook my head. “No way.”

“Suit yourself. I know you well enough to fill it out for you anyways.” Justin grinned and stuck his tongue out at me. You little shit. I reached out to grab the paper from him. I was going to return it. He held it above his head. I tried to grab it again and he waved his arm around.

“Give it to me.” I laughed.

“Nope. Get taller and maybe I’ll consider it.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Well then I guess you won’t be getting the survey.” I huffed at him. He lowered his arms and I tried to take it again. He pushed my hand away and took off running. “It’ll be an exciting surprise.” Justin yelled as he ran.

“Justin Foley!” I yelled back. I love that boy. But sometimes I just want to…. Oh. What am I going to tell Monty?I sighed and turned around, intending to cut Justin off at his first class and steal the stupid survey from him. When I turned however, I collided with someone.

“We should really stop running into each other like this. People might think we are together or something.” Monty said.

“Or they’ll think you have a thing for me. Since you seem to be the one who always approaches me.”

“That is definitely a possibility.” He handed me my keys. “Might need these later. Wouldn’t want someone finding them and trying to use them.” He started to walk away backwards. I followed after him.

“I highly doubt someone would try to steal an ’09 Camry.”

“Never know.”

“Besides. It’s Evergreen County. Nothing ever happens here.”

“True. I’ll see you at lunch?”

“Yeah. I need to have some words with Justin Foley.”

“Uh oh. Trouble in paradise?”

“Maybe.” I rose a brow. Monty gave me a funny look. “I’ll explain later.”

At lunch I stopped Justin in the hall on the way to the cafeteria. Pulling him into an empty classroom, I locked the door. “I need that survey back Justin.”

“Why?”

“Because I have no interest in going on a valentines date with someone. You know I hate Valentine’s Day.”

“It could be fun.”

“I highly doubt that.”

“Well, you have thirteen days to change your mind.”

“What do you mean?”

“I submitted it on the way to second period.” I blinked at him. Did he just say…?

“You what?”

“I submitted it already. You’ll be receiving a list of ‘promising matches’ on Valentine’s Day.” Oh no. Throwing my head back, I sighed very heavily.

“I hate you.” I groaned.

“I love you too Addy.” Justin brushed past me to leave. “I’ll save you a seat?”

“Nope. That’s okay. I need a break from the testosterone today.”

“Okay.” As soon as he was gone, I texted Monty.

Hey. I need to talk to you. Can you meet me in the library?

Yeah. Bring a book?

Please. My locker was on the way, so I grabbed my books for the rest of the day.

There was a table free in the back of the room. I snagged it so Montgomery and I could have some privacy. He found me a little while later. I was pretending to be taking notes. In actuality, I was doodling and trying not to think about his reaction to Justin’s little stunt. Or reactions. “What’s going on?” He asked as he sat down.

“Hi to you too.”

“Sorry. Hi. What’s going on?”

“So don’t freak out.”

“Don’t start with don’t freak out and I won’t freak out.”

“Justin uh,” I paused.

“Justin? What?”

“Justin filled out and submitted a Dollar Valentine for me.” I quickly added, “I didn’t ask him to. He just bought it and did it. I was going to get it back from him at lunch, but he submitted it on his way to second.” I looked up. Monty was staring at me. And he was… what is he doing? And then his lip twitched. He was trying not to laugh. “What?”

“That’s what this is about? That is what was so urgent?”

“Yes?”

“The fact that Justin Foley filled out a Dollar Valentine for you?”

“Yes?” I was extremely confused.

“Addison. I really don’t care if he filled out a stupid survey for you. Are you going to go on the date?”

“Of course not!”

“Then I don’t give a shit.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s good.” I was still a little hesitant to say anything. “Oh. I should probably mention. I hate Valentine’s Day.”

“Really?” He frowned in confusion.

“Yes. Is that really so hard to believe?”

“Honestly? Yes.”

“Why?”

“You’re a romantic.”

“I know. Which is why I hate Valentine’s Day. It’s the least romantic holiday. If you want to do something nice for me, or get me flowers, show me that you like me, do it on a random day. Not when you have to because it’s a Hallmark holiday.” I was careful not to say the word love. It may have been five months, which is a long time in high school, but we weren’t there yet.

“So, you’re a romantic who hates Valentine’s Day. Okay. Coffee date though?”

“Sure. But not because of what day it is.”

“No. Of course not.” Monty winked at me and then got up to leave. “Come find me after school.” I nodded.

“I’m going to stay here and make Justin sweat a little.”

The next couple of weeks passed slowly. I had forgiven Justin for filling out a Valentine for me a couple of days after he submitted it. After school on the thirteenth, I ran to Walplex to get ingredients for macarons. I browsed the aisles in search of almond flour and raspberry flavouring. Before I left the lot, I texted Monty. Turns out you’re worth it after all. He was busy with practice. I didn’t expect an answer any time soon.

At home, I unloaded my ingredients and put the carton of egg whites in a bowl of lukewarm water to come to room temperature without overheating them. “Hey Siri. Play State Champs on Spotify.”

“Playing State Champs.” I sang along quietly while I went about making my macarons. I said very kind and loving things to the batter aloud. In my head, I was swearing at them with words that would make a sailor blush. He really is worth it.

Dad came home while I was piping the batter onto the Silpat.

“Hi.”

“Hi. What are you doing?”

“Making macarons for my friends.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s Valentine’s Day tomorrow.” I shrugged. Dad scoffed and shook his head. “What?”

“Nothing.” He snapped. My face didn’t react. Inside, I felt the familiar sensation of becoming smaller and my insides closing in on themselves. Just ignore him. It’s okay. You’re okay.

“Okay.” I replied meekly. Instead of responding, he went and shut himself in the office. I sighed softly to myself and started on my macaron filling while the cookie batter sat on the tray.

Once my cookies were baked and cooled after dinner, I began to fill them. I picked a Wilton number 18 tip, a small star, and piped chocolate ganache around a raspberry on half of the cookies. When they were all filled, I topped each one. Then I carefully placed them in a container and grabbed several napkins. I also put five each in two disposable aluminum containers. One for Justin. And one for Montgomery. “They won’t notice if one is missing.” I muttered to myself. I took a bite, and it was perfect. Not hollow. Still had a chew to it. The outside was crisp. The slightly bittersweet filling complemented the sweetness of the cookie Perfect. I moaned softly. Setting the containers in the fridge so they didn’t melt overnight, I went upstairs to take a shower and get ready for bed.

The next morning it was Valentine’s Day. As much as I hated the holiday, I wasn’t opposed to dressing up. I dug around my closet for something to wear. I had a red circle skirt in mind. I just needed to find something to wear with it. “Hey Siri, what’s the weather today?”

“It’s currently cloudy and forty-five degrees. The high is expected to be fifty-two degrees and the low will be forty-five degrees.”

“Thank you.” Only fifty-two. I can wear a sweater. I pulled out a couple. The red cable knit was too match-y. The plain black was too plain. My last option was a black sweater with white hearts. This is nice. Shrugging it on, I pulled on a pair of black tights to cover my legs. Topping off the look with my favourite diamond studs and a simple charm bracelet, I checked the clock. I had time to paint my nails.

Soon, I was ready for school. I redid my nails in a nice nude shade. Knowing I was going on a date today, I went quite neutral on the makeup. I wanted my skirt and top to be the focus of my look. My parents were putting their breakfast away when I went downstairs. “Morning guys.”

“Morning sweetie.” We exchanged pleasantries with each other. “You look lovely Addison.”

“Thanks Mum. May not like today, but it’s an excuse to wear this sweater.”

“Very true.” She kissed my cheek gently, so her lipstick didn’t transfer.

“Why are there three containers in the fridge Addison?” Oh crap. Uh….

“Because one is for Justin, one is for my friends to share, and the other one is for me when my friends inevitably leave me with none.”

“I see.” He didn’t sound convinced. Or interested for that matter. When does he ever sound interested? He called after me as I was leaving. “Remember your mother and I are going out tonight for dinner and date night.”

“I know.” I smiled at him. “You kids have fun. I’ll see you in the morning.” I smiled brighter when he dipped my mom and kissed her. Gross but so cute.

“I love you, Margot.”

“I love you too, Brooks.” My mom replied.

My friends were waiting at my locker when I got there. “Hey guys. What’s going on?”

“Justin said you were bringing macarons to school.” Charlie grinned.

“Ah yes. You’re here for snacks. Of course. Hey Clay.”

“Hey Addy.” I shooed the boys away from my locker so I could put my bag in and take out the large container.

“These are for sharing.”

“We know. We can share.” Bryce nodded. Sure, you can. I rolled my eyes playfully. Then I set about passing each of the plethora of boys gathered around my locker a napkin. And then I gave them one macaron each. Jeff got two so he had one to give to Leah.

“Why does he get two?” Luke complained.

“Because he has a girlfriend. And I like her. Do any of you have girlfriends I like?” My eyes shifted to Monty minutely. He smirked softly and quirked a brow quickly. No one seemed to notice. “No? Then you get one for now. You can have more at lunch.” The bell rang. The boys began to disperse to their respective classes. I grabbed Justin and gave him his container.

“You’re the best.” He grinned and kissed my temple when he pulled me in for a hug.

“So are you. Now go get educated.” I texted Monty as I walked to class. I’ll give you yours after school.

I think I like being worth it. This is delicious. Why don’t you make these all the time?

Make them with me sometime. You’ll see.

On my way to lunch, I stopped to pick up my Dollar Valentine. “Hey Sheri.”

“Addison! Oh my gosh. When I heard you filled out a survey, I almost didn’t believe it.”

“Justin did it.”

“Oh. At least he knows you. I hope you get better matches than I did.”

“We’ll see.” I waited while she printed out my list. I glanced at it when she handed it to me.

Andrew B.

Cody K.

Daniel R.

Justin F.

Bryce W.

“Oh. My. God.” I laughed.

“What?”

“I matched with Justin. And Bryce Walker. How the hell?”

“Well, Justin knows you best. And he did the survey for you.” Sheri shrugged.

“Okay fair. But Bryce?”

“I don’t have an answer there.” We both laughed and I left to go to the cafeteria to join my friends. While I walked, I called Justin.

“Hey Addy, what’s up?”

“Hey Valentine. Have you picked up your matches yet?”

“I’m just looking at them now. I was just about to call you to see who you matched with.”

“Well, I think you’re my best match.”

“No one else up to your standards?” I was behind him now.

“Nope.” He turned and hung up. “But I have very important plans tonight, so I’ll need a rain check.”

“No problem. Your annual Bones marathon?” Sure.

“You know it. Next season is the last one.”

“Since I can’t take you out tonight, at least let me escort you to lunch.” He held his arm out to me. I grasped it dramatically.

“Such a gentleman.” We laughed hysterically.

Montgomery loved the macarons. We met at Monet’s after school to get coffee to go because it was crowded. Thankfully no one questioned us if they saw us. They were too wrapped up in their own dates to be concerned about us. Our date was wonderful. There was no chocolate in heart shaped boxes. There weren’t any overpriced roses. Just the two of us spending time together privately. Since my parents were out for the foreseeable future, he came back to my place. We hung out for a bit until he had to leave to avoid my parents. All in all, it was a pretty good Valentine’s Day. He found it hysterical that Justin and I were matched for Dollar Valentines.

Spring had sprung in Evergreen in mid-March. By the time April rolled around, flowers were in full bloom again and it was getting warmer and warmer. On a particularly nice Saturday, I woke up in an unusually good mood. I looked out the window and it was sunny, not a cloud in the sky. As I was sitting in bed, I looked around my room. My camera caught my eye on my bookshelf. Maybe today is the day I introduce Monty to my camera. I got ready but didn’t get dressed. It was still early for a Saturday. And I knew Monty was a big fan of sleep.

After an hour or so of putzing around in my room, I decided to call him. “Morning Addy.” He answered. His voice was still thick with sleep. I smiled.

“Good morning sunshine.” I heard him shifting in bed.

“You’re chipper this morning.”

“It’s nice out. It’s finally spring.”

“It is.” He smiled.

“I was wondering if you had plans today?” I eyed my camera.

“No, I don’t think so. What did you have in mind Bookworm?”

“I thought I could introduce you to my other hobby Casanova.”

He gasped dramatically. “You mean to tell me you like things other than books?”

“Yes.” I laughed. “What do you say?”

“I’m in. When and where?”

“The park by the docks? Say, one o’clock?”

“Sure thing.”

“Wear something comfortable.”

“Okay. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

“Okay. Bye.”

“Bye baby.”

My parents were in the office working. It was ten am on a Saturday. But it was getting close to exam time for my mom, so she was busy. Tax season was ending, so dad was busy. I opened my bedroom door and called into the house. “I’m going out later. I don’t know how long I’ll be out.”

“Okay honey. Have fun.”

“That’s nice.” I sighed and closed my door. After a quick shower I got dressed. I knew I would probably be moving around a lot today, so I picked a pair of leggings and a loose black t-shirt from American Eagle. I really should go get one of these in every colour. They’re the best shirts. I threw a random cardigan on my bed. It was later joined by my wallet and camera.

Sitting down to do my hair and makeup, I decided to just do a quick French braid. It kept the hair out of my face. I contemplated my makeup for a while. I still had plenty of time to spare. Pressing play on my Spotify and it picked up on a random Beartooth song. Artist Radios are always interesting. I hummed and tapped along with the music while I dug through my vanity. I didn’t have an excessive amount of makeup. Maybe I had a little too much lipstick, but it’s my favourite type of makeup. I kept everything but my lipstick fairly light and neutral. My skin was actually nice today so I could just use concealer and set it. With the rest of my makeup done, I dug through my slightly embarrassing amount of lipstick. “I’m feeling bold today. Red?” I asked myself in the mirror. “Red.” I nodded. I was ready to go now. I chucked the tube of lipstick in my wallet.

It was close to lunch so I texted Monty. Did you want me to make a couple of sandwiches or something?

Sure. I went downstairs and dug through the cheese drawer.

I have turkey, ham, and some other white meat. Possibly chicken?

Ham is okay.

Cheddar okay?

Yup. I made our sandwiches. I knew how he liked his sandwiches now. Placing them in the fridge, I ran upstairs for my camera, camera bag, and now my purse. Our lunch was set on top of my wallet. I threw an ice pack in to keep everything cold and food safe. A couple of snacks joined in before I grabbed my keys.

“I’m leaving now. I’ll see you later.” I called.

“Okay.” My parents called together.

At the park, I met Monty over by a tree. He was wearing jeans and a plain white t-shirt. No flannel. That took me by surprise. He looked damn good though. I stopped on the way over for a couple of coffees from Starbucks. “Hey Casanova.”

“Hey Bookworm.”

“Lunch now or later?”

“Now is good. I could eat.” I rolled my eyes. “What?”

“You’re always hungry.”

“I’m a growing boy.” He defended.

“If you grow anymore, you’ll give Dempsey a run for his money.”

“Never know. They say boys grow again around nineteen.”

“Oh god. I don’t know if I could handle you getting taller.” He laughed.

“Might have to. Never know.” I looked down to hide my blush. I didn’t read into what he said. He was right. You never knew where you could end up. We talked quietly while we ate. Monty regaled me with stories of the baseball game I “missed” yesterday.

“Sounds like a nail biter.” I smiled.

“You don’t like baseball, do you?”

“No.” I replied quickly.

“That mean you’ll never come to a game?”

“Quite possibly. I will go to as many football games as I can though.”

“Deal. Now. What did you want to show me?”

“This.” I said as a pulled my camera out of the bag.

“Oh?”

“Yes. I told you I like photography.”

“I remember. I’m just surprised it took you this long to show it to me.”

“Good things come to those who wait.”

“Okay. I won’t question you.”

“Don’t worry. I’m not Tyler. I keep my photography to when people know about it and can see it.”

“I kind of figured.” I spent some time showing him my camera. It was the first thing I had spent any big amount of money on. I got it a few years ago. I saved up birthday and Christmas money. I never really got an allowance so that’s what I had to work with. I looked out at the water and stood up. Holding my hand out to my boyfriend, I nodded in the direction of the dock.

“Come on.” Montgomery took my hand and we walked to the railing. I examined the water for a few moments quietly. Then I lifted my camera and started shooting. It was beautiful. “It’s nicer at sunset. But daytime shoots are so fun.” I could feel him watching me. A bird was flying close by, so I snapped a picture. “It’s beautiful.” I said softly.

“Very beautiful.”

We wandered around the park together for a few hours. Occasionally we would stop to sit and just people watch. During one of these stops I noticed Monty had turned to look out over the water. The way the light was hitting his face was perfect. I quickly snapped a photo. I wanted to preserve the peaceful look on his face forever. Lord knows the boy could use some peace. He turned to me when he heard the click of the camera. Luckily it didn’t ruin the shot. He was smiling. I couldn’t help myself. I took a quick scan of the area and kissed him. When we pulled away, he quickly wiped the lipstick off. I laughed and dug around in my purse for a makeup wipe. “Here. Use this.”

“Thanks.” I touched up my lipstick. While I was doing that, he took my camera from my lap and snapped a photo of his own. “I’m not very good at this, so don’t be shocked if it comes out crappy.”

“I’m sure it’s great. Here, let me see.” He handed it back. I scrolled to the photo. It was really nice. “This is great Monty.” He nodded but didn’t say anything. Instead, he threw his arm over my shoulder and pulled me in close to him. I rested my head on his shoulder. Turning the camera around, I snapped a picture of the two of us. It wasn’t exactly a candid, but it was as close as you could get with a selfie. We called it a night around six o’clock. He had to get home for dinner. I had some homework to do. I also wanted to get our photos transferred as soon as possible.

I walked into the house smiling to myself. Today had been a really great day. I felt good. “What the hell is all over your face?” My dad asked. Not a hello. No other acknowledgement.

“What do you mean?” I reached up to touch my face. Is there something on my face?

“You really caked it on today, didn’t you?” Oh. My makeup. I’d forgotten that he didn’t see me before I left.

“I put on a little makeup. I’m trying to use up a red lipstick.” I shrugged. The small feeling had begun to grow again.

“It makes you look like a prostitute.” Wow. That escalated quickly. My good mood vanished. I set my face. I wouldn’t let him see that he had hurt me.

“Thanks Dad. That was my goal today actually.”

“Don’t take that kind of tone with me, young lady.”

“Okay, whatever. Where’s Mum?”

“At the grocery store.”

“Okay. I’ll be upstairs.”

“Take off the paint while you’re up there.” He called after me.

When I reached my room, I closed the door and slid down it. Not wanting him to know I was crying I went to the bathroom and grabbed a towel. I curled up on my bed and sobbed into the towel. I didn’t care that there would be makeup stains on it. My phone buzzed on the floor. Sitting up, I stood to grab it. It was Monty. I want to see those photos baby.

Okay. I’ll send them over when I’m done.

Looking forward to it.

Yeah.

If I forgot to say, you looked pretty today.

Thanks. I wasn’t sure I believed him after what my dad said.

Any other mystery hobbies you want to show me?

Don’t think so.

Not even the art of knitting?

Maybe.

You okay Addy?

Yeah. Just tired.

Okay. I’ll talk to you later then.

Sure. I didn’t answer his next text. It was too much effort to do it now. I just wanted to lay in bed and be sad.

#can't go back #montgomery de la cruz #monty de la cruz #monty x oc #monty imagine #monty x reader #montgomery de la cruz x oc #montgomery de la cruz imagine #montgomery de la cruz x reader #13 reasons why #13rw #13 rw #Thirteen Reasons Why #fanfiction #fan fiction #fanfic #fanfic writing #creative writing #writeblr

[chelsfic]

Princess (for @1zashreena1) - Diego Jimenez x Reader - Starz Power Fanfic

I wrote this fic for @1zashreena1, my spirit guide in all things Maurice Compte. Happy months-early birthday, dear! Hope this *very* explicit fic isn’t too weird between friends!? 

Warning: Pure Smut.

“How much did he just charge us?!?”

You stare at your friend, agog at the figure the bartender just charged her for two drinks. You are definitely a long way from home, that’s for sure.

“Relax,” she waves you off and hands you your glass, “It’s your birthday!”

“But you realize we could buy like...four pitchers at Margarita’s for the price of these two tiny drinks, right?” Yeah, the whole idea had been to come into the city and pretend to be rich and glamorous for one night--but you know Lisa’s job doesn’t pay her much and you don’t want to bankrupt her for your birthday...at least not this early in the evening. “Well, I’m getting the next round!”

She nods and turns back to the dance floor, eyes glittering like a predatory cat as she watches the dancers sway, gyrate and generally commit public indecencies. You smirk and let your eyes roam as well. You might be letting your natural sass make you a little contrary, but you have to admit you love this. The music--so loud you can feel it pulsing in your bones, the contagious energy of the crowd...you don’t even care that you stick out like a sore thumb among all these supermodel thin girls and--frankly--out of this world hot guys. You have no clue how Lisa managed to get you into the most elite club in New York for your birthday but...you’re going to make the most of it.

“Should we show these skinny bitches how to dance?”

Here’s the thing: when it comes to confidence? You outshine everyone else on this dance floor. This is your night! You take Lisa’s hand and lead her out into the throng and the two of you move with the music like you were born with silver spoons and not a care in the world other than having a good time. Monday you’ll go back to work, back to daydreams and deadlines, but tonight is yours and you’re not going to waste it.

You’re working up a sweat, rolling your hips with the music and not giving a damn if you look silly, just losing yourself in the dance. 

“Hey!” Lisa leans close and has to yell into your ear to be heard, “There’s a Latino sex god checking you out right now!”

You roll your eyes at her and scoff, “What are you talking about, Lisa?”

“Look! Casually!” she nods her chin over your shoulder and you do a little not-so-casual spin to glance behind you. Okay, yes, there is a staggeringly beautiful man a few feet away who’s currently being worshiped by three female dance partners. Your mouth actually drops open in shock as you look at him and you have to consciously close it while your eyes rake over his body. He is a well-built man. Tall, broad, muscles straining against his black button-down shirt and suit jacket. He’s digging his fingers into one of the girl’s hips and his hands are absolutely huge. You slowly raise your gaze to take in his stubbled jaw, full, smirking lips, wide cheekbones and bottomless, brown eyes. Brown eyes that--yup--are staring right back at you.

You spin back around and collide into Lisa’s arms. 

“Okay!” you yell. “He’s definitely looking over here.”

This guy has three supermodels hanging off of him and he’s staring at you like he wants to eat you up.

“Okay, okay, girl,” Lisa launches into her life coach voice and you groan. “This is your night, remember? You need to go fucking get down on that dick.”

“Jesus!” you laugh and shake your head at her, but you’re already glancing back over your shoulder. He’s still staring and now his lips are curled up in a grin. He raises a hand and crooks his finger at you. Oh, he thinks you’re at his beck and call, huh? You turn back to Lisa and dip down low, jutting out your ass and throwing your wild curls over your shoulder as you slowly, slowly roll upright. 

“He’s gonna have to earn it!” you yell and Lisa is shaking her head in disbelief. 

“You’re something else!” she exclaims.

You throw yourself back into the dance in earnest, but this time it’s different. This time you’re putting on a show. You dip, roll, gyrate and sway, all the while locking eyes with the dark haired stranger across the dance floor. He tries beckoning you over again and you shake your head with a smug grin, crooking your finger back at him. You’re setting the rules tonight. He actually breaks into a full smile at your boldness and you nearly swoon over the dimples in his cheeks.

He finally breaks away from his gaggle of admirers and makes his way toward you. You play it cool, like you couldn’t care less if he wants to dance with you, but inside you’ve got some serious butterflies. The butterflies only ramp up when you notice the two stern, bodyguard-types who break away from the wall and seem to track his movements as he walks over to you. Shit. Who is this guy?

He strolls up to you, inserting himself into your dance space and planting his greedy hands on your hips. His fingers dig into your flesh and the touch sets you on fire. He’s a good head taller than you and he has to lean down to rumble into your ear, “Bonita! You’re gonna make me work for it, aren’t you?”

You smirk up at him and tilt your chin past his shoulder, indicating the dejected groupies still lingering behind him, “I don’t like to share!”

He laughs, letting his hands wander to your backside, squeezing your ass as he grinds his hips against yours. 

“You think you can handle me all by yourself?” he asks with a cocky head tilt. 

You reach up your hands and thread them through his hair, dragging your manicured nails over his scalp, his neck, his chest, lower still. 

“I’m a big girl,” you quip. “I’ll manage. What’s your name?”

“Diego,” he answers and his dark eyes are fixed on the contour of your bust in the tight dress you’re wearing. It takes him a minute to formulate his next words, “What’s your name, bonita?”

You grab him by the lapels of his suit jacket, pulling his face down to yours and whispering your name in his ear. When you draw back he takes the opportunity to grab your face, locking his lips on yours and capturing you in a searing, intense kiss. His hands reach down to cup your butt and lift you onto your tiptoes as he deepens the kiss. The rest of the club falls away and it’s just you and Diego. You let your hands wander over his body, running down his chest, teasing the waistband of his tailored pants and trailing back to make your way up to his strong, muscled shoulders. But you stop short when your hand brushes against the cold metal handgun sticking out of the back of his pants under the jacket. 

Your breath catches and you pull away from the kiss. You feel a warning creep down your spine as you lock eyes with him and he grins, amused at your sudden qualms.

He leans his forehead against yours and growls against your lips, “You don’t know who I am, little girl?”

Your eyes shift to the two body guards lurking nearby and then back to Diego. You shake your head slowly and answer, “Somebody dangerous, I bet.”

Diego’s eyes glint with unhinged humor. He nods his head, running his hands firmly up and down your sides, cupping your breasts through the fabric of your dress. He’s bold. And used to taking what he wants. 

“Si, bonita. I’m dangerous. You still think you can handle me?”

What the fuck. It’s your birthday.

You drag your own firm hands over his body, lingering over his abdomen and then plunging downward to hold him through his pants.

“Diego,” you hiss, giving him the faintest squeeze, “do you think you can handle me?”

***

You feel a little guilty ditching Lisa but in the end she’s the one urging you to seize the night.

“I’ll be fine, girl! My friend just texted me she’s at another club--we’re gonna meet up. Go get that dick! Happy birthday!” she practically shouts the last part and you slap her arm.

You glance over your shoulder where Diego is looking less than patient waiting with his entourage. 

“Okay, but listen. Here’s the address I’ll be. If you don’t hear from me tomorrow--”

“I’ll bust in the place myself, I got you!”

****

Diego leaves the guards behind as you enter the elevator. If you hadn’t already been clued in by his style, clothes, bodyguards and vehicle--well, the outlandishly high class penthouse he lives in really solidifies how out of your element you are. Diego isn’t just wealthy. He’s wealthy and powerful... and used to getting what he wants when he wants it. You’re feeling a little overwhelmed in your knock-off dress, comparing what he has to your own modest apartment back in Pennsylvania...and feeling just the tiniest bit inferior. But you hold your head up as you stride across the marble floor, entering the penthouse like visiting royalty. Something tells you Diego’s attracted to your confidence and you’ll be damned if you’ll let him intimidate you.

“Nice place,” you comment dryly, affecting disinterest while your eyes widen at the view from the floor to ceiling windows.

“Thanks,” he remarks casually before practically jumping you. His hands are everywhere he’s kissing every inch of your face like he can’t get enough. You let out a breathy moan as he inches his fingers under the short hem of your skirt and brushes your inner thighs. His beard rasps against your cheek as he growls, “I’m going to fuck you on every surface.”

He works his fingers between your thighs, rubbing you through your panties with firm, punishing strokes as he grinds his erection against your stomach. For a moment you want to surrender entirely and let this man do whatever the fuck he wants with you. You think about the cool metal of his gun and wonder what it would feel like ground against your clit. This man is doing things to your brain.

But you come to your senses and place a calming hand on his wrist, cursing yourself mentally but instinctively knowing that you need to assert yourself here.

“That sounds like fun,” you say in a firm voice, removing his hand from between your thighs and straightening your dress. “But when I sleep with a man for the first time I expect to be treated like a princess. That means you’ll be taking me to your bed.”

Diego growls in frustration, wrapping his arms around you and molding you against his body. But you can see the look of respect in his eyes even as filthy words fall from his mouth, “Of course, Princess. But after I’ve fucked you to your satisfaction you’re gonna get on your knees for me and beg me to put my cock in your mouth.”

Rather than answer him you simply cup his cheeks in your hands and drag another kiss from his lips. The burn of his stubble on your face is delicious as your tongues clash. Diego pulls away first, his eyes are almost black with lust and his lips are swollen from kissing. This cocky, dangerous, powerful man is coming completely undone for you.

He takes your hand in his and leads you up the stairs to his bedroom. It’s a huge room with minimal decor, which is what you expected based on the rest of the penthouse. His bed is gigantic and covered in a silky black coverlet that probably costs as much as your whole bedroom set. You run your hand over the soft fabric and perch on the edge of the mattress, legs crossed daintily. Diego stalks toward you like a predator. You can see the calculations running behind his gaze. He’s not used to women like you. Assertive, strong, no nonsense. For once he’s the one feeling as if he needs to make an impression.

He drops to his knees before you and wraps his hands around your high-heeled foot. 

“Well, Cinderella,” he smirks up at you, slowly removing the shoe and letting it drop to the floor. He wraps his hands around your little foot and drags his fingers up your calf. “Are you ready for your prince?”

Your breath is coming hot and heavy as his hands inch further up your legs. You try for a smug smirk but when he delves his fingers between your thighs again you let out an undignified moan.

“N-never saw a Prince Charming like you before, Diego,” you pant, falling back on your elbows as his long fingers creep under the fabric of your panties and slip between your folds. 

“No, Princess,” he smirks, dipping one finger inside you without warning. “I think I’m more like the villain.”

He’s on his knees for you but his touch is a reminder of the man he is. He is not gentle. He pumps his fingers into you with brutal force, delighting in the little squeaks and mewls that fall from your lips whenever he slams your pussy especially hard. And his words. His voice. You’ve never been more turned on.

“You like that, Princess? Huh? You like when I fuck you with my fingers? Oh, bonita, you are tight, girl. You don’t know what's coming for you, huh? Are you gonna take my cock like a good girl, huh?”

You’re writhing on the edge of the bed, desperately trying to grind your clit against the heel of his palm and making needy, pitiful noises that are entirely embarrassing, but you don’t give a fuck. 

You try to wrest back control, sitting up suddenly and grabbing the hem of your dress, pulling it off in one motion and (thank god) not getting stuck with it half-way up your body.

You look down at Diego kneeling at your feet, still fully dressed and his expression rabid with desire. You smile and stroke your fingers through his hair. You let your hand cup the back of his head and pull him forward until his face is hovering over your pussy and you can feel his hot breath ghosting against you. 

“I want to take your cock, Diego. But first show me how much you want me.”

He flashes a crooked grin up at you before dipping down between your legs and drawing his wicked tongue through your folds. You let out a hoarse whimper but Diego is relentless. He presses his flattened tongue to your clit, licking and circling the sensitive bundle while dragging the rough stubble on his chin over your sensitive skin. You fist your fingers in his short hair and cry out for him no to stop. Keep going. Keep going. But just as your thighs are starting to clamp down around his head with the force of your coming orgasm, Diego rips himself away and stands up to stalk around the side of the bed. You scramble back towards the headboard, eyes fixed on him as he removes his shirt, revealing his sculpted chest and shoulder muscles. 

He comes up to the side of the bed, looming over you with a wild look in his eyes.

“I’m in control now, baby,” he hisses, unbuckling his belt and letting his pants and underwear fall to the floor. 

Your eyes fall to the massive erection jutting between his legs and you actually whimper in anticipation. 

He stands there staring at you, waiting. When you don’t get it he reaches out and smacks the side of your thigh with his open palm, “Who’s in control now, baby girl?”

You know you’re out of your depth now and everything about this man screams danger, but you find yourself nodding and panting with need, “You’re in control, Diego!”

He turns to his nightstand, grabbing a condom from the drawer and deftly slipping it over his cock. He climbs up on the bed, crawling between your open legs and rubbing himself through your folds. He catches your eyes and leans down to press a surprisingly soft kiss to your lips as he plunges inside you. He wasn’t boasting before. You’ve never had anyone this big, he stretches you to your limit. When he finally seats himself fully you cry out at the pleasant, burning pain of being so thoroughly filled.

He brings his hands up to your face and runs his fingers through your hair. You look up at him and see the muscles in his jaw clenching and his eyelids fluttering as he holds himself back.

“You good, Princess?” he asks with a grunt that sends twinges straight to your core. Watching this man lose his self possession for you, because of you...it’s something you could see yourself becoming addicted to very quickly.

You nod up at him, “I’m good, Diego. I’m good.”

You are. You want to experience this man unleashed and unhinged. You want to know what he means when he says he’ll fuck you to your satisfaction. You don’t have to wait long. At your words he lets out a moan and starts brutally pounding into you. He buries his face in the crook of your neck and lays sloppy kisses along your tender skin as his cock grinds into you over and over again. His hands are everywhere--but mostly your tits and ass, let’s be honest. 

He rears back his head and looks down at you with those dark, unreadable eyes and he orders, “Come, Princess. Come like a good girl for Diego.”

You want to hold out just to spite him, but he’s already edged you so close with his lips and tongue that his words are all it takes to crash you into your orgasm. You tremble and clench around his rigid cock as you ride the waves of your pleasure. All the while Diego is grunting and slamming into you with abandon, taking what he wants. When his orgasm follows shortly after he goes rigid for a second, clenching his fingers on your hips to hold you still as he presses into you with bruising force.

“Ahh,” he cries, falling forward and nearly smothering you with his solid body. His skin is slick with sweat and he’s sticky against you. You can feel his cock softening inside you, sending fluttering sensations through your core. He pulls out rather abruptly and you give a little cry of protest. You watch him remove the condom and drop it over the side of the bed before he crawls back over to you and collapses at your side.

“You did well, Princess,” he praises you, cupping his massive hand around the side of your head and threading his fingers through your curls.

“So did you, Mr. Villain,” you laugh, still a little out of breath.

He pulls back and lays flat on his back, breathing heavily, “Now. I think there was something mentioned about you on your knees?”

#diego jimenez #diego jimenez x reader #diego jimenez imagine #starz power #starz power diego jimenez #maurice compte #smut #pure pure smut #chelsfic

[shinwonsaysomething]

What Your Heart Tells You - Lee Hwitaek and Yang Hongseok (University!AU)

Request by Anon:  Hello my love, you know who this is🤣 Are you in the mood to write something Hui x Reader x Hongseok?? It can be in any form tbh, friends, lovers, classmates, i dont mind lol i just need my dose of Hui and Hongseok tbh🤣❤️ -E🍂

Summary: You work on a project with fuckboy!Hongseok where you had a crush on when you were younger. Your bestfriend!Hwitaek doesn’t like him at all. He doesn’t know you are in secretly in love with him. In fact you don’t even know it. 

In this story you will make your own choice when it comes to genre and ending. If you choose Hongseok’s ending it will be Fluff. If you choose Hwitaek’s ending it will be angst and fluff 

(Disclaimer: The idea of multiple endings has been done before, I forgot the fanfiction I read that did something like it too, but it was good haha)

"Y/N? Where the hell are you?" you hear Hwitaek scream through the phone. "I am so sorry. Please distract the professor for one more day. I will be on time tomorrow. I promise!" you say before hanging up. You run towards the school entrance. When you finally made your way up the stairs you sneak into the classroom. You see that your best friend Hwitaek is still busy talking with your professor, probably about some bullshit question he already knows the answer to. You sign to Hwitaek that you are here. He sees you, thanks the professor and walks back to his seat next to you.

"Why are you late this time?" Hwitaek whispers to you as the lecture starts. "I overslept today, because I was working on a project with Hongseok last night" you answer. "That is a new one" he says and chuckles. "Wait, isn't that Hongseok guy the one from Class 2B? The one you had a crush on in elementary school?". "Jup, that is the Hongseok I was talking about. But I promise you I will be on time tomorrow". "Good, I can't save your ass everyday".

After the lecture you and Hwitaek decide to get some lunch at your favorite café. It is a café you guys went to ever since you had your own money to pay for drinks. Today it was your day to treat Hwitaek, also because you had to make up to him. "So.. How is this Hongseok guy?" Hwitaek says and stirs in his coffee. He doesn't look at you, which strikes you at odd behavior for Hwitaek. You have been friends for so long. Hwitaek always looks at you when asking questions, unless he is uncomfortable or insecure. You still answer the question. "I don't know man. I am kinda confused actually. All the girls from 2C and 2B told me Hongseok was bad news and stuff. But I don't know what they mean. He is really sweet and kind while working on the project. He didn't make a move whats however, so I don't know why they call him the project player".

"I heard from Carly from 2D that that is also one of his tactics" Hwitaek says and takes a bite from his sandwich. "What is?" you say confused. "He pretends to be the nice guy and doesn't make a move in the first 2 weeks of the project, so you think you are different and than he will try to get in your pants the very next day" Hwitaek says with his mouth full. "Do you really think I would sleep with him after 2 weeks of knowing him?". "Hey you know I trust you on that, but I don't trust Hongseok at all. I don't like him to break your heart or anything". "That is sweet Hwitaek, but I promise you I am not going to fall for his tricks".  Hwitaek smiles at you and puts his hand on yours. "I know, but if he does anything you don't like just tell him you have a boyfriend and you will be fine". "And who is that suppose to be?" you say laughing. You take a sip of your tea. "I am" Hwitaek says dramatically and as extra as he can be. You laugh even though his comment made your heart jump. To him it could just be a joke, but to you it is different. Recently, you have been feeling a bit more strange around him. His smile makes you blush more often and his compliments mean more to you than they did before. You try to ignore it and just enjoy your lunch with him.

"Did you bring your books?" Hongseok says and takes your coat. Tonight you are working on the project at Hongseok's home. You were feeling more nervous than the past days. In a way you don't want the rumours about Hongseok to be true. You liked him all the way through elementary school. Back then you could only dream of the fact that you would work on a project with Hongseok together. Your feelings are a lot less strong since you know he changed a lot when he entered university. But still there is so much to Hongseok that is appealing to you.

"Yes I got them in my bag. Shall we start on the project?" you say as professional as possible. Hongseok laughs at you. "What's up? You seem so tense?" he says as he leads you the way to the living room. "I- I just feel nervous because I never have been to a project partners house before" you lie. "It is kinda the same as going to a friend though, just a bit more boring because of all the studying" He says. You laugh. "Yeah you are right".

You work on the project and again Hongseok isn't making any move. It makes you think about what Hwitaek said at lunch. For some reason that makes you feel more nervous. Is it because he is not attracted to you or is it one of is tactics or are all the rumors just not true. "Okay, let's take a break. I can see something is up. What is it?" This eyes are on yours now and it makes you blush. Before you know you say "I just can't read you". Hongseok smiles, but looks confused. "What do you mean?". "Well, you know with all the rumors around you and stuff. I know you tend to sleep around and I have a constant feeling that you aren't trying anything on me because you don't find me attractive" you say and look down, instantly regretting everything you just said. Hongseok is quite for awhile. "The rumors are true" he says after awhile. You look disappointed and still don't look at him. He lifts up your chin. "But I didn't make a move on you, not because I don't find you attractive, but because I like you..." he says calmly. "I liked you for awhile and I knew from some girls that you liked me too. I am scared you would think bad about me like all the others. It kinda hurts knowing you already did" he looks down at his book. "No, o my god, that is not what I meant... I-I". Hongseok chuckles softly and scratches the back of his head. "It is okay, I deserved it. I just hope I can change your way of thinking of me".

Now is the  time to choose one of the two members.  Scroll down to the member you have chosen to continue the story. Both endings will be completely different (even when it comes to genre).

You chose HONGSEOK

"It is okay, I deserved it. I just hope I can change your way of thinking of me" Hongseok says. "I mean, I really like you... I want to take you out on a date. Not to get you into bed, but because I think you are awesome and sweet". You blush because of his words.  "But I understand that you can't trust me after all the stuff I have done".

You turn to him. "Listen, I like you too, but you are right I have to learn to trust you first. So hear me out" you start. Hongseok looks up surprised by your answer. "Let's finish the project first. That means we have to work a whole month without making moves. Since we work together we will have enough time to get to know each other. If we still like each other after a month than I will gladly go out with you". Hongseok smiles and says "Is that all?". You laugh and continue "Nope. If you want me to trust you, you need to stop sleeping around and don't try your moves on other girls". Hongseok agrees. "I am serious about this, I am not joking around or trying anything. I am thankful you are giving me a chance". "We will see where this goes" you say and smile at him.

You never thought Hongseok would really take it serious. New rumors were going through the second year classes. Most were focused on Hongseok's drastic change of behavior. Some were about Hongseok having a girlfriend. Some were even about you. People noticed you were spending more time together. You got to know a whole new side of Hongseok as well. You really get to know someone when you hear them laugh so uncontrollably that their "real laugh" comes out. That unashamed laughed. You spend nights working on the project, but also on getting to know one another.

Hongseok is really sweet and kind. He also kept his promise of not sleeping round and trying anything on other girls. The only thing that was hard on him was not trying anything on you, because he got to like you more and more. It was also difficult for you. You told Hwitaek all about the deal with Hongseok. He said that you really have to commit to your own rules, because otherwise he might take advantage of you. If you kissed him before the project was over, it would be more easy for him to go back to sleeping around, because he always gets what he wants.

This was the most difficult. You fell in love with Hongseok. The feelings from elementary school came back, but stronger. Luckily it was almost the end of the project. Hwitaek still doesn't trust Hongseok completely, but he trusts you on your decisions and will support it if you guys end up together.

Monday arrives. It has been 4 days since the deadline of the project. You and Hongseok meet up at your house. The professor told you your grade will be up online today. You two want to check it out together. You sit behind your laptop on the couch, constantly refreshing the page. "He said it will be up right now... where is it then...?" you say frustrated. Hongseok sits close to you and rests his head on your shoulder to watch the screen as well. "It might take awhile, your wifi was bad last week too, remember?". It is quiet for a while. Hongseok breaks the silent. "I- I. uhm I was wondering i-".

"There it is!" you interrupt him.  "O my god ! I didn't think would get such a high grade!?" you say surprise. You and Hongseok jump off the couch and hug. he picks you up and swings you around. "Yes! We did it!". He puts you down, but he doesn't let go. "I- I wanted to say". Again you interrupt Hongseok, but this time with a kiss. Hongseok was so shocked that he didn't kiss you back. You pull away and look at him. "I trust you. Can you trust me too?" you say and look at him. "Finally, yes! I trust you" he says. You kiss him again and he kisses back. "Do you want to go out with me, Y/N?". "Yes, let's go".

You chose HWITAEK

"It is okay, I deserved it. I just hope I can change your way of thinking of me" Hongseok says and moves closer. You turn to him. "Listen, I liked you a lot, but this doesn't feel right". "I can make you feel right though". Before you can say anything else he kisses you. You don't kiss back because you are so shocked. You pull him away. Hongseok looks annoyed. "What is it?". "I just told ou! Why did you kiss me?". "Seriously why do you gotta be so difficult?".

"Hongseok, all you want is to get into girl's pants. And I don't want to be one of them". Hongseok doesn't listen and tries to kiss you again. "Hongseok! I have a boyfriend stop!". Hongseok laughs hard at you as if you just told a joke. "You? Yeah sure, love. That friend of yours probably told you to say that didn't he". Offended and angry you stand up. "All guys are like this even that stupid friend of yours". "He is nothing like you!" you say angrily. "You will see, he will tell you he likes you too". You don't want to hear any more. "I am going. Good luck with the project" you hiss at him. You storm off. At the ride home all you can do is cry. You feel foolish and dumb that you believed his words. "but I like you" his words are still in your head. You wanted to hear those words so badly, but knowing it was all an act makes your heart ache.

At some point, you can't even see where you are going because of your tears. You have to sit and calm yourself down. You want to call up Hwitaek. He is the only one that can calm you down right now. Yet you still don't call him. You feel to ashamed and afraid. Your feelings are all over the place. "He will tell you he likes you too". No Hwitaek doesn't like me that way. This night with Hongseok made your feelings for Hwitaek more clear. Once he kissed you didn't feel good. You walk the rest of the way home. You turn off your phone and go to sleep.

10 pm. You are 2 hours late for the lecture. You promised Hwitaek to be on time today. You stay in bed and turn on your phone. 5 missed calls and more than 40 messages for Hwitaek. All say you need to call him back. You ignore it, because you are really afraid to tell Hwitaek what happened and because of the feelings you have towards him.

A loud bang on your front door wakes you up. You quickly fix your sleepy face and run down stairs to answer the door. "Hello who is th-" you say as you open the door. It is Hwitaek out of breath. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU MADE ME GO THROUGH" he yells at you. He hugs you tight and you feel him shake. "I thought something terrible had happened". Your tears come up again and you let them all go. "I am so sorry..." you say sobbing. "What happened, please tell me".

You tell him about last night and what happened. "That dick... He totally deserved the slap in the face I gave him today" Hwitaek hisses to himself "You hit him?" you ask. "Yeah, he was spreading rumors that you were all over him last night. I know you and you won't do that so I figured he was spreading lies". "Thank you" you say. Hwitaek sits next to you on the couch and puts his hand on yours. You pull your hand away. "I am so sorry". "Did something else happen you didn't tell me?". He always knows this stuff, so annoying. "He told me even you were going to say you like me to get into my pants. I know he is lying, but still I don't know what trust anymore". Hwitaek grabs your hand and turns your face to his.

"Listen Y/N, You mean the world to me. Probably more than you think. I would never say I like you to sleep with you. I don't even had the courage to tell you I like you two years ago". You heart drops. "Hwitaek, if you are pranking me right now. I will kick you in the balls. Don't do this after what happened". Hwitaek laughs. "I am sorry about my timing, but it is true. I like you. I just want you to know that there are guys that really respect you for the way you are. I wish I told you sooner. I was just so afraid you still liked Hongseok and I didn't want to ruin our friendship".

You look him in the eyes. You can see whenever Hwitaek is lying, because he is so easy to read. "You are for real" you say. "Yes, I am" Hwitaek says seriously. You see he is nervous, but that he still looks at you. "I like  you too" you say.  "I was afraid too". Hwitaek puts his hand to your cheek and moves closer, but stops. "Is it okay if I kiss you. I don't want you feel bad after everything that happened". You nod. "It is okay". Hwitaek plans a soft kiss on your lips. Different from Hongseok's kiss, this makes you feel good. Very good. Like everything Hongseok says melts away and you finally found someone that truly loves you. "I don't want to move fast. Is it okay if we take this slow and see where this goes. I promise you I will protect you from any mean words people will say and I will personally kick Hongseok if he says anything else about you". "I would love all of that. Thank you, Hwitaek. You really are the only person that can calm me down". He smiles at you before kissing you again. "Come on, I will treat on lunch this time".

I hope you liked it! Let me know what you think! 🌱🌸

#🌱🌸.txt #pentagon #ptg #pentagon oneshot #pentagon fluff #pentagon angst #pentagon multiple endings #multiple endings #pentagon fanfiction #hui #hwitaek #lee hwitaek #hongseok #yang hongseok

[crownedbyluke]

First Kiss Series (Cliffo)

Premise: it’s your first kiss with the one and only Michael. 

Word Count: 1,800 

Calum

Work had always been fun. That was something you couldn’t deny, but work had become increasingly more distracting recently. Your new cubicle mate, Michael, was making it very hard for you to focus seeing as he was the most attractive man you’d ever seen. The way the button downs or sweaters always hung on his body had you thinking about him a lot when you weren’t at work. It was frustrating. You had to keep yourself focused or your boss would notice the dip in your workflow. Michael had just walked in and you were making an effort to make sure you weren’t staring at him.

“Morning,” he said setting a coffee by your desk. This was new. You two usually didn’t bring each other coffee in the morning and you also didn’t usually say good morning. It was more natural that you guys started talking at random times than having a routine.

“Morning. What’s this?” you asked picking up the cup and following his movements to his desk.

“I brought you a coffee. I figured you might need one,” he said with a shrug starting to get his computer ready for the day.

“Michael, what are you talking about?” you asked completely turning around to stare at him.

“You were up late,” he said and this confused you even more. Yeah, you had gone out with your friends last night, but you hadn’t gotten that drunk. Michael wasn’t even there so how did he know that you were out?

“And how do you know that?” you asked continuing to press him. You felt weird and it was sounding like he had stalked you or something.

“You texted me at two in the morning Y/N,” he said quietly. Your brain went into overdrive. If you texted Michael and you didn’t remember texting Michael last night, you couldn’t imagine what you said. You pulled out your phone and searched for what he was talking about. You clicked on Michael’s name and sure enough there were three texts that you had sent.

Why do you look so good in the mornings? iT’s not fair.

The way you bite your lip when you’re focused on something is really hot.

I might be a little wasted.

You gasped and looked up at Michael. He was being extra quiet and you were embarrassed to say the least.

“Oh my god, Michael, I’m so sorry,” you said and put your hand over your face.

“It’s not that big of a deal Y/N. I’ll try not to bite my lip anymore so I’m not distracting you,” he teased and you groaned instantly after hearing his words. You turned back to your computer and took another glance at the coffee.

“Thanks for the coffee though,” you said quietly and took a sip. It was just the way you liked it too. It made you smile a little that Michael had been somewhat paying attention to you when you weren’t noticing it.

You were still at work when everyone else had left. You needed to finish up a project by the end of the day for your boss and there were still some things that needed tweaking. You heard your phone buzz a couple times, but ignored it, too in the zone to look away from your work. When it went off for the fifth time in the row, you noticed finally. You had five texts and they were all from Michael.

I’m super wasted right now and all I want is to make out with you.

I DIDN’T MEAN TO SEND THAT.

Too late. You’re still hot anyways. Like those skirts you wear for big meetings. It’s like you’re trying to turn me on.

The way you lightly bite your thumb while reading something is also hot and makes me wish you were biting my thumb.

That was very sexual. Oh well. Still hot.

You couldn’t hold back the laughter that erupted from your mouth. Michael was very clearly a horny drunk and that was something you weren’t expecting. It was Friday and you were originally going to be out with your own friends, but the deadline came up instead. You weren’t sure if you wanted to reply, but you couldn’t help wondering what would happen if you did.

So biting my thumb turns you on huh? I guess I’ll have to stop doing that then.

You giggled to yourself before going back to your project. You were almost done and then you could send it out. Your phone buzzed and you had to force yourself to not pick it up. You finished your last sentence and sent the project off to your boss.

You’re killing me here Y/N. I’ll still have the skirts then.

You laughed again and smiled. A drunk Michael was something you weren’t ready for tonight, but you couldn’t wait to tease him about it on Monday.

You’re right. They are fairly inappropriate. I’ll invest in some nice dress pants then.

You started packing up your stuff to head home. You double checked that everything was set and that the office would be fine until someone came in tomorrow morning.

They better hug your ass well then.

You just shook your head at the text and started your journey out of the building. When you got outside, you were surprised to find Michael stumbling towards you.

“Michael?” you asked and watched as he nearly fell over. You went over and wrapped an arm around his waist to help hold him up.

“Y/N, I was just. Hi,” he said smiling at you. His breath reeked of alcohol and you were wondering where his friends were.

“Did you get left alone?” you asked and looked around to see no one else.

“No. I might have walked here on accident after getting dropped off at my apartment,” he slurred still smiling like there was nothing wrong and this was a typical interaction for you two. He was also acting like he hadn’t just been hitting on you.

“Okay, how about you direct me to your place then so we can get you home?” you suggested and laughed a little when he just nodded and pointed in the other direction.

When you finally managed to get Michael into his apartment, you had to admit you were pretty exhausted. It was a nightmare getting Michael up the stairs let alone to give you his keys. He forced you to dig in his front pocket for them and you hated him a little bit for it. He slumped onto the couch once you closed and locked his door for him.

“You’re just the best,” he said and giggled afterwards. You shook your head and just watched as he started to take off his shirt. You were unsure if this was your queue to leave or if Michael just didn’t care.

“Um, Michael,” you said which made him stop immediately.

“Right, you’re still here and you’ve never seen me shirtless. You wanna?” he asked his fingers moving slower to the buttons than before. Your voice was caught in your throat and you just watched as he slowly pulled the fabric from his shoulders. He left the couch and walked perfectly fine towards you. You just stood there and watched him.

“Michael, you’re drunk,” you said trying your best to look everywhere except at him and his chest.

“I’m not that drunk. I don’t actually get too drunk. I just get more confident,” he said taking another step towards you. You backed up to attempt to keep some space between you, but once your back hit the wall, you knew you were stuck. He took your hand in his and brought it up to his chest.

“Go ahead,” he said putting his free arm next to your head. You looked up at him and even though his eyes were slightly glazed over, you could still see Michael behind them. He was serious and it was very tempting.

“I’m not gonna do this when you’ve been drinking,” you said trying your best to lean away from him. You wanted this and you definitely wanted to touch him, but you didn’t want this to be something he forgot when he woke up.

“I stopped drinking a good two hours ago,” he confessed and smiled a little.

“Were you pretending to be drunk and needy then?” you asked getting slightly angry. If he wanted you to come over, he should have just asked instead of baiting you into thinking he need you.

“A little bit. Alcohol hits me at different times though so that was the needy phase, but I’m very aware of myself right now Y/N. I’m also very aware that your breathing has sped up since I got this close to you,” he said and smirked a bit. He was right though. Your breathing had picked up with being so close to Michael. You couldn’t help it, he was standing shirtless in front of you and you were very attracted to him.

“Okay fine, but you’re still under the influence,” you said and finally met his eyes. They were so light and you realized in that moment, how much you really wanted to kiss him.

“Maybe, but I still know what I want,” he said taking your hand and putting it on his chest again. You caved and ran your fingers over his chest, down his abs and back up again. He shivered but kept his eyes on you, gaging your reactions. When your hand stopped at his shoulder, he leant into you more.

“Don’t stop,” he said by your ear and bent his head down a bit. You felt him brush the hair from your neck away and shivered when his lips touched your skin. Your hand moved to his back and you felt all his muscles tense and relax again from your touch. He moved up a bit and started leaving kisses at your jaw. He stopped and rested his forehead against yours, staring you down, waiting. You took his hand with your free one and brought it up to your mouth. He bit his lip as he watched you lightly bite his thumb. He pulled his hand away and kissed you, his hands moving to your hair, your’s going to his shoulders. It felt right to be kissing him this way, passionately and unforgivingly.

“Jump,” he mumbled between kisses and you did. Your legs wrapped around his waist, your hands moving to play with his hair this time. You heard him groan at the feeling of you pulling lightly on the ends which just encouraged you to do it again.

“Fuck, I’m taking you to my room and I don’t care if you leave in the morning. I’m having you all to myself tonight,” he said pulling you off the wall and moving towards his room. You smiled slightly and connected your lips again. All your previous worries left in his living room and your entire focus on just Michael and keeping his lips on you for the rest of the night.

Well...that was different than anything else I’ve ever written. I really hope you guys liked it! Send me some feedback on this series though because like, I don’t know if you guys like it at all. Yeah? Cool.

Tags: @thruheavenandhighwater @cocobuttercalum

#d writes #my writing #5sos fic #5sos #5 seconds of summer #5 seconds of summer fic #michael clifford #michael clifford fic #michael clifford imagine #michael

[lonelypond]

MoonLight Becomes You, Chapter One

Howdy! This is my @lovelivesecretadmirer2018 gift for @nico-nasty.The prompt was “Your Favorite AU” so here we are. No spoilers, you’ll have to read it to see, although there might be some guesses. It got more involved than I expected so I’m posting the first half. I hope that’s okay and you enjoy this, @nico-nasty. I tried to make it more Eli-centric than usual for me.

Love Live, NozoEli, NicoMaki, 5.7K, 1/2

Things Take A Turn

Eli Ayase, tall, blonde, quarter Russian, smarter and smoother than whoever’s standing next to you, was used to being stronger and faster and taller and hotter than everyone else. Part of why she had started hanging out with her housemate, Nico Yazawa, small, sable haired, dynamic, impossibly cute, was that Nico refused to be impressed or awed by any of it. Eli would wander into their bungalow’s kitchen and instead of drooling or dropping a dish or delivery a cheesy pickup line, Nico would just chuck a towel at Eli’s head and say, “Hey, Blondie, your turn to dry”. It was refreshing.

They’d met at Northwestern, both dance minors, and in the time honored tradition of Making It Big™, had moved out to LA together after graduation. The most serious disagreement they’d ever had was when Eli had discovered pineapple pizza and used their weekly take out splurge money on it. Eli was no longer in charge of dinner, ever. All food choices had to be approved by Nico via text or hand written note. Besides their Monday night indulgence, they took turns cooking, which led to their brightest idea, the Popcorn and Pelmini Podcast, where they talked movies and food, reviewing movies and describing the foods they’d cater based on the movies. LA was a hungry town in many ways and movies were everywhere, so Popcorn and Pelmini took off. Takeout went from once a month to once a week.

Tonight, Eli had strict orders to stop on the way home and grab pho and spring rolls, for a light Spring dinner, so she was was enjoying the walk through their Silver Lake neighborhood, after the afternoon at her part time job writing grants. While she lived for her chances to perform as a dancer or an actor, the solid job with the local performance academy allowed her to take a break and just focus on paperwork and meeting deadlines. It was soothing.

The afternoon had been bright, but suddenly there was a change in the wind and a bank of clouds raced in, darkening the day as Eli felt the wind push against her. Suddenly, her scarf whirled away, twisting down an alley Eli wasn’t familiar with. Her scarf twisted around a bike rack in front of two tiny storefronts, one had a sign with Cyrillic letters promising Tasty Foods, the other a crystal ball that mostly looked like a disco ball, painted by someone who’d never seen either. It was somehow a charming muddle, especially as it came with a whiff of rye, garlic, horseradish and dill from next door. Eli’s mouth watered at the thought of borscht or zharkoye, but before she could step into the store, a woman came out of the crystal ball shop. Tall, voluptuous, dark hair with an intriguing purple tint -- that was the only word Eli could think of to describe the curves the flowing fabric of a floral dress hung on, with turquoise eyes that caught Eli staring.

“Oh.” The woman put her key back in her pocket, “Are you here for a reading. I was about to close up?”

Sure, Eli thought, a reading, I can read books, you’re pretty, then realized that her mouth hadn’t actually opened, which considering what her brain had fumbled to was probably a good thing. Just stop at the first word, “Sure.”

“I’m Nozomi.” Her laugh almost tinkled, the smile was a soft, warm breeze and every waft of spiced air made Eli think dinner was cooking in her grandmother’s kitchen. She wasn’t sure she hadn’t slipped into the best daydream ever.

“Cool. I’m Eli.” Eli followed Nozomi into the store. Bookshelves, filled with knick knacks, books, candles, fabrics that looked hand dyed, and boxes of Tarot cards. Ah, now the reading offer made sense.

Nozomi led the way to a small low, wooden table in the back, two pillows on the floor, Japanese style. Eli was having a day where all of her ancestors were visiting. She hoped it was a good omen.

Nozomi knelt, putting both hands on the table, “So what brings you in for a reading?”

Eli was still taking in all the small details, so she answered Nozomi while twisted around, trying to read the book titles closest to her, “The wind.” Eli turned back to the table and now, Nozomi was watching her curiously so Eli smiled, “I like your shop.”

“The wind.” Nozomi reached under the table and pulled out a deck, “This is my oldest deck, I don’t use it much, but the wind rarely blows in such a…” Nozomi paused, “distinctive face.”

Eli took the deck, unsure if Nozomi had complimented her.

“Shuffle and think about what you’d like some insight about. Do you have a question for the cards?”

“Can I have your owner’s number” was not a question the cards could answer, Eli suspected. She wondered if there was going to be a change in the ordinary, orderly progression of her days. “Just some general advice.”

Nozomi’s face gave very little away but Eli might have guessed she was puzzled. Eli shuffled the cards expertly, Nico’s insistence on a monthly poker night had sharpened her skills.

“Place the top 3 cards face down in a row.”

Eli followed instructions, putting the deck aside.

“Now turn them over.”

Eli had, of course, seen Tarot cards before, but never really paid attention to the details. The first card was a man with a staff, holding off a group. You could only see the ends of their weapons. Cute little leaves were growing out of the staves, Eli wondered if that meant anything. She glanced up at Nozomi, whose face was once again difficult to read. Nozomi tapped the middle card, “We need to see them all together.”

“Makes sense,” Eli flipped the next card, which had a red devil dog person laying across the top of a clock that made no sense, staring at her, upside down winged creatures scattered at the corners of the card. Not even looking to Nozomi, she turned over the third card, still trying to make sense of the muddle she’d uncovered in the middle. Third card was an open fellow with a flower in his hand, setting out to travel.

Eli felt a little nervous. She’d never met the cards or Nozomi before, but she suddenly felt as if she’d let a secret slip out. But she had no secrets...well, except the big one, but if that came out in a Tarot reading, Eli would think Nozomi was the FBI agent monitoring her smartphone mic. Nozomi was now touching the center card with the tips of fingers, her other tapping on the table, “Not an easy read, Eli.”

“Does that mean I’m going to fly away, carried by upside down angels?” Eli really had no frame of reference for any of this, but was driven by an urge to see if she draw another bright laugh from the woman across from her.

Nozomi snorted instead, “The card is upside down, not the creatures. They’re all out of various mythologies. There’s so many hints woven together in each card. This is the Wheel of Fortune and reversed, well,” Nozomi hesitated, then rested her hand gently on Eli’s. Eli jerked a little at the contact, but did not pull back, “you may be due for some unpleasant changes and challenges as you roll through the cycle, but the seven of wands indicates you’ve conquered difficulties before so remember your strengths.”

“That sounds sensible.” Nozomi was giving Eli advice that could cover anything, but with the connections she was making with the images on each of the cards, the reading seemed less fabricated than Eli had expected.

“Expecting me to say you’ll meet the love of your life tomorrow at 3 p.m. and she’ll have…”

Eli cut off Nozomi, “No, I’m not that silly. I know divination, whatever your mystical beliefs, is a tool to sort through the things a person may be worrying about.” Eli reran in her head Nozomi ‘s last sentence, surprised at the “she,” but maybe Eli being a complete pushover about the reading had giving Nozomi a cue about her gay weakness for curves and sensuous smiles. “Besides, I’d rather have meeting the “love of my life” be serendipitous.”

“A romantic?” Nozomi took her hand from Eli’s and shifted the last card slightly.

Eli shrugged, “Not really. I just” and Eli grinned, letting her eyes do what she hoped was twinkle in a friendly fashion, “have expert level planning and organizational skills, which are great for work, but dating, dating should be something different...surprising, startling...serendipitous.”

Nozomi laughed. “You also have a distinctive mind, Eli-chi. This last card suits you, but don’t take offense at the name. It’s The Fool. It’s the bold start of a new journey, confidently stepping out to deal with whatever comes your way.”

“I like that.” Eli leaned forward, taking another look at the card, “He’s enjoying the air.”

“Maybe it’s a nice breeze full of Russian spices.” Nozomi swept the cards back into the deck, shuffling.

Eli chuckled, “Ah, you noticed I wasn’t checking out your shop. My grandmother is Russian. I miss her kitchen.”

“Today’s special is zharkoye. You should take some home to…”

Eli shook her head, “My housemate doesn’t let me deviate from plans since the day I decided to try pineapples on pizza. She’s expecting pho.”

“She’ll be wanting zharkoye, you know she will. She won’t mind. Just give her a wink.”

“You haven’t met Nico. My charms have no effect on her.” Eli stood, “but well made zharkoye might. It is technically soup with beef, vegetables and spices, and I bet they have dumplings so dinner wouldn’t be so far off from pho and spring rolls.” Eli reached for her wallet, “How much do I owe you for the reading?”

Nozomi waved away Eli’s offer, “Consider it a trial run. Just stop by again. Wednesdays they make an excellent zelyoniye shchi and everyday there’s borscht, of course.”

“You really like your Russian foods.” Eli shoved her hands in her pocket as Nozomi stood.

“It’s a very distinctive cuisine that has attracted my attention.” Nozomi opened the door for Eli. “Stop by when you figure out what the wheel’s turned to.”

Eli almost said “looking forward to it” then remembered that Nozomi had said “unpleasant changes and challenges” so nodded her head with a “Thanks, Nozomi” as she planned a dinner menu that would make Nico not mind the change in plan.

Eli returned to their small bungalow with two bags of food, having been lured by childhood favorites into spending more money than budgeted. Nico would go ballistic, but then she’d taste the food and downgrade her disapproval to minor grumping.

“Hey Nico!” Eli kicked the door shut. She could see Nico moving around in the kitchen, and then caught something out of the corner of her eye. Slouched on the couch, laptop propped on one of Nico’s impossibly pink pillows was a woman, red hair contained by a gray baseball cap tilted to the side with Refuse To Conform in a circular logo, dressed in green and purple striped board shorts and a black muscle tee. She glanced up casually, gave Eli a slow once over with extremely disinterested lavender eyes and snorted.

Eli put the bags on the counter, pointing over her shoulder as Nico moved to see what Eli had been diverted by this week, “Your stray looks feral.”

Nico snort was an echo of the mystery woman’s on the couch, “You should talk. That’s Maki.”

Still no help. Eli didn’t really like random strangers staring holes through her back so she pressed for answers, “Nico.”

Nico watched as Eli unpacked things that weren’t from their usual Thai place, “What did you do, Eli?”

“First explain Maki.” Eli hoarded the foil containers, enjoying the rich scents and knocking Nico’s prying hands back.

“Fine. You remember Nico was giving an interview to the Rice and Ramen cuties?”

Another snort from the couch, a burst of typing and as Eli looked back, Maki was sliding headphones over one ear.

“Yeah.”

“Well Maki was there. Turns out she does all their awesome music.” Nico hopped up to lean over the counter and blow a kiss in the direction of the couch, “So Nico talked her into doing some pieces for ours. It’ll take us to the next level.”

“NICO!” Eli knew her next statement would sound hollow when she’d just overspent their takeout budget on a nostalgia fix, but she said it anyway. “We can’t afford that.”

“She’s not a horse or my teenage brother so we can afford to feed her a few meals.” Nico opened a container and sniffed, “What is this?”

“I got blown into a weird corner with a Russian restaurant and a Tarot reader next door. She said they had zharkoye today and I couldn’t resist.”

Nico pulled out a spoon for a tasting, “Wow. Really rich stock. Nice. Nico almost forgives you.”

Eli unwrapped the steaming package of varenyky, “First you try the cabbage and mushroom, then later, the cherry and you’ll love me.”

Nico brought a stack of plates to the counter, “Hey Maki, you care what I put on your plate?”

“No.” There was a pop as Maki achieved full headphones.

“Is she actually composing music for us?” Eli ladled soup into three bowls.

“Yeah, she’s sharp, smart and really talented. Nico’s impressed.” Nico rubbed the end of her nose, “Plus, truthfully, Nico doesn’t mind the scenery.”

“Ha!” Eli was salivating, impatient to dive into dinner, but since Nico had drifted to that conversational lane, she confessed, “I met someone impressive today too.”

“Is she a Russian cook, because color Nico surprised.” Nico’s sardonic nature was a refreshing splash of tonic water in a world full of people outsmiling each other.

“No, the Tarot reader.” Eli sat on the stool, and started with the soup, having sampled the varenky earlier, “Her name’s Nozomi. She seems about our age. Not what I expected. Practical.”

“Practical.” Nico popped a varenky in her mouth, taking a moment for a brief murmur of enjoyment. “So what kind of package is practical wrapped up in?”

“Curvy.” Eli admitted, slightly adorable when abashed, not that Nico would publicly concede that.

“See, this is why we will always be perfect roommates,” Nico picked up the tray she’d loaded with bowls, plates and silverware and headed around the end of the island, “You like curvy and Nico likes...:”

Hungry as she was, Eli couldn’t resist the cue, “I’ve always wondered what Nico likes.”

“An audience.” Nico winked. Eli half turned on the stool to watch as Nico slid into the couch next to Maki, tray on the table in front of them. Eli was surprised to catch the redhead smile shyly when Nico was too preoccupied with food placement to notice. Maybe they were getting free music after all.

Eli had left her futon in the couch position. Usually, she went through her ballet exercises in the morning, but she had an audition tomorrow. She never enjoyed auditions...too many nerves, too many memories. Tonight, Eli felt especially jittery, almost feverish. A long session at the barre would help exhaust her enough to sleep. She’d be losing enough sleep tomorrow night.

Eli swept her long hair up into a ponytail, met her own eyes in the mirrored wall. Fierce determination looked back, a hint of sadness in the blue. Yes, tonight’s dinner had been a warm reminder of a time in her life surrounded by love, but it was also a time in her life when she’d been through the harshest of wringers, struggling to keep up with other children, other dancers, pushing down the queasiness as she stepped out on stage in front of a judging panel, desperate not to disappoint. Reaching a hand out to the barre, Eli breathed in, centered her weight and prepared to do her first GRANDE PLIÉ.

Nico had been lying in bed, a little restless. Maki had fallen asleep over her laptop, after Eli disappeared into her room so Nico had covered the composer with a blanket, sipped tea until the snoring started and went into her own bedroom with the door open. Sleepwear for new, cute, nice, if mostly inarticulate potential friend crashing on the couch? Nico had decided on fun SHORT sleep shorts with cartoon bunnies and a pink camisole. Why not be prepared for late night chat and sharing about music or dreams or professional aspirations. Nico fell asleep wondering what else Maki had composed music for and if Nico had run across her work during a voice acting gig.

“AAAAHHHHHHHH….no….get away from me!” Nico woke up, fuddled, heart racing, hair falling in her eyes. That wasn’t Eli’s voice. Nico sprang out of bed, hitting the light switch in the living room as she raced toward the scream. Maki was sitting up on the couch, staring around her, one of the glass doors next to the kitchen island open.

“Maki? Are you all right?” Nico shut the door, listening for anyone else in the house. Where was Eli? No response from Maki, so Nico moved back to the living room, sat on the table in front of where her guest was still looking panicky on the couch, hands gentle on Maki’s shoulders to command the redhead’s attention. Nico’s voice was soft. “What happened?”

Maki almost shuddered, “I...I think something sniffed me.”

“Hell…” So much for calm and softness. Nico snapped around and made for Eli’s bedroom. Sheets on the floor, no Eli, bathroom door open showing an empty room.

Nico walked slowly back to Maki, who quickly averted her eyes when she realized she’d been staring at Nico’s shorts. “Did you see her?”

“Her, who?” Maki was more and more confused.

Nico put her hands together, in prayer position, dropping her head into them and blowing out her frustration. She spoke slowly, “Was it a dog?”

Maki couldn’t read Nico’s attitude, “Maybe…”

“About this high?” Nico held a hand out, halfway between waist and breast height.

“Not sure.” Maki rubbed her cheek, “Just felt something damp and cold press against me.”

“Oh, Eli.” Nico muttered, ignoring Maki and heading back to the kitchen. The trash had been knocked over and bags from tonight’s dinner had been scattered, “What happened to you?”

Maki was standing behind Nico, suddenly close, “What happened to who?”

Nico turned, lip downturned, her face close enough that she seemed to be searching Maki’s eyes and decided to shoot off a question. “What’s your stance on cryptids?”

“Cryptids?” Maki had absolutely no idea what this conversation was about or why Nico was so intense or why she couldn’t stop staring at the tiny tiny flecks of deeper ruby flicked across Nico’s irises.

Nico stepped back, rubbing her forehead, then counting things off with her fingers, “Vampires, Big Foot, Yeti, Jersey Devil, Loch Ness Monster...werewolves…”

Maki tentatively decided to try breaking the mood, “Nessie always takes good pictures.”

Wrong move. Nico threw up her hands, stormed to the glass doors and a rant slowly gained volume and speed, “Wakes Nico up by scaring the life out of her, doesn’t bother to notice who sniffed her, then decides to be funny right when Nico has to figure out what to do…” Nico leaned forward, her hands on the doors.

Maki was having even more trouble than usual processing thoughts, due to being startled awake, events that made no sense, Nico’s rant continuing sotto voce, a craving for donuts and/or coffee, and being unable not to stare at the muscles of Nico’s legs as the hem of her shorts brushed them. “I’m…sorry.”

Nico stopped muttering and turned around, “Huh?”

Maki twirled a strand of hair, managing to almost look Nico in the eye, “I’m still a little fuzzy, maybe still partly asleep. I can help more with coffee.”

“Nico doesn’t have time for that.” Nico grabbed a bag scrap off the floor, “Dawn’s only a couple of hours away.”

“Dawn?” Maki guessed that had something to do with the cryptid comment, but it was only a guess.

“Nico has to get dressed. And play detective.” Nico dodged around Maki, heading to her room, but Maki’s hands were suddenly on her waist, spinning her.

“Explain. Please.”

Once again, Nico’s face was so close that Maki nearly stopped breathing, caught in a fierce scrutiny.

Nico gently removed Maki’s hands. “How about Nico promises to explain later after she finds her roommate?”

Maki’s turn to take a moment to consider what she could read from Nico’s face. Mostly worry, determination, some concern that seemed directed at Maki. Maki decided to trust Nico. “If you let me help.”

Nico nodded, then shoved a torn off part of bag at Maki, “Do you know where that is?”

Maki read the address, “Oh yeah, it’s pretty close to a few clubs I know. I didn’t know anything new had opened there.”

Nico tilted her head, recalibrating, “And Nico thought you spent all your nights on other people’s couches. Not out dancing.”

Maki decided not to answer as she calculated the best way to get there.

“Nico will be back in two minutes. Grab a snack out of the cabinets next to the fridge. Sorry about the coffee, we’ll stop if we find a place.” Nico paused and glanced back, “Pull some raw meat out of the fridge, there’s chicken. Storage bags to the left of the sink.”

Food would help Maki makes sense out of this morning. Being woken up by some kind of animal -- who has a ‘cryptid’ crossing in their living room -- hadn’t been pleasant, but watching Nico crisis solve in her pajamas was kinda fascinating. Maki didn’t mind following along for the ride.

Nico was driving, telling Maki to look out for a fluffy greyhound type of dog, nearly three feet tall, very light fur. They parked a couple blocks off the restaurant's corner. Wind was starting to whip up a bit so Maki zipped her hoodie, chasing after a Nico who was moving nearly as fast as the car had been, head snapping from side to side. Maki found herself listening, but it was still predawn enough that the birds hadn’t hit yawning yet so the air was a mix of distant cars and rustling leaves, with the faint thump of a bass line amped somewhere to the west. Maki pulled out her Tascam and hit record as she walked. It might fit nicely into a set when she wanted to slow down the mood for the night.

Nico stopped, which Maki only realized when she nearly caused Nico to fall, drawing a hiss from the shorter woman.

“Sorry.” Maki pocketed the recorder, wondering what caught Nico’s attention. A moving white animal seemed to be rustling in a pile of trash.

“How did she do that…” Nico muttered, walking quickly, but careful to stay calm, “Hey, Eli...it’s Nico. We need to get you home. It’s almost dawn.” Nico opened the bag of raw chicken. “C’mon.”

Eli. Maki just stood there, watching Nico approach the……...dog? Cryptid? Creature? Quick inventory, four legs, tail, not hunched over and tearing a spine out of someone, wait what if it started tearing the spine out of....Maki found herself slow running to catch up to “NICO!”

Nico didn’t turned but waved Maki back, which Maki ignored. They were approaching the two storefront corner now and the...creature...paused, sniffing. Then a light went on in the storefront without weird partly Greek writing and Nico and the creature turned, the creature with a single bark.

“Can I help you?” A tall woman with purple tinted hair loose around her shoulders stepped out of the door.

Maki glanced to Nico, who sighed, “Hi, new person.” Nico pointed, “Nico needs to get her into my car.”

Maki, hand on Nico’s shoulder, watched as the creature slowly, skittishly sniffed the newcomer, who knelt and smiled, hand out “That’s a popular hair color on this block, recently.”

“No it’s not.” Nico zoomed in, bag under the nose as the creature whined and stuck her snout in and started chewing. “Come on, E…” Nico coughed, “come back to the car, you. Nico needs her beauty sleep.”

Hopping backwards, Nico seemed to be successful in her attempts to lure as they were getting closer to her car. Maki jumped ahead to open the back door, which they’d left unlocked for quick grabs, then stepped to the side. Nico tossed the bag into the back seat with an urgent, “You can do it, get the treat, c’mon, do it for Nico.” The creature stared at Nico for a moment, then climbed into the seat. Nico shut the door and leaned back against the car. No way the chicken and drool stain was coming out easily, but that would be Eli’s problem, not Nico’s.

“Thanks, person Nico does not know. Sorry to disturb you this early.” She stood, “C’mon, Maki.”

Maki was pretty sure she should be offended that Nico had used that same tone of voice on the creature, but she slid into the passenger side as Nico tried to get around the new person. The creature had settled into the back seat and was licking its paws so Maki rolled down her window a bit.

Nozomi held her arms akimbo, “It’s no problem, Nico, right? I’m Nozomi. I was just up to go to the temple I volunteer at. That’s a beautiful dog.”

“Thanks.” Nico grumped, “She always attracts attention. And now I really have to get her home.”

Nozomi was confused by Nico’s brusqueness, which didn’t slow Nico down at all. She was in the car, turning the key in the ignition and giving Maki orders before Nozomi managed to say “Have a nice day.”

“Grab the blanket out of that bag at your feet and toss it over Eli, please.” Nico hit the accelerator. If it had been a manual, she might have shredded the clutch.

Maki unzipped the bag, “Okay, why? And why were you so rude?”

Nico turned from the road to grit her teeth at Maki, “Nico is always charming. But Eli is going to be a naked blonde woman in another couple of minutes and I know she’d prefer we all spare ourselves that sight.”

Maki shrunk a little, suddenly reminded this wasn’t an ordinary lost dog hunt and Nico still had a lot to explain.

Nico reached out a hand and patted Maki on the knee. “Thanks for helping out, Maki. Nico has to solo too often. It’s nice to have company.”

“Yeah,” Maki yawned as she dropped the blanket over the seat. She was ready to fall asleep again, as uncomfortable as Nico’s couch had been.

Something thumped into the back of Maki’s seat with a whimper, followed by a brief howl whine. Nico was holding her breath, hand frozen on Maki’s leg, “Eli?”

“Nico?” Rustling noises now and maybe some crying, but Maki didn’t want to turn around. She sensed that that would not be a Nico approved choice.

“It’s all right, Eli. We found you. You had a Russian food craving.”

“Why did I…” Eli’’s voice shook, fearful…”was that Nozomi?”

Nico’s hands were now both on the steering wheel, knuckle white grip, while her voice spilled comfort. “Yeah, but she just thought you were a lost dog.”

“Nico…” Another cry.

“Don’t worry about it, Eli. We’ll figure it out after we get home. Is your head hurting?”

“Yes.”

“Nico brought some aspirin, Maki’ll get it out of the bag for you, please, Maki.”

Maki nodded and Nico smiled. The pill and water bottles were easy enough to find. Maki handed them over the seat to Eli, whose eyes were red and almost as runny as her nose.

“Here you go.” Maki cleared her throat. “You don’t have to worry about me. I don’t talk to people. It’s just...well, Nico obviously needed help.” Nico snorted.

Eli nodded, her voice a tired mutter. “Thanks. Nico does a lot. She’s pretty amazing.”

Maki grunted. Nico crowed, hands loosening on the wheel, “Nico has a fan club now. Let’s hear some cheers, pretty girls.” One hand flew up to her temple, “Nico Nico Ni.”

Silence greeted that initiative but Nico couldn’t throttle back her cheeky grin. Which Maki couldn’t resist echoing. Eli just moaned, curled up in the blanket, miserable, head throbbing from trying to run wolf senses through human circuits. Nozomi had sounded so kind.

Maki had settled back in on the couch, Eli had gone to shower and Nico was making coffee. She wasn’t getting any more sleep and she doubted Eli would. Maki had been silent when they hit the house, yawning and stretching out under the blanket, still in her hoodie. Nico wasn’t sure if she should be impressed or worried by how noncommittal the redhead was. But that wasn’t the immediate problem. The immediate problem was that Eli only ever turned one night a month and last night wasn’t it. Or else Maki would not have been on Nico’s couch. Tonight, tonight, Eli would have been prepared. Tonight, no one would be on the couch and Eli would be sedated and sleeping it off like a bad hangover.

Eli sat down at the island, hair still wet, blue striped dress shirt still not tucked into her pencil skirt; Nico pushed a mug of half hot chocolate, half coffee her way. Eli smiled at the smell, “Thanks for the treat, Nico.”

Nico shrugged, swigging from her own mug, half coffee, half home made vanilla bean coffee creamer, “You had a rough night.” Eli nodded. “Do you know what happened?”

Eli shook her head, then opened her mouth to wave off the heat from the hastily gulped drink. Her throat was now going to hurt as much as everything else today. Cheerful. “I was restless, I didn’t actually think I’d get to sleep…”

“Nervous about the audition?” Nico asked.

Eli closed her eyes with a sigh, “Always. Then…” Eli rubbed her forehead, aggressively, Nico almost considered pulling away her hands, “there were smells and I remembered...someone friendly...and you were there...and I was hungry and wanted to go home???” Eli preferred treating being a werewolf like a sick day spent recovering from outpatient surgery: plan around it, refuse to let it disrupt anything and stay in bed to aid recovery. Very Eli. Control the problem, organize the symptoms.

“Nozomi was there.” Nico mentioned casually.

“I know.”

“Do you think it was because of her? This all started at puberty right, maybe it’s hormones?”

“Oh, and I’m suddenly going to “alpha” and start jumping on anything in heat?” Eli’s voice was scornful and she finished her drink quickly, the better to storm off.

“Eli,” Nico grabbed Eli’s hands, trapping them around her mug, “I didn’t mean that. It’s just…” Nico’s hands were warm, “people act differently when they’re attracted to someone. It’s not rational. And this close to the full moon, it might have tipped you…”

“That’s ridiculous, Nico.” Eli’s voice raised, Nico glanced to the couch. “I am in control of my emotions.” Eli shook off Nico’s hands. “I don’t know why it happened, but I will be making sure it doesn’t happen again.”

“Okay, Eli.” Nico deliberately ignored all the screaming alarm flares that Eli did not actually have the situation under control, “Just tell Nico if you need any help. I’ll make sure Maki’s not around tonight.”

“Thanks Nico.” Eli stood, tucked her shirt in, ponytailed her hair, buttoned everything but the top button and became All Business Eli. Nico, a master of presentation herself, was always impressed by how Eli never cracked the polished, professional, emotionless facade. If Nico hadn’t caught Eli sobbing, drunk and vulnerable after a bad breakup, one night their freshman year, Nico might have never known the caring, emotionally clueless, mischievous, sometimes straight up silly person under all the imposed self control. Dancers always pushed their bodies, training their minds to overcome pain. Eli practiced that on her emotions as well. Nico’s job as a friend was to get Eli to ease back on herself, but it was a struggle.

“Are you going to wake her up?” Eli asked, gesturing over her shoulder at the snoring redhead.

Nico’s answer was no, she was going to sneak out quietly and leave a note for the too cute to disturb visitor, then hurry home after her meeting with her agent, but she knew Eli wouldn’t approve of that. So she hedged. “Nico will take care of it.”

“Good.”

It had been a quiet morning at the shrine. Nozomi was back home with a cup of tea, pondering the scene this morning. The small, dark haired woman had been behaving suspiciously with the taller redhead obviously half a step behind on whatever the plan was. They didn’t live in the neighborhood, so their dog must have wandered. Unless it was drawn by the smell of the Cafe next door. Perhaps it was one of those Russian wolfhounds, Nozomi thought, bolshoi, no borzoi. She, Nico had called her a she, had seemed quiet, shy. So not a boisterous borzoi, Nozomi giggled to herself. Perhaps it was drawn by the smell, this morning, there was strongly spiced tea in the air, probably with dense, sweet tea cakes ready to dust your fingers with sugar. Thinking of the menu next door brought back a memory of yesterday afternoon and the tall Russian food aficionado  with the twinkling blue eyes. She wondered if Eli liked sweets, maybe she should start keeping them around in case the Wheel of Fortune rolled Eli back into her shop. Ah, but Nozomi stopped herself there, it was no good wishing for tall, pretty, stacked blondes with smart cerulean eyes to return, the Universe didn’t work like that. Although, perhaps a trail of Prague cake slices would work if Eli really did have a sweet tooth.

Nozomi sighed. She obviously wasn’t getting Eli off her mind this morning. She reached for her deck, the same one she’d handed to Eli and dealt three cards. After a minute to center her feelings, she turned them over. Five of Swords. A problem card. Next. Death. Nozomi drew a breath. Change. Upheaval. She rarely drew that card for herself, settled into a routine that brought her satisfaction, if not joy. What would the Future bring. Nozomi stared at the Queen of Cups, blonde hair cascading to her shoulder as she sipped from the cup where her emotions and thoughts gathered. Nozomi tried not to see Eli there, on a throne, graceful hands bringing up the cup to her glistening mouth. Nozomi, startled by the vividness of the image, swept the three back into the deck, discomfited. What did the cards have in store?

A/N: Hi! This was a gift for @nico-nasty on Tumblr. The prompt was Eli, Kanan, Nico, Maki and "your favorite AU." Which I was forced by my wife to admit was werewolf so here we are, an Eli-centric Bibi werewolf AU. The plot got more complicated than I expected (color no one who follows my stories surprised) so this is the first half. I'll be working on the second half in the beginning of March (i have a Christmas fic to finish and Casual Lunacy to continue). Hope you enjoy!

Also, there’s a playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLko9fiFcKQ05lK_hHMrTy790lh4LIwDLp

#Love Live #Ayase Eli #Nishikino Maki #Yazawa Nico #Bibi #love live secret admirer 2018 #fanfic #tag and search test

[autoirishlitdiscourses]

Discourse of Monday, 28 December 2020

You're written a smart, articulate, sophisticated, broadly informed paper, no rush I'll respond to your first one sirens is currently better developed and more specifically into your paper grades discussed in more depth may very well done, overall. In a lot of ways. I'd have to drop a photocopy of the quarter, divided as follows: If you would most like to see just a meaningless hurdle that needs to do this a great deal. You picked an important part of your choice from Casualty could productively appear either near the end of the due date will result in an analysis of a turnip-and I hope your summer has been assigned for each text contributes to a greater degree than they do not attend section every week except Thanksgiving and that, the highest possible grade to assign your final draft, letting it sit for a recitation and discussion to assist you. See Wikipedia's article Curragh p. Let me know, and the context of the recitation half of your plans appears to have sympathy for Francie, it was more lecture-oriented than it needed substantial additional work on time. Again, none are egregious or otherwise, with Dexter, it will help you to be time management you've only got twenty minutes, but I can't be sure that your textual accuracy was otherwise perfect. On Raglan Road: Personally, I think that picking only well … primarily sources that come from the absolute maximum amount of time makes his use of stream of consciousness and how it's related to writing and studying so that I say these things but could make suggestions about how you can which specific part of Ulysses closely, as you write it, no, I think that your paper, no matter how amusing it is, and sometimes the best possible lenses into these in more detail; thinking about for the quarter is that you have demonstrated repeatedly in section tonight, expanded and based on speculative and unorthodox scholarship that I think you're onto a good recitation. Bloom attends a funeral during the week of Thanksgiving is now five weeks late on this. I absolutely understand that it looks like it's going to go first, let them do so as to avoid treating your time and perhaps others as lenses into these topics.

Students Program. Aside from the dangers inherent in being exposed to the section hits its average level of competence by any means the only love-related topics not only accepting responsibility for your paper. So let's have the midterms by then, unless you're definitely ready to talk about a more luggage than you want to try harder on the final, is that you should definitely do whatever is available online, send me, and that not doing anything horribly, but given your interest, and I want a recording of a letter grade for students on the paper is going to post on the Internet, if you'd like, though, you've done so far, if you want to pick another course text with the second half of The Family Guy called Saving Private Brian, which shows that you've set up to your next email it to say to each other in a different direction.

I think you've prepared separately, then there are certainly capable of this. As to what he thought just so that you have any other questions, OK? Heaney is referring. You may not have to accept an F, having talked about effective ways to take a look at what actually interests you about The Butcher Boy; you also gave a strong step in this paragraph, you really have shown that you should do is produce an audio recording of it; is there. Have a good holiday break! Similarly, perhaps, American imperialism. I'll go ahead and confirm that the problem with the small modification that I still think it should be on campus tomorrow afternoon work for them would help you be an episode of Ulysses please let me know if you haven't done the reading yet, and prejudicial or hate speech will not incur a/genuinely amazing/. Your plans were adequate but came in earlier than yours. It may be that you inform people who see the text. I'm happy to proctor it if you go back over my recent emails that it might sound, because he hasn't taken it yet, and yes the grade sheets for all of you is yours. I'm happy to send in some of your recitation comes, make sure that you haven't lived up to your presentation, please let me know if tomorrow works, we should be working you don't get discussion started.

Again, this is a fascinating topic that probably has plenty of other cultural changes in the way that sets you up to your presentation tomorrow! If you'd prefer, I'm sorry I didn't foresee at the last chance to talk. Playboy of the things holding you back here, and it's not inevitably the case and I will bump up your recitation/discussion, and that writing a personal experience doesn't necessarily tell us? Have a good weekend! On McCabe's The Butcher Boy, and you do a project on on line 12; and any other reason. As promised in the text and to exercise even more effectively with the professor to ensure that you offer to you. But they've added up. I'm taking September 1913, like I said yes I will Yes. I'm wrong about how you'll effectively fill time and adapting your plans by ten a. Etc. That section of a text during the week. So, the more difficult texts, and the way that Shakespeare has been made optional for everyone who got below an A-is if you choose into a more explicit effort on the final to get away from home. I take it you're referring to the week you are adaptable to the aspects of your thoughts to, you might focus on Playboy of the poem's last stanza, too, that you believe that you are reading in the context of other instances.

Are we late? I've attached the eGrades sheet I just graded it, though, there's always more worth talking about Francie's narration, one of which parts of your own work will help to make sure you understand everything that's going to be difficult for you. Overall, you might want to get to all of you will go first or last, or twenty minutes for both of you is the connection between nature and aggression?

In romantic relationships, his extremely alcoholic father, etc. You were polite and responsive to the bleeded potato-stalks to the zombies, who is Godot? I add the points for not following a specific, questions would have a thesis while you are perfectly capable of tipping the scales from writing an essay that is, your deadline for you unless your medical condition actually makes it an even stronger work in here. 5 p. I didn't anticipate at the beginning of the operant preconditions of this audio or visual recording itself in some important ways. Finally, remember that essay. You were nimble on your writing, but you've effectively used your message as a template to create the next level and making sure to send me a revised version instead, if turns out that you originally selected. I'm just letting you know you've done many things very well if you do not perform pre-evaluations of drafts, but will make it up until 7:00, in turn, based entirely on attendance for your new puppy! Overall, you should be motivated more clearly articulated stand on what you would have helped you to 97%. This page to check for updates.

Unlike many students who simply move their eyes quickly over the middle, but your delivery was good in many ways; one of barbarism. You could theoretically also meet Sunday or Monday that is necessary, then by tomorrow, you need to be signing up for a solid, although if you have chosen. Have a good student this quarter. I certainly understand from personal experience it can be a tricky business, and I'll see you next week is by Eavan Bolland, not 72. Then you may ameliorate the conditions producing your anxiety. You also demonstrated that you can do a project on on line 648; changed done to make any changes, please let me know. However, these are just some possibilities, and that what it would have to go on because there are also somewhat off base—this is a B for the Academic Senate Outstanding TA Award for the Self. This was incorrect: Thanksgiving is next week: Think about what you plan to recite in section lately keep it from my section guidelines handout. You provide some scenarios for less-intelligent and read well, and effectively positioned it as he makes clear in the front of the poem, delivered it very well here, and you display an excellent point, but I can't believe that you shouldn't use them to pick something appropriate for that section is UXJU. Enjoy your Halloween, and I've just been crazy and I'm glad it was more lecture and section leader.

Thanks again for a very solid aspects of your selection, and you've also made them all returned by the end of the appropriate time if you recall, and this is very well elicit some comments even from people who see you in section Wednesday night with details about exactly what you see absurdism most clearly illustrated in the first group covers material that you should/always/have completed the assigned texts from Seamus Heaney I'm extending this backwards a bit rushed. My overall goal is to call on you second or third. Sounds good to me for any reason, but this would require the professor's reading of the woman from whom Bloom receives a B. Think, too. Well done on this you connected it effectively to larger concerns. Have a good thumbnail background to the details of the week in which students often make a good one a lot of similarities to the smallest detail, and the phrasing of a topic is potentially very productive move that the directions specified that they will be no reading quiz this week tomorrow! I won't assess participation until the very small-scale issues that would work for the course. Anyway. With two exceptions the very end of Lestrygonians; these are generally fairly small errors, and your writing really is a very solid aspects of the Catholic Encyclopedia online. Beyond that, if you want any changes made I will probably involve providing at least some background on Irish money if you glance over at me occasionally, but because it makes my life easier if you get some good topics outlined for the midterm; talked exactly twice in section after the final it has taken longer than I had been reading it. I had hoped, motivating people to talk in detail. This has not removed the price tag from his hat. Currently, there's no penalty for not meeting the discussion component of your evidence pay off as much as it turns out, I wouldn't make bets about how you see as important about those parts that build to your query, but spending some interpretive effort. But I think, and I think, too. Did you want to deal with the paper's relevance to the discussion that involved not only accepting responsibility for your attendance/participation that is faithful and accurate down to recite and discuss when you've finalized your decisions. Pick a few avenues that might make you feel inadequate approaching painting and other parts of your material you emphasize again, this could have been to take so long to get back to you? Again, all of you who have been, though. What is the best way to find that thesis, because you still have plenty of examples, but it's often confused with one. In retrospect, it may not like it, immediately or in abusive situations; mothers who don't exhibit the characteristics that you are capable of doing this. There were some genuinely tiny errors, your recitation. That is, well done overall. Hi! You straighten out I know from section that week is going to be more successful would have paid off to pay more attention to the historical development of the text, though I still need to be changed than send a new document. I think that the professor is behind a bit nervous, but overall, you did quite a good move to demonstrate this well enough in advance, and enjoy your time and managed to respond to any particular essay format has to be a more streamlined fashion there is at least a short description of your discussion as a method of contact for me to assist you. Still, it may be something that's much more detail if you'd like me to say is that the overall relevance of what you most need in order to do, because freedom is a very good job with something happier.

There are a number of points. You supported each other to do a wonderful and restful holiday break! You've been very close and, again, did he drop? They are presented in the class, because you'll probably find it helpful to look for people who are leaving town for the final and am not currently counting the boost for reciting in section we will have to drop courses without fee via GOLD. In other cases, writers of papers in this paper would have been to question #1, because this is not improbable. You seem like you.

Have a good job with it. 3 was 6. So a how this passage: If you have some very good job with it, and I quite like your lecture slideshow along. Yeats, because the other person who's still on the list are represented as standard entries for the final you will attend 9, though if you're trying to cover, refreshing everyone's memory on the basic parameters are what you really mop up with Joyce's appropriation and recasting of classical mythology Ulysses in particular, I think that you have attended for attendance and participation is 55 5 _9 points. He consented to let me know.

#Irish literature #automatically generated text #Patrick Mooney #Python #Markov chains

[joshpup]

Reconnected // Pt. 1

Word Count: 1,795 Member: Joshua Genre: friends to lovers au, fluff Summary: actually based off a real life experance for me, except its not joshua hong and the guy is weird. Anyways, just the adventures of two close friends who reconnect after a long time apart and the adventure life brings them on.

You had honestly forgotten about him. You’d spent your most blissful years of your childhood with him. You parents had been friends before you were born, so naturally the two of you spent your first few early years together. Your first few memories involved him. But, as fate is a cruel thing, he moved away around the age of five. As time went on, the memories faded with each passing year. You went on with your daily life, moving on from elementary school, to middle school to high school. Something here or there would remind you he was still around. Your mom would unearth old baby photos of the two of you, or the rare moments he would actually post something on one of his social medias, but outside of that, nothing came from it. The two of you never spoke, never tried to reconnect, nothing. You never had any reason too. He lived hours away from you, there was simply no point in trying. But this all changed in the course of one day. 

Ironically it was a wedding that reconnected the two of you. His family made the journey all the way back to where you were, but you hadn’t thought much of it, as you were busier thinking about the fact that you were a bridesmaid in the said wedding. Seventeen years had passed since he had moved. And it had maybe been seven years since you’d last seen him. Oh, how things have changed since then. So many things where making you nervous that day, but surprisingly, him being there was what made you so nervous, not being the maid of honor, or having to give a speech about the bride and groom. No, it was the fact that he was going to be there. You were going to see your childhood friend, Joshua Hong, after many long years. 

“At least I’m all fancy and dressed up...” you had mumbled to yourself and you examined the make-up that had been applied be an actual make-up artist. “This is probably the nicest I'm going to look until my own actual wedding.” 

When the Hong family finally arrived, the wedding party was getting their pictures taken. While no one else noticed, being too busy to make sure they looked good in all the photos, you saw them come up out of the corner of your eye. You had expected to see the same little middle schooler you’d seen those seven years ago, stuck in an emo phase, except this time maybe a little taller but oh how you were wrong. He was by far the most stunning person to ever walk the earth, you didn’t need to be up close to see that. You could feel you heart flutter around in your chest. Part of you wanted to walk away and run up and hug your once closest friend and catch up on all the years that you had missed with him, and the other part of you wanted to run away as fast as possible and completely ignore the stunning boy. How did the runny nose kid you’d once known turn into this? 

In the end, you didn’t have time to speak with him before the wedding. By the time pictures where over, you’d lost sight of him and his family, and then it was time for the wedding. The evening went by in a blur. You smiled on as you watched the bride and groom get married, and then made your way to the head table for dinner. But it was when the newlyweds went off to take sunset pictures that you were left to your own devices. Being the socially awkward human that you are, you made your way to every table except his. You could tell he was looking at you, how could anyone not? He had been watching you the whole evening, but now was more noticeable than ever. You didn’t even think he was trying to make it subtle. His eyes were fixed on you, but every time you tried to lock eyes, he quickly looked away. 

When you finally made it over to his table, what else would you do but go straight to talking to his mom, not even offering a glance at Joshua. And he was the same way, staring off to the other side of the room as if no one had just walked up to his table. As expected, the conversation with his mom ended up turning into a conversation about him, his mom delicately crafting a way to pull him into the conversation by force. Bless Mrs. Hong. Without her, the two of you would never have reconnected. Something as simple as talking about your senior year in high school and the different classes you were taking was enough to tear down the awkward wall between you. The two of you caught up with each other until the newlyweds came back, and then it was time for you to give your speech. You were nervous, but more nervous that Joshua Hong, someone who almost demanded attention in the gentlest of ways, would be watching your god awful public speaking. 

Honestly, you blacked out during the speech, but when the others told you that your speech had brought people to tears, you considered the job well done. When the dancing started, you found yourself gravitating over to Joshua again. How this happened, you’re not really sure, but you basically spent the whole night standing next him. The two of you would get separated for some reason or another, and then within minutes somehow, you’d both end up in the same place. 

“Have you thought of any colleges you want to go to?” Joshua asked over the booming music. 

“Are you trying to give anxiety and kill me?” you fired back. Joshua let out a loud laugh that could probably have cured cancer. Man, it was nice to see him again. 

“So how long are you going to be here?” you questioned. 

“We have to head back tonight because I have one of the main practices for a concert I’m apart of tomorrow.” Joshua explained, his face falling a little. You can’t say you’re any different, you’d at least hoped for another day for your two families to go out and get lunch together or something. You, however, didn’t say any of this out loud, but instead wished him the best of luck and said that you hope to one day be there to see him perform. 

It seemed like the rest of the night didn’t last that long. Soon it was time for the sendoff, and as the newlyweds drove away for their honeymoon, sheer chaos ensued. Everything related to the wedding had to be cleaned up and packed away before the deadline the venue had given you. You said your rushed good-byes to the Hong family, wishing them safe travels, said a few cheeky comments to Mrs. Hong, earning a giggle and like that, they were gone. Getting his phone number to stay in touch hadn’t even crossed your mind. You were busier trying to locate a car to start shoving things in. You hiked up your long, floor length dress and quickly grabbed armfuls of things and threw them into the backseat of a various cars, then got handed a set of car keys and told to drive it home. You didn’t even know how to get back home from the venue, but if it meant being able to go home and take of the long dress and heavy makeup, you were down. 

As you hooked up your music to the car’s stereo, Joshua Hong came back to the front of your mind. 

“He sure has grown up a lot. I bet he has people all over him at his school.” you mused, chuckling a bit to yourself. 

When you got home, you did exactly what you had planned to do. You ripped of the dress and changed into sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt, then threw your hair up in a messy bun, planning to wash out the heavy amount of hair spray the next morning. It took two makeup wipes to get as much as you could off. You were sure not all of it was off, but you were just too tired to care. You climbed into your bed and slipped under the warm covers and was out within seconds. 

The following two days were just as crazy. Extended family was in and out of the house over the two days, eating all the food and being as loud as humanly possible. The long-expected family drama finally broke out and the Hong’s where far from your mind by this point. Things had gone back to normal. The Hongs were hours away, living their own very different lives, while you were here, just trying to make it day by day. Finally, Monday rolled around, probably the only time you were ever going to be happy it was a Monday. Monday meant back to school, which meant you had a solid excuse to leave the extended family behind. 

It was a normal Monday. Boring and tiring as always. That is, until lunch rolled around. You sat down with your three closest friends, excited to spend the only lunch you had with them that week, and tell them all the crazy things that occurred over the weekend and during the wedding itself. You glanced down at your phone to check the time but something else caught your eye. You picked up your phone and looked at it closer. It was an Instagram notification from none other than Josh Hong. 

“Oh my god.” you mumbled. 

“What?” your best friend sitting next to you asked, leaning over your shoulder to take a look. You opened up the notification to find that Josh had direct messaged you on Instagram, saying that he had meant to ask you at the wedding, but had forgotten, so instead he figured he would just ask you about it over a DM. at the end of the message was his phone number. He had seriously planned to ask you for your number that night? Or did he just want it know and was going to play it off like that? Either way, you were in complete shock. You don’t even remember how you got your best friends phone number, but it had always been to connect for a school project, or to keep in contact for school clubs. No one had ever given you their number just to stay in touch, let alone a guy. The again this was runny nose Joshua Hong, your childhood best friend, this didn’t mean anything more than just trying to stay connected, right?

#write-svt #svtnetwork #svt #seventeen #joshua #joshua hong #hong jisoo #fanfic #fanfiction #series #friends to lovers #friends to lovers au #writing #kpop #kpop fanfic #svt fanfic

[uni-life-tips]

Tackling Unproductivity

It's okay to feel unproductive and useless etc.

As a student there are going to be days where it feels like you just can't do anything right. You start the day by spilling your coffee all over something important, you're late to class or go to the wrong room or get all the way there only to hear that class is cancelled and you could/should have slept in etc. Most of all, there are going to be days where you set out to be productive and get your homework done...and none of that happens and you feel useless.

This happens to everyone and getting frustrated at yourself isn't going to do you any favors.

In most of my upper-year semesters this happened often. I'd get out from my last class of the week and tell myself I'm totally going to be productive. I make a list of all the assignments and readings I have to complete and prioritize them. Then I get home and think "I've been in-class all week. Time to relax. I'll get started on that list bright and early tomorrow morning". Then I start watching a movie or something and I can't enjoy it 'cuz I'm constantly thinking "hey...you need to do your homework". So I end up trying to do my homework (failing due to lack of motivation) and I end up just refreshing Youtube about 50+ times (I wish I were exaggerating) and browsing the "Recommended" videos for about 4 hours. Again, I wish I were exaggerating but this is literally how my days are in Uni and I hate it.

We've been discussing webpage designs in some of my classes and we've learned that webpages with endless scrolling or pages that show you something new each time you refresh are running on game/gambling theories. People get addicted to the chance of something interesting happening with the next one. If you just keep scrolling you'll eventually find something interesting; if I just refresh Youtube again I'll find something interesting. Sound's kinda harmless...right? Well, replace "refresh" with "put in another quarter" and "Youtube" with "slot machine". Ta-Dah! This is how web-pages capitalize on addictive personalities and whatever else. This is why it's so freaking hard for me to just get off of Youtube and be productive. Next thing I know it's Monday, I've got to get to class, I have done absolutely none of my assignments or readings, but I now know how to wash and butcher 20 different fish for sashimi...as if I'm going to be able to get a fish on a student-budget living inland.

I've had entire weeks/months of this. This is where "good stress" comes in. I wouldn't have finished a draft of my paper if the deadline weren't 9 hours from the time I started. Yeah, I was supposed to start a month ago but I gave into the trap of constantly refreshing Youtube.

There's no easy answer and relying on deadlines to light a fire under your ass doesn't always work out and it's a horrible strategy. My strategies might not work for you, but if you're willing to read on then you'll find some of the ways I've tried that get me to be somewhat productive:

1) Get out of your room. Being alone in your room gives you the freedom to goof-off or go online. Your gaming systems are probably there. Your art-supplies, the bed, etc. Don't sit in a room full of temptations and expect that you won't be tempted to do something fun rather than study. If you don't need the internet or your computer or whatever else for a particular part of your academic work (e.g. readings either for a class or for a paper) then take what you need, leave everything else, and find somewhere else with fewer distractions to do the thing and don't let yourself go home until you finish it. It could be somewhere as close as your dining room table, or outside of your living area entirely: Univerity library, a food court, a random area where you can sit and be alone with your readings etc. Personally, I tend to go to foodcourts or fast-food joints with self-serve soft-drinks. Self-serve usually means unlimited-refills so long as you and the cup remain in the establishment. So I order a meal and plop down to eat and go through my readings/assignments while getting the most out of the drink I paid for. Also, being out in public means I'm a lot less tempted to just watch youtube videos or something.

2) Prioritize. Make a list of the stuff you have to do in order of importance. Define "importance" however you wish. I usually go by whichever ones are "due" sooner. E.g. I have: readings for the class on Monday, mini-assignment for Wednesday's night class, studying for an exam on Tuesday morning, laundry (2 weeks overdue therefore you have 4 loads instead of 2), and a paper due on Thursday. I'll create a numbered list: 1) Readings for Monday 2) Study notes for exam, 3) Mini Assignment 4) Paper 5) Laundry (2 loads). Then I try to stick to that list as much as I can. I usually end up deviating and that's my next point.

3) If you're having trouble getting anything done and getting frustrated with yourself, step back. Ignore the priority order and pick on the shortest or easiest task on your list. Get that out of the way to give yourself the confidence boost of having completed something. Ride that sense of accomplishment and work your way up to the most difficult or complicated task on your list. It won't feel as intimidating if you're riding the positive feelings of completing something. This is why small tasks like laundry, cooking, or cleaning are important to include. If you can't handle your academics right now and feel useless, work on laundry or cleaning or whatever. Simple tasks that are hard to mess up. You'll feel better once you've accomplished something, no matter how small. Don't beat yourself up over not having been productive in the "right" ways--sometimes you just need to feel like you accomplished something. This is also why I end up having tons of sweets and baked goods made during Hell Week in University. I'm stressed out, there's way too many exams to study for and assignments due. I can't focus on any one thing long enough to complete it because all the other stuff is screaming at me and I feel worthless. I feel even worse about myself because I "escape" and decide to bake stuff or make sweets. Then I have a ton of sweets and nothing else done. I am frustrated with myself but I do have to admit that I needed a 'win' in that situation. I needed to feel some sense of accomplishment. I have no idea how to complete my paper or what to study for the exam(s) but I did know how to bake those cookies so I'll munch on those while I try to break down my academic tasks into more managable steps.

4) Break down your work into more managable steps. Telling yourself "Write paper" might not be enough motivation or information to help you figure out where to get started. Instead, if you have a rough outline of phrases or points or references you want to include in your introduction as opposed to your body paragraphs then that'll make producing the paper easier on you. Some people just can't get started on a blank document. It happens to the best of us. If it does then break down your paper into pieces. Introduction, point 1, point 2, point 3, discussion, limitations/other considerations, conclusion. Also, it's good practice to create your reference/bibliography sheet as you find the articles. It's better to have 13+ random articles cited properly from the get-go and choosing which to delete than having to go digging around the library for something someone else may have checked out or worse, trying to find the article again on some online database. Don't do that to yourself. Cite once, cite it properly, and move on.

5) Do something enjoyable. Go out with a friend, complain to each other about assignments, gossip, joke around, laugh with each other. Try some new food at a new place or something. Take advantage of the daily special at a pub. Do something fun to forget about the workload you have no idea how to tackle. This is especially good if you're in the process of brainstorming topics for a paper or if you've finished a draft of something. If you're trying to formulate a topic and thesis statement then taking a break and letting your ideas incubate for a while (subconsciously) is good. When you get back to it you'll either see an angle you never considered before, realize it won't work, or whatever else. All ideas look good in the moment when you come up with them, but give it time to simmer and you might realize it was garbage and you wasted time barking up that tree. Same principle with a draft of a paper. Take a break to forget about it so that you can lay fresh eyes on it when you get back. You'll see the holes in the flow of your argument. You'll better-spot typos. That time away with your friend(s) wasn't a waste, it was re-setting your brain and allowing you time away from your ideas/paper so that you didn't end up married to them and blind to the faults in them.

Good luck! Don’t stay frustrated at yourself. That solves nothing and makes you feel horrible. Find some way to break yourself out of the rut and force yourself to look at the up-sides rather than the negatives. It’s a cliche psychological trick that’s been done to death, but it does have some merit to it. If all you focus on are the negatives, that’s what you’re going to see more of. Look for the positives and choose to focus on that. Rather than be frustrated about not being productive in the “right” areas, look at what you did manage to accomplish. I have a mountain of academic work I have no idea how I’m going to tackle and I’ve got 3 things due in 9 hours. It’s daunting. I wanna cry. But I have freshly-baked, home-made chocolate chip cookies. It’ll be a long night and I’m not sleeping tonight and I’m probably going to have to ask for an extension or figure out which one of these assignments I’m going to take a fail in...but I have cookies.

#Unilife #stress #productivity #unproductivity #procrastination #university student life #tips #university tips

[flauntpage]

Your Monday Morning Roundup

What do the Phillies’ offense and newly acquired second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera have in common? They did nothing this weekend.

After Thursday night’s big offensive outburst, the team saw their production dwindle each night after. Beginning with Friday, Odubel Herrera’s two-run shot gave the Phils a 2-1 lead in the top of the third. But the Reds scored five more times en route to a 6-4 Cincinnati win, despite Nick Pivetta striking out 12 in six innings of work. He did give up a three-run homer in the fourth and gave up six hits. But maybe some patience can go a long way. Roman Quinn also appeared in the game after being called up earlier in the day. He grounded out to third in the seventh during his only at-bat of the weekend.

The same thing happened on Saturday. Rhys Hoskins hit his seventh homer in eight games with a two-run bomb in the top of the fourth to give the Phils a 2-1 lead. But those were the only runs the team would score, as Cincinnati scored five more times for a 6-2 Reds win. Vince Velasquez had an okay start, giving up two runs off six hits and five walks while striking out four batters in five innings.

Yesterday, the offense did nothing on eight hits. Zach Eflin gave up three runs in the bottom of the third as the Reds took the 4-0 win. Eflin went 5 1/3 innings and gave up all four runs off seven hits with four strikeouts.

As for the trade deadline, which is tomorrow, cross Adam Jones’ name off the list:

there was a chance to go to Philly, but Adam Jones has decided to stay in Baltimore (at least for now) due to reasons of family, friends, fans and his charity. can't blame him for that. tough call, he appreciates the interest. possibility to revisit after the deadline also.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 29, 2018

Does that mean more opportunities for Roman Quinn?

The Phils begin a short two-game series with the Red Sox at Fenway tonight at 7:10 PM on NBC Sports Philadelphia and nationally on ESPN. Aaron Nola will take the mound against David Price.

Finally, former Phillie Jim Thome was officially inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame yesterday.

Before we continue, a word from our sponsors:

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The Roundup:

Training Camp at NovaCare continued over the weekend. The Birds added two more players in Adam Reth and DeAndre Carter that definitely won’t make the final 53-man roster. The current roster is at the maximum 90 players.

On Friday, the team practiced the new kickoff rule for the first time, Jim Schwartz spoke about the defense, and Malcolm Jenkins had some choice words about Jerry Jones.

The team practiced in pads Saturday and Sunday. I’m down there for KYW, but here’s some notes I have:

Carson Wentz participated in some 11v11 drills on Saturday. He didn’t participate in 11v11 drills on Sunday. Doug Pederson said that was part of the plan. I have no doubt he starts Week 1 against the Falcons, but there’s plenty of rust to get rid of.

Pederson also had the moment of the weekend at Mike Groh’s press conference Saturday:

Doug Pederson, scarfing down water ice, crashes OC Mike Groh’s presser. “Any timetable on Carson?” pic.twitter.com/aRqBw0iZFt

— Tim McManus (@Tim_McManus) July 28, 2018

On offense, Dallas Goedert is going to be fun to watch as the second tight end. He’s a very athletic pass catcher and made some veteran-like catches during the past two days.

Mike Wallace is going to be the most underrated free agent signing of the offseason.

Despite being known to drop plenty of balls last year, Shelton Gibson has definitely improved in catching the ball, including making a spectacular deep ball catch with Malcolm Jenkins and Ronald Darby draped over him yesterday. But he’s still dropping some easy passes.

Kamar Aiken drops passes as well. But he’s a veteran on a tryout. Different, and he probably won’t make the team. Markus Wheaton probably will.

I do like Rashard Davis as a wideout, but I don’t think there’ll be a roster spot open for him. He’s a practice squad candidate. Same with Greg Ward, but he has a better chance of getting a roster spot than Davis.

Isaac Seumalo has snapped the ball high when he was getting reps at center. Chance Warmack was quickly yanked to start 11v11s yesterday in favor of Matt Pryor. The sixth-round pick has shown plenty of flashes so far. Wouldn’t be shocked if Warmack or Seumalo, or both, aren’t on the final roster.

Defensively, Jalen Mills has definitely improved from last season. He and Ronald Darby started all four days as the outside corners.

As for the nickel corner, it’s alternated between Sidney Jones and De’Vante Bausby. If I had to say who would be leading at this point, I’d give the slight edge to Jones.

Tre Sullivan looks like he’ll be the third safety after Jenkins and Rodney McLeod. That is unless the team brings back Corey Graham after training camp.

Jordan Hicks looks fine. Let’s hope he doesn’t get injured again. Nate Gerry took some snaps at WILL linebacker spot, along with Corey Nelson. Joe Walker got some snaps at the MIKE position.

Destiny Vaeao is getting first-team reps over Haloti Ngata alongside Fletcher Cox at defensive tackle. Tim Jernigan is still out and hasn’t even been on the field to watch practices.

Fourth-round pick Josh Sweat had a nice swat of Nate Sudfeld during 11v11s on Sunday.

Cameron Johnson can boom punts, but can also shank some. I’m surprised the team didn’t bring in another punter just for competition. Donnie Jones is still a free agent.

Injury updates: Brandon Brooks missed yesterday with an illness, but he’s fine. Tight end Adam Zaruba was carted off early yesterday. Bryce Treggs might come back this week.

After practice on Sunday, a lot of the players discussed the new helmet rule, which will probably be very confusing to everybody involved with football.

Don’t be surprised if the Eagles make one or two trades as well.

In non-training camp news, a guy ran Philly Special at a gender reveal party.

Finally, a pro lacrosse player who’s from Philadelphia used the water bottle trick to pretend he’s peeing on the Cowboys’ star at their practice facility before a game last night.

The Sixers brought back Demetrius Jackson on another two-way contract, which means the roster is probably set barring any trades. Jackson and Shake Milton are the two guys on two-way deals.

The team’s Summer Shore Tour returns to South Jersey later in August.

Following that in September, the team’s Delaware G-League affiliate will hold open tryouts.

Adidas publicly unveiled the Flyers’ black third jersey, which we’ve already known for about a month or even longer.

Broad Street goin’ Black & Orange. #adizero #NHL @NHLFlyers pic.twitter.com/HSaPaV5spm

— adidas Hockey (@adidashockey) July 26, 2018

The Fusion, the city’s professional Overwatch team, participated in the Overwatch League final this weekend. They got swept by the London Spitfire. Are e-sports really the future?

In other sports news, Dez Bryant ripped on the Cowboys.

Sean Newcomb nearly pitched a no-hitter yesterday. But someone found old racist and homophobic tweets.

Trea Turner had the same thing happen.

In the news, hundreds of teens fought near Temple and damaged property.

3D printed guns are banned in Pennsylvania.

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