#Adrienne Parks | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

pinkrelish · 1 year

Text

𝐭𝐡𝐞 "𝐲𝐞𝐬" 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲.

singledad!mechanic!eddie x fem!reader

✶It's Christmas morning at the Munson's and Adrie has a small request.✶

NSFW — slow burn, fluff, lovesick yearning, very light angst, 18+ for eventual smut, drug/alcohol mention/use

chapter: 7/20 [wc: 3.4k]

↳ part 01 / 02 / 03 / 04 / 05 / 06 / 07 / 08 / 09 / 10 / 11 / 12

AO3

Chapter 7: Breakthrough

Dreams of sleeping in were crushed one tiny footstep at a time.

Morning broke through the burgundy bed sheet hung as a curtain in the window. Slivers of blue fought away the slumbering gloom clinging to the peeled wallpaper, invading the small bedroom in drowsy clock ticks. Murky wine-colored shadows caressed the bundled comforter, crowded the pillows, soothed closed eyes into sweet dreams. Darkness cradled his head and sold him a lullaby fantasy. An aching yearn of a dream where the cold penetrating the thin trailer walls was kept at bay by more than his own body heat. Arms encircling him, a kiss behind his ear, a gentle wake up call. An idyllic rapture easily woven from the fibers of his unguarded heart. An aspiration quickly escaping his wishful fingers at the sound of running, and the vibrations of the trailer shaking, and–especially–the little voice yelling at him his five extra minutes were up.

“Daddy! You have to wake up.” Adrie jumped knees-first onto the mattress, and bounced her way over to him. “It’s Christmas, you have to get up!”

He grumbled from his warm pocket of air under the covers, and she whined.

“Please,” she begged, crawling towards him.

He winced, and hissed, “Ow-ow-ow, watch the hair. Miss Mouse won’t like me if I go bald.” He dropped his head back to where she sank her mighty fists into his pillow, and she apologized by putting all her strength into shaking his shoulder instead.

Wayne called from the kitchen, “I’m gettin’ started on our famous Christmas casserole.”

“Now that,” Eddie said in an upbeat tone, “I’ll get up for.”

“You’re mean,” Adrie pouted, scooting until her knees dug into his spine, and added on to it by saying it wasn’t fair he was making her wait to open presents.

Eddie twisted around to see her manufactured sad face (practiced over the years to elicit the strongest pity in him), and he snaked his arm out of the blankets to hook it around her, bringing her wriggling self in for a sloppy kiss on her forehead. She made a ‘yuck!’ sound and pushed away.

“Go sit, I’ll be there in a minute.”

Willfully, Adrienne slipped from his hold and sprinted the length of the trailer, rattling the metal window panes along her way.

In the following moment of quiet, he inhaled deep, and sighed through his hands scrubbing over his face. The oil in the electric radiator popped. A bird chirped. Music blasted from a neighbor’s home. A faraway bike skidded, spitting up loose rocks from the trailer park’s entrance.

Eddie rolled onto his back, and blinked at the stained ceiling. He tried to not make a habit of sleeping in Adrie’s bed now that she was older, but sometimes his back cried for a break from the lumpy couch cushions.. His back, his hips, his knees, his neck. All of it. Every now and then he needed the relief, to flatten himself out on the mattress after several long days of work wearing down on his body, even if it was considered weird or wrong by others.

Swinging his legs over the short drop to the floor, Eddie straightened out his thick knit socks, sweatpants, sweatshirt. He rubbed his knuckles against his dry eyes, stinging a line of water along his lashes. Flipped off the switch to the heater. Ran his fingers through his tangled hair, mouth tasting of stale beer from drinking last night with Wayne.

He stepped out of the room that used to be his, and staring at him down the hallway, past the kitchen, at the other end of the lousy home, was his little girl. She sat crisscrossed at the stout tree smelling of fresh sap, illuminated by colorful strands of lights, and backed by old ornaments previously stored in cardboard boxes. Her eyes sparkled with silver tinsel happiness, and her springy curls bounced with the excitement of her wave.

Wayne wrung a damp dish towel around his hands as he and Eddie made their way to the couch, and he gestured at her. “Alright, darlin’, you can go.”

The sacrifices were worth it.

In this lousy home filled with overdue bills and underprivileged struggles, was an abundance of love and awe. Eddie sat at the edge of his make-do bed with scratchy cushions that chafed his skin raw, and brushed his shaky fingers over his lips. “Yeah? Is that the one you wanted?” he asked, grinning so wide his puffy sleep-deprived eyes nearly closed from the unbridled joy he felt watching his daughter tear into the Rockin Robot cassette player and recorder; a toy which had an attached microphone so she could record herself singing onto blank tapes. “Wanna make music just like me?”

“Yes! I love it!”

It didn’t take long for Adrie to open her presents in the established order–smallest to largest. Stocking stuffers first, which she dumped out onto the pine-needled carpet, and snatched all the chocolates to put on the coffee table next to the plate of cookie crumbs and empty Looney Tunes mug. Tossed the pack of new socks and dress into a pile, but wore her pink rain boots. The talking Barney the Dinosaur doll, cassette recorder, and Barbie Fold ‘n Fun play house were placed aside for assembly and batteries later.

Wayne gathered the ribbons and bows she discarded to be saved for next year, and said, “Okay, Miss Adrie. Looks like you have one present left.”

The forest green bag with a portrait of Saint Nick sat propped against the tree, nearly as tall as Adrie when she stood and grabbed the handles. She peeked inside, and in one motion, dropped to the floor, and dislodged gift after gift. An eight-page book with reusable stickers she could move around to create scenes of dinosaurs roaming the land. A big box of 64 crayons with two coloring books. A plastic jewelry making kit. A puzzle. Containers of Play-Doh. And the very last item, turned over and shaken out from the bag, was a unicorn.

Adrie squealed, and swept the stuffed animal into her arms for a merciless hug. “He’s so cute!” she said, burying her face in the powder blue fur.

Eddie stopped tracing his lips. Wayne tilted his head at the scene, confused.

Spotting a small red envelope amongst the torn newspaper her presents were wrapped in, Adrie picked it up, and mouthed out the handwriting she wasn’t familiar with. “Santa left this for you.” Adrie held it out for Eddie to take.

Prying his gaze off the unexpected hoard, he accepted the envelope with his name on it, not uttering a word, nor reacting more than necessary. She bolted for her toys, and Wayne’s scrutiny was hot on the side of his expressionless face, watching him slide his finger under the corner of the flap and break the seal gently, avoiding tearing the paper.

He pulled out the card to reveal an illustration of two cardinals in a pine tree flocked with white glitter snow with a generic greeting on the front. Certain words were underlined in pen afterwards.

Have yourself a merry little Christmas

He opened it to see if anything was written inside.

One glimpse.

He smashed the card closed and turned his face away from his uncle.

Collecting himself, Eddie sniffed and ran his knuckles along his jaw until he reached back and wrung his nape as he stood up, and walked to the coat hooks, slipping on his jacket and shoving his feet into his work boots without acknowledging his family.

“Where’re you–?” Wayne stared at his back in quiet bafflement.

“Goin’ out for a smoke,” he answered, and shut the door behind him.

~~~

Tree branches stilled after the delicate breeze knocking them together ceased. Hungry dogs went inside for kibble and warm blankets. Kids stopped riding their bikes when their moms called their names. Humidity dampened the crisp air. Everything hushed.

Eddie sat on the frumpy loveseat on the porch built onto the trailer. His forearms laid on his thighs, and the card remained clapped between his palms. He took a shaky breath. Exhaled. Or tried, anyway, to breathe despite his nose stopping up.

He opened the card again and read the message spanning the entire blank space available.

merry christmas eddie,

i hope adrie likes the gifts!

i know it’s hard for you to find peace,

so i tried going for quiet things that would

keep her busy, like the puzzle. it’s double sided!

that’ll keep her entertained. and i loved

play-doh as a kid, so i hope she does

too. & i can get her more coloring books if

she doesn’t like the animal ones. i know

Continued on the other side–

the bracelet kit says ages 7+ but maybe

you can supervise her. i remember having

one when i was little, before parents cared if

we choked on the beads.

SEASONS GREETINGS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

if she’s not still in her unicorn phase, spare me!

it was too cute to pass up.

anyway, please get lots of rest over the holidays.

you deserve to relax.

–♡–

mouse

His daughter came dashing out the door, and ran up to him with her jacket flapping around her arms. He shoved the card under his thigh, and shifted his focus to zipping it up for her to silence his emotions from surfacing, not having the energy to risk shattering the facade of the morning by explaining why the unicorn she galloped up his leg meant more to him than it did her.

“You like what Santa got you?” he asked, running a heavy hand over her hair.

“He knew exactly what I wanted,” she rejoiced.

With the temperature dropped, and her boots shiny, she raced the stuffed animal up to his hip, and left him to babysit it while she played outside in the frozen-over yard.

Gladly, he tucked the unicorn companion under his arm as Wayne pushed open the squeaky side door and joined him.

Under normal circumstances, Wayne’s old man stoicism worked wonders on getting Eddie to talk. It was a sure thing. He’d see him come home with red-rimmed eyes, or that far away gaze on the worser days, and he sat in earnest patience, knowing his nephew needed the cool down time to organize his thoughts, and then he’d explain what had him upset.

It worked less well in the years following the incident which led to Eddie’s ostracization from Hawkins, but he just had to be patient. It would work. Eventually. Just had to be patient.

And when his nephew refused to speak, Wayne sparked up a cigarette, and ventured, “I don’t, uh, remember us buyin’ those last presents.”

“They’re from the receptionist at work,” Eddie stated. He didn’t move his gaze from staring holes into the worn down floorboards, but he did sink back into the couch, combing his fingers through the unicorn’s white mane.

“Oh,” Wayne said in genuine surprise. “That was nice of her.”

Treading carefully, his uncle spun his hand as he thought of the best way to approach the real conversation he wanted to have. “She seems nice.. To you, and to Adrie.”

That was when Eddie shook his head. “I know where you're going with this,” he warned, absent of any real threat behind the words.

He went silent in stubbornness.

But Wayne just had to be patient.

“She’s very.. uh.” Eddie sighed. He started again, this time looking up at the rusted awning as if it had all the answers to his love life woes. “She’s very vibrant, y’know? From the city, lives a big life, loves performing for people. She doesn’t need a gray cloud like me hanging over her.” He laughed a hollow laugh, and bumped his shoulder into Wayne’s, pretending their conversation was of the light-hearted variety. Like admitting these things aloud didn’t cause a devastating blow to his neglected self-esteem. “Doesn’t need someone like me tying her down to a place like this.”

Wayne scanned the same trailer park in the same small town with the same curse of bearing the Munson name, but he viewed them with less disdain. Less animosity. “You used to be vibrant too, kid. Used to always be talkin’ about your hobbies, playing music too loud, sittin’ out here with your guitar. Always bringing your friends over. What happened?”

Too many things happened, and they were not the kind he verbalized often, so Eddie chose the most obvious.

The corner of his mouth twitched at the joke flashing through his mind. He got in real close to Wayne’s face, raised his hand, and directed his attention. “My vibrancy’s currently ruining her new shoes.”

Tracking his finger, Wayne slowly turned his head in time to see Adrie crack the ice barring her from a puddle, and stomped it into smithereens, sending mud up her pajama pants and into her pretty pink rain boots. She jumped, and jumped, and giggled, and jumped, all over her dad’s heart.

Satisfied, Eddie hugged the unicorn to his chest after making his point.

“Have you considered maybe she likes gray clouds? Or she’s the type that looks forward to the rainy days?”

“We can drop the weather analogies, Wayne,” he said in a curt tone, cutting off his uncle's incessantness. “It’s not that, anyway. I know she likes me, I’m not that dense.”

Wayne didn’t put much effort into keeping the humor out of his voice, “Then what are you being dense about?” The contemptuous head tilt and accompanying eye roll were earned, but not regretted.

“She might be moving away at the end of summer.”

He took a long drag on his cigarette. “Might be?”

“She doesn’t know yet.”

He watched Eddie’s expression slacken to stark blankness again–face and posture wilting, weighed down by his fate–already resigning on a relationship he hadn’t yet given a chance. “Don’t you want to at least try? I mean, you never know. What if she–?”

“Don’t you think I’ve thought about that?” Eddie interrupted, growing annoyed at the topic and allowing it to seep into his temper. “Don’t you think I’ve sat here, day after day, and thought about it from all angles? Over, and over.” He became more animated as he spat out questions rapid-fire. “What if she stays? What if she leaves? What if things work out? What if they don’t? Do I deserve it even if it’s short term? Can I handle it when Adrie asks me why she’s not around anymore? Like, fuck. It’s all I think about. Constantly! Just again, and again. She could move back to New York and live her accomplished life without ever giving me another thought, but what if she doesn’t want to go back? What if she wants to stick around? What if she wants to work with me at the garage forever, and we get married, and buy a small house with a white picket fence, and live out our textbook dream together with 2.5 kids and a dog. Who knows!” Done ranting, Eddie ended it in a full bodied shrug, and collapsed into the cushions, releasing the most cathartic, yet dramatic sigh Wayne had ever heard. “She’s all I think about. Drives me insane.”

Wayne held out the pack of Camels to him, but it was rejected in a limp wave.

“I..” Eddie’s mouth hinged on the words, bottom lip quivering as the questions he posed washed over him as an exhausted, watery-eyed truth, “I didn’t even realize how bad the stress had gotten until she just..” He motioned. “Fixed it.”

Acknowledging the bitter reality, Wayne nodded. “You are much nicer to be around since you two started hanging out.. Adrie sees it, too.”

Not that Eddie meant to be an asshole, but after grueling hours of hard labor, he had little tolerance for the arguments before bath time, or the meltdowns before school. Months prior, he was alongside his daughter, crying harder than she did when the smallest inconvenience set her off, ending with both of them huddled on the floor; one of them screaming to be understood, and the other in a hopeless heap of a man who reduced himself to a shitty father who couldn’t do anything right, drowning under the pressure, anxiety, responsibility to not fuck up again.

Now, he was able to swim to the sun glimmering on the surface.

Wayne landed his rough palm atop Eddie’s untamed bedhead, and soothed him, “You should give yourself a chance at something great. I’ll be here to pick up the pieces if it doesn’t work out.”

Eddie sniffed, and wrung his lips to the side. “You gonna pick up Adrie’s pieces too?” he asked softly.

“I will, son.” Despite the rocky times in their relationship–the slammed doors, the yelling matches, the coming home with a newborn and no money to afford baby formula–Wayne promised him, “Whatever it takes to make you happy. I’ll do it.”

The egg timer in the kitchen dinged.

“Breakfast’s ready,” he grunted, stubbing out his cigarette in the ashtray, and giving the quick-nod-with-a-flattened-smile older men were known for after confiding in one another, and he went inside.

There wasn’t much time for Eddie to process the weight of his internal decision before Adrie was climbing onto the loveseat. And if she noticed she left a trail of mud up his pant’s leg on her way to kneeling beside him, she didn’t care. All that mattered was her icicle skin melting in the warmth of his heavy arm wrapped around her middle; and effortlessly, she fell into the comfort of his embrace while working her hands beneath his hair, untucking it from his jacket’s collar, and hugging him back.

Eddie stashed the card in his pocket, and grabbed the unicorn by the back of its head, putting the nose to her cheek and pretending it was giving her kisses. “Did you have a good Christmas?”

“Mhmm,” she hummed, pulling strands of his curls around her fingers while her cold nose was pressed to his throat. “Can Miss Mouse come over to play?”

“Not today. She’s busy with her own celebrations.”

It was weird how calmly he could answer her. No twisted tongue sitting in his mouth like lead, no tensed stomach from an assault of nerves, no racing thoughts of you and Adrie becoming too close before he was ready to disappoint her. The fear was still there, of course. But he didn’t dread it. He held his daughter tucked against his body, and whispered into the unruly hair she inherited, “But she will soon, okay?”

“Yay!” She showed her excitement by constricting her arms around him in a perfect vice.

He wedged the unicorn between them and scooped her onto his hip. “What say you, Princess Adrienne? Shall we go in for a bit of Christmas morning casserole, and partake in reindeer games after getting you into your winter attire? Hmm?” She wasn’t responding. “Adrie?”

Her mouth was hung open, and her hand out, palm turned upward, making a grabby motion at something over his shoulder.

Eddie listened to her, and turned.

Snow fell, fell, fell from the low hanging clouds smudging the sky in shades of gray, bestowing the trailer park with fat flakes drifting beyond the safety of the porch, melting onto the dead grass and brushing past his car’s mirror. Pretty, pretty things of childlike magic Adrie caught on her fingertips. Special things floating to the edge of the wobbly floorboards, and sticking to his hair for her to laugh at.

“I love you,” he said in a kiss to her bitter cold cheek.

“Love you too, Daddy,” she replied in the same fashion, with an additional kiss from the unicorn to the tip of his nose.

Doors around the trailer park opened. Wide eyes of wonder gazed up, and around, searching for friends to celebrate with. Eddie felt exposed in his all black outfit against the growing landscape of white. They were looking at him. Judging him. Munson. But, unlike any other day, the desire to bolt from their intrusive stares dwindled with each graze of his thumb over the card in his pocket.

#eddie munson x reader #eddie munson #stranger things #eddie x reader #eddie munson smut #mechanic!eddie #eddie munson fanfic #stranger things fanfic #the yes policy

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hotvintagepoll · 3 months

Text

Propaganda

Adrienne La Russa (Salvare la faccia, Beatrice Censi)—she's got kind of an anne hathaway thing going i think

Jane Fonda (Barbarella, Sunday in New York, Barefoot in the Park)—Feminist icon, LGBTQ+ rights activist since the 70s, Civil Rights and Native American rights advocate, environmentalist… she really is THE woman ever

This is round 1 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Adrienna La Russa propaganda:

Jane Fonda propaganda:

" I assume she's already been submitted but I gotta make sure. I think there's an element to movies like Barbarella or her segment of Spirit of the Dead of those having been directed by her husband, who famously made movies about her being hot, and the incredible costume design also helped, but good lord. Look at her"

"Her vibes in these movies are so interesting because she, the daughter of an Old Hollywood star, went on to make both poignant dramatic movies and the some of the silliest things you've ever seen but even in the silly space adventures and sexploitations there's always this undeniable gravitas to her. It's like she's able not to take herself very seriously but at the same time never stops having this grace and elegance and makes it all work together. And she's always been very politically active which is also sexy. Her famous mugshot is from 1970 so right at the cutoff mark but come on"

"She was so pretty, dear lord! She was and still us stunning. She’s great at comedy and drama."

"Shes so hot im so gay for me i will let her hit me with hers car"

"Watching her in Barefoot in the Park seriously made me, a straight woman, question things"

"Gorgeous and also still getting arrested at climate protests, which is sexy behavior"

"PLEASE I LOVE HER SO MUCH"

#jane fonda #adrienna la russa #hotvintagepoll #ladies 1 #fuck that old woman

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perotovar · 6 months

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into the beat of the night (ch 4) "thin flesh"

moodboard by me

pairing: frankie morales/enby!oc!river price (they/them) rating: 18+ (minors dni) chapter warnings: swearing, (1) instance of misgendering (not by anyone we like), unprotected p in v, cunnilingus, brief oral (m receiving), discussions of contraceptives, this shit is sappy y'all, there's a cat too word count: 5.5k dividers by @saradika-graphics beta: @scenaaario (ily adrienne ♥)

for notifications, follow @oakslibrary and turn on alerts ♥

series summary: frankie thought he had himself figured out by now. he liked both men and women, had dated both in the past. but when someone that challenges what he thinks that means comes into his life, in an unlikely place, he truly learns who he is, and more importantly, who he loves.

series masterlist

River moaned, tangling their fingers into Frankie’s curls. “F-Frankie, my lunch is only thirty minutes,” they giggled, biting their lip.

“Don’t care,” Frankie grunted, digging his thumbs into their hips and continued sucking on their neck. He hummed happily, kissing up the side of their neck to nibble on their jaw playfully.

Frankie had stopped by the building where River worked with lunch. It was now getting cold.

River had to push Frankie away, a slightly dazed look on their face. They smiled up at him and poked his cheek. “And you call me the menace. I touch your dick one time and you become insatiable.”

Frankie laughed, his shoulders shaking. He leaned over and kissed their cheek before relaxing back in his seat. “Sorry, your food is probably cold now,” he mumbled, handing the takeout bag to them.

River shrugged and began eating. “So, we’re meeting up with Will, Benny, and…”

“Santiago.”

“Santiago. Tonight, right?”

“Yeah, if you still want to,” Frankie nodded jerkily. This was the first time he was introducing River to the guys. He was mostly nervous about Benny opening his big, golden retriever mouth and asking dumb questions. He knew at least Will and Santi would be normal, if a bit protective.

“Of course I still want to,” River said, swallowing a bite of food. “They’re like brothers to you. I can only imagine the shit you guys have seen together,” they muttered sympathetically.

A far-away look crossed Frankie’s features and he swallowed around a small lump in his throat. River reached over and held Frankie’s hand, rubbing their thumb over his knuckles.

“Sorry, we can talk about something else,” they said softly.

Frankie smiled weakly and shook his head. “It’s okay,” he looked up into their eyes. They reminded him of leaves in a summer downpour. “Thank you.”

“Of course.” River had to go, finishing up the food Frankie brought for them. “I’ll text you when I get off work, okay?”

Frankie nodded and leaned over to kiss their cheek. He kissed their lips once, then again. “I’ll pick you up at eight.” River winked, climbing out of Frankie’s truck and making their way back into the tall building.

Frankie exhaled loudly and started the truck. The prospect of telling River about his past, about his addiction, made him incredibly nervous. He had been clean for a long time now, but it didn’t make the conversation less daunting. River hadn’t turned him away yet, but he also didn't know their hard limits. Despite feeling more comfortable with River than he had with anyone in a long time, it was still so new.

He pulled into the parking lot of Marisol’s daycare and sat idling, waiting to go inside and pick her up. He looked down at his phone and smiled at his lockscreen; it was a photo of River with their tongue sticking out, piercing on full display, and flipping the bird. He took another deep breath and rolled down the window for some fresh air. It would be okay.

It would.

“It’s a music based subculture, Benny. The fashion came later.”

Benny shook his head as he swallowed his beer. “Then why have I never heard of a ‘goth band’ then?”

“Because you probably listen to butt rock.”

Benny spluttered, offended, but laughed. “What is that?”

Frankie, River, and Santi laughed as Will rubbed Benny’s shoulders sympathetically. Things were going really well. Better than Frankie expected them to go, if he were being honest. It felt like River had always been a part of the group.

“I haven’t heard a denial yet,” River teased in a sing-song tone, a twinkle in their eye. Everyone laughed harder as Benny raised his arms in defeat. “Speaking of, did Frankie tell you guys what he wore when we went back to The Night Owl?”

“Oh, god, here we go,” Frankie groaned, hiding his face in his hands.

“An Iron Maiden t-shirt, which was already funny on its own. But he also wore these blue and yellow New Balances and I won’t lie, I almost ghosted him for it.” River winked at him as they squeezed his thigh under the table.

Benny was laughing so hard his face went red and Will shook his head in disappointment. Santiago sighed and put his hand on Frankie’s shoulder. “You wore your New Balances to a goth club? Hermano…”

“I don’t have any clothes that would fit there, okay?” Frankie explained, exasperated. He turned to River and gave them his best pout and puppy dog eyes, whispering, “Besides, I thought you liked my ‘lumberjack, fisherman chic’?”

River looked to Frankie’s lips briefly and licked their own before looking back up into his eyes. “True, I do. Wouldn’t change it for the world. But,” they grinned. “I would love to see you all ‘done up’ one of these days. Just for fun.”

Benny was nearly having a stroke at this point. “Oh, my god. I’m trying to imagine Fish with eyeliner and it’s killing me,” he wheezed.

Frankie laughed and shrugged, putting an arm around River’s shoulders. “We’ll see,” he hummed, leaning over to kiss River’s cheek.

Will chuckled and rolled his eyes before standing. “Another round? On me, this time.”

Everyone nodded their thanks, and fell back into easy conversation. Out of the corner of River’s eye, they saw someone nearby that could be a problem. The man had been staring at River all night, and not in a way they could ignore. River sighed quietly and prepared themselves as the man stood and tried to “subtly'' make his way over to the table.

“Damn, when’s the funeral?” The drunken asshole smirked, looking right at River. He sneered at them and waited for River to react.

“Hey, fuck off, asshole—“

“Benny, don’t,” River muttered, giving him a look that said more than their words ever would. Benny went quiet but looked at the guy with daggers for eyes. Santiago crossed his arms over his chest and watched for River’s signal.

“Haven’t decided yet,” they exhaled angrily toward the drunk.

“Listen, lady, I was just—“ River rolled their eyes and stared at the man. Frankie’s eyes went wide and he saw red. River quickly grabbed Frankie’s thigh again and squeezed, stopping him. Their expression changed from neutral to manic, an unsettling smile spreading across their face. They tilted their head to the side and stared, unblinking. The man shuffled uneasily on his feet and scoffed. “Whatever, fuckin’ freak.”

The man stumbled away just as Will returned with all their drinks. He looked at the group of grumpy faces and the guy walking away. “What happened?”

Benny’s face broke into a wide grin and he started snapping his fingers. “River just scared a dude,” he laughed.

River rolled their eyes, but smiled this time. “No, the guy came over and tried to be clever and I shut it down,” they shrugged. “I’ve had a lot of practice.” They gestured to their wardrobe by way of explanation.

Frankie went quiet and had a pensive look on his face, rubbing River’s lower back. He knew River picked up on the drunk calling them “lady”, because he knows he heard it. Will had given River a fist bump and everything went back to normal. He’ll bring it up later.

“Okay, so I know Fish went and it was an accident, but like, do you think I could go to The Night Owl?” Benny smiled wide, that golden retriever energy back in droves. “I’ve never been to a goth club and it sounds fun.”

River gave Benny a long look, thinking about it. “I don’t see why not,” they hummed thoughtfully. “I just have one question for you.”

Benny blinked and nodded, letting River continue.

“Are you sure you’re a hundred percent straight? Because you would be a hit there, and not just with the ladies.”

Everyone went quiet for a second before bursting into laughter. Frankie laughed quieter than the others and shook his head. He looked at River lovingly, taking in the features of their side profile and lips.

“Is this why you asked if I listened to butt rock?” Benny asked, incredulous. “I still don’t know what that means!!”

They were quiet on the drive to River’s apartment. River looked over at Frankie, worry etched onto their features. “Are you okay? You’ve been quiet.”

Frankie glanced at River before looking back at the road. “Yeah, I’m fine,” he said softly. “I’m honestly more worried about you.”

River blinked. “How come? I’m fine. I had a really good time.”

“The guy?” Frankie asked, not wanting them to bury what happened. “He called you–”

“I know what he called me, Frankie.”

Frankie frowned and bit his lip. He didn’t want to step on River’s toes with this, but he was so ready to beat the shit out of the guy back there before they stopped him. “I’m sorry, I just… I know you can handle yourself, but,” he floundered for the right words, sighing in frustration when he couldn’t find them. “I just… I’m here, okay? You don’t have to like, deal with disrespect like that while I’m with you. Especially if it’s to like, impress my friends or something.”

River went quiet and smiled sadly, looking down at their painted nails. “I know,” they hummed softly. “Thank you. Same goes for you. I may not know all the details right now, and I know you’ll tell me when you’re ready, but I’m not blind, babe. I know you’ve got demons, too.”

Frankie reached for River’s hand and laced their fingers together as he pulled up to their apartment complex. He lifted their hand to his mouth and kissed their knuckles reverently.

“Go ahead and park.”

He raised a brow and did as he was told, turning his truck off. He looked across the darkened cab at River, a curtain of hair obscuring their features before they turned their head. “What’s up?” he asked softly.

“You wanna come up?” They gestured towards their apartment with their thumb, a shy smile on their face.

Frankie’s heart skipped a beat and he nodded, undoing his seatbelt. He followed them up the steps and waited patiently while River unlocked the door. “It’s not much, but it’s home,” they sighed. River’s voice was immediately followed by a loud scratchy meow. “Aww, hi, baby,” they grinned, crouching down to pick up what was probably the fluffiest gray cat Frankie had ever seen. “You’re not allergic are you?” They asked, a look of worry crossing their features, realizing they forgot to mention that they had a cat.

Frankie snorted and shook his head, holding his finger out for the cat to assess him.

River sighed in relief and kicked the door shut behind him. “Good,” they smiled. “This is Jonsey.”

“Alien?” Frankie grinned.

“Yes! Ugh, thank you!”

He laughed as Jonsey leapt out of River’s arms and went, presumably, towards his food. “How come you always look so spotless? Doesn’t he shed a lot?”

“Ohhh yeah,” River laughed. “I have travel-size lint rollers on me at all times.”

They both laughed before they got quiet, taking each other in. Frankie shoved his hands in his pockets and decided to look around.

“Wine?” River asked, walking toward the kitchen.

“Sure. Thank you.”

He really wasn’t sure what he expected River’s apartment to look like, but if he had to guess, he thinks it’d look exactly like this. Dark wood furniture with gray accents. There were plants everywhere; spilling over window sills and winding up bookshelves, lush and full of life.

“You can have a seat, y’know,” River chuckled, handing him a wine glass. They started walking around the living room and lighting a couple candles to further warm up the place.

Frankie obliged and had a seat on River’s couch, getting comfy. He left his arms open and River immediately took the invitation, cuddling close. They drank their wine in silence for a few minutes before Frankie spoke.

“I meant what I said, by the way,” he started, rubbing the thumb from his free hand against their arm. “I may not understand all the nuances of your gender and what comes with it, but I want to. I really like you, River, and… I wanna be there for you.”

Turning slightly, River made eye contact before setting their wine glass on the coffee table. Frankie did the same with his own. “I’m not sure what I did to deserve you coming into my life like this, but I really appreciate it,” they grinned. Their lips pressed against his tenderly. “You’re taking all of this incredibly well. Most cis guys get so threatened by… this,” they gestured to their body. “Usually why I date women,” they chuckled.

Frankie smiled, heart fluttering. “I’m not sure what it is either. I just felt a pull,” he shrugged. “And you’re right. I haven’t been totally honest about my past yet, but… I will. I promise. You deserve to know.”

Climbing into Frankie’s lap, River held his face to kiss him with more purpose. He melted into it, keeping his hands on their sides. Frankie closed his eyes,the scent of River’s cologne washing over him. Color bloomed across his eyelids, the earthy tones of sandalwood and the deep red of the wine on their lips.

Coming up for air, River breathed against his lips, “You don’t have Marisol this week do you? You don’t need to be home?”

“No, I dropped her off at her mom’s earlier,” Frankie sighed, scratching lightly at River’s lower back, making them shiver.

“Do you want to take me to bed, Francisco?”

Frankie’s whole body shuddered and he felt time stop. Pools of green looked over his features like he’d hung the moon as River waited for his answer. Swallowing his nerves, a soft smile graced Frankie’s features. “Of course,” he whispered gently, because if he spoke any louder, he was sure the spell would be broken.

River’s face lit up, pink warming their cheeks. They leaned forward and attached their lips to his neck, nipping and sucking softly at the thick muscles there. “Bedroom is down the hall on the right,” they mumbled.

Frankie didn’t need to hear anything else as he stood. He held River by the ass as they laced their legs around his waist. He felt like he was in a trance as he made his way down the hall. He had convinced himself that he wouldn’t make it this far with them. Feeling around for the light switch in the dark, Frankie exhaled shakily as River sucked a mark into his shoulder. He gave up and walked slowly to their bed and set them down.

River leaned over and turned on the lamp next to the bed. A soft warm glow lit the room, illuminating each other well enough to continue. Frankie shuffled on his feet for a second, nerves suddenly hitting him.

“What’s wrong?” River asked softly, scooting toward the edge of the bed, and resting their hands on Frankie’s belt.

Frankie thought about it for a minute, biting his lip. “Is there anything I should know? Like,” he floundered for a second. “I don’t want to touch you in the wrong way or say the wrong thing.”

River swooned, and smiled up at him. “God, I know it’s the bare minimum but your concern and respect is so fucking hot,” they groaned, hiding their burning cheeks in his soft tummy.

Frankie’s chest puffed up a bit and he grinned down at them, running his fingers through their long hair. He moved it away from their face and cupped their cheek, rubbing his thumb along the bone there.

River pulled themselves together for a second to speak and cleared their throat. “I’m very cool with you touching me anywhere. I would very much like you inside me,” they smirked. Frankie choked on his own spit, cock twitching in his jeans. They slowly unbuckled Frankie’s jeans and looked at the throbbing, red, and leaking tip of Frankie’s cock. “No underwear, huh?” They hummed, delighted at the sight, and started pumping it slowly, giving the head little kitten licks.

“F-Fuck,” Frankie moaned shakily, tipping his head back. He felt his entire body shiver as their tongue piercing dragged over the tip, the colors behind his eyelids returning. He tightened the fist in River’s hair and tugged slightly, making them moan around his cock. They started bobbing their head slowly, looking up at him. Frankie couldn’t look away from the mouth around him and he groaned, his cock twitching inside their mouth.

He pulled them off, a trail of saliva connecting River’s bottom lip to the head of his cock. “Babe, stop,” he chuckled breathily. “This is going to be done so fast if you keep that up.”

River’s eyes twinkled. “‘Babe’, huh?” They teased, tugging his pants down so he could step out of them. “And what, can’t last longer than five minutes?”

Growling, Frankie pushed them down onto their back on the bed. He hovered over them, one knee on the bed next to them. “Not around you,” he smirked, thick fingers methodically unbuttoning River’s shirt and yanking it off their shoulders.

His breath caught at the sight of their tattoos, but he slowed down when their top surgery scars came into view. He tentatively ran his fingertips along the scars, everything really hitting him all at once.

River watched his face, their stomach fluttering with nerves, but also excitement. They’d gotten to this point with others before and it was enough to turn people away. They didn’t think that would happen with Frankie, but they could never be too sure. Their cheeks warmed the longer he looked at them.

“Please say something,” River whispered anxiously.

“Where do I start?” Frankie breathed, smiling softly. “This looks like it really hurt,” he hummed sadly. “But it’s so beautiful.” His voice shook with reverence. He looked up at them, face full of emotion. “Lie back for me?”

River’s entire body was buzzing as they put a pillow underneath their head to look down at him. The fabric of their dress pants glided across their skin as Frankie removed the rest of their clothes. He hummed happily at the damp spot on the front of their underwear, kissing from one knee to the top of their thigh. River exhaled shakily, and bit their lip, taking in the sight of the mass of curls between their legs. Unable to resist, they reached forward and carded their fingers through his hair.

Frankie looked up at them, his big brown eyes shining as he kissed their clit through the fabric. River’s breath hitched and they giggled softly, lifting one leg to poke his shoulder with their toes. He winked and moved the last piece of clothing down their legs. He didn’t waste any time and latched his mouth onto their clit and sucked hard.

River moaned out loud, their back arching off the bed. “F-Frankie,” they whined, tugging on his curls.

Frankie was in his own world, creating a rhythm with his tongue, and the sounds coming from River’s mouth clogging his senses. He felt drunk, prodding two fingers at their entrance.

“Y-yes, please,” they breathed weakly, giving him permission.

Frankie ached to bring them pleasure as his fingers sunk in, quickly finding a pace to pump inside. He found a rhythm between his tongue and his fingers, and apparently it was doing something, if the sounds River was making were anything to go by.

River’s thighs trembled around his head, their entire body covered in goosebumps. Frankie looked up at them and lifted his mouth off of their clit, but his fingers never let up. River groaned out an exhale as they made eye contact and bit their lip. Something passed between them without words because when Frankie’s thumb touched their clit at the right pressure and rhythm, River’s eyes rolled back. They let out a loud moan into the room as they stilled, coming hard and wet around Frankie’s fingers.

Frankie grinned, watching River writhe around on the bed for a moment before coming down. “Very good,” he hummed, removing his fingers slowly and wrapping his lips around them. He groaned at the taste of them. He held onto their thighs before burying his tongue inside them once again. His aquiline nose rubbed perfectly against their clit while he lapped up more of them, hardly giving them a moment to breathe.

“Frankie, f-fuck, wait,” River gasped, their head spinning with want. Their clit throbbed in overstimulation, still so sensitive from their high.

Frankie grunted into their pussy and looked up at them like they’d just interrupted his favorite meal. And, really, they had. River’s breath hitched at the look in Frankie’s eyes. His normally soft eyes had turned hard, feral, and they dripped at how turned on it made them. He shook his head against them, moving from side to side, his curls bouncing at the movement.

“God, fuck,” River moaned pathetically, their heart rate going at a pace they hadn’t felt before.

“Gimme one more, baby,” Frankie mumbled against them. “Just one more, sweet thing. Gotta taste it this time.”

River’s eyes rolled back and they whined, nearly yanking on Frankie’s hair. His voice sounded as wrecked as they felt, all throaty and deep. Their walls clenched tightly around his tongue in little pulses the closer they got to their release. Frankie watched closely, his vision blurring slightly at the edges with the amount of focus he had on River’s form. He paid rapt attention to which movements of his tongue made them squirm. Their chest stuttered with every breath they took, the muscles and tendons in their neck moving underneath the skin tightly.

When River came, it was more intense than the first time and came in waves, making them nearly shout in pleasure. Frankie tried holding their hips down with those big hands of his but ended up following their movements so as not to miss a single drop. His eyes were on them the whole time, taking in the sight of them at their highest peak.

River trembled in the aftershocks as Frankie’s mouth finally let go. He kissed along the bottom of their tummy and left little nips and marks, sucking and staking his claim over them. River grinned lazily at the sight, their heart soaring. “Mmm, you’re good at that,” River chuckled, feeling all warm and satisfied.

Frankie grinned as he crawled onto the bed to hover over them. “Thank you,” he smirked, a smidge of arrogance coloring his features.

River laughed softly and rolled their eyes. They gripped the bottom of his t-shirt and lifted it over his head. “How are you still wearing your shirt, but no pants or underwear?” They snorted.

Frankie’s eyes darkened as he took in their flushed cheeks and moved their long hair behind their ears. “I was a little distracted,” he whispered, kissing them sensually.

River sighed happily, getting lost in the taste of themselves on his tongue. They ran their hands down his torso to grip onto Frankie’s ass and squeezed. They wrapped their legs around his waist and quickly flipped them over before Frankie had time to react. Now straddling him, they ground their hips against Frankie’s cock situated perfectly between their lips. “My turn,” River hummed, latching onto Frankie’s nipple.

Frankie gasped at all the sensations as his hips bucked up against them. “W-wait, do you have a condom? I’m clean, I just wanna make sure,” he smiled, rubbing their arms protectively.

“I do,” they nodded, nipping around the other nipple as they looked up at him. “We can use one if you want, but I am on PrEP, too. Also, uh,” they lifted their mouth off of him, sitting comfortably. “I can’t get pregnant. That’s the other major surgery I had.”

“Oh.”

They got quiet as they watched each other breathe heavily for a bit. “Is… Is that okay?” River asked hesitantly.

Frankie’s face went through every emotion imaginable within seconds before landing on nearly feral. “You… really shouldn’t have told me that,” he grinned wickedly, grabbing onto their hips and digging his fingernails in hard. River stopped him before he could turn them over and started grinding against the underside of his cock again, getting it impossibly wet.

“Oh, nu-uh,” River smirked. “You’re not in charge right now.”

Frankie’s cock twitched at the authority in their voice and he nodded obediently.

“Good boy,” they hummed, their fingers curling around his shaft before slowly sinking down on him. River whimpered slightly at the stretch and swirled their hips in little circles on the way down before they were sat on his lap comfortably. They groaned in satisfaction, slowly getting used to his girth and the weight of him.

Breathing heavily, Frankie shut his eyes and dug his head into the pillow underneath him. He focused on the sounds around him so he wouldn’t come right away; the slightly opened window brought in a nice breeze that cooled his flushed skin. River was breathing heavily, but quietly, watching patiently as he evened out his breathing. Blunt nails scratched lightly at Frankie’s torso, goosebumps following in their wake.

It had been a while since he’d been inside someone and it’s clear that it’s been a while for River as well considering just how god damn tight the fit was.

“You okay?” River grinned, rolling their hips slightly, already used to the feeling. They clenched around him teasingly in little pulses.

Frankie’s breath hitched and he groaned, desperately gripping their hips. He was certain there would be marks leftover tomorrow. “Fuck, gimme a second,” he panted, eyes squeezed shut. River watched his Adam’s Apple bob a few times as he got his breathing back to normal, their heart pounding in their chest.

When Frankie raised his head again to look down at where the two of them met, he exhaled shakily. “Jesus,” he moaned, his eyes traveling up their torso until he landed on their face. His heart skipped a beat seeing the look on their face.

He hadn’t seen River so… vulnerable before. They always looked put together, not a hair out of place or any bit of makeup smeared. They looked beautiful; their hair a mess, and their makeup smudged. They looked calm, at peace. Satisfied. His hands slowly traveled up their side before his thumbs rubbed at the edges of their surgery scars.

“Ready?” River smiled softly, cupping his face with one hand and bracing themself on his chest with the other.

Frankie nodded and lifted his hips slightly, his words spoken without a sound; fuck me.

And they did.

Bouncing on him at a leisurely pace to start, River watched Frankie’s eyes glaze over with the pleasure he was feeling, his face slack and his swollen lips parted. Before either of them knew it, they were rocking together at a steady pace, their collective moans and groans and sighs of pleasure filling the room.

They were completely lost in one another, River’s head thrown back to expose their throat as they moaned loudly. Their brows dipped down in pleasure as they bit their lip. “God, you feel so fucking good,” they whined, slowly starting to lose their rhythm as they got closer to their peak.

Frankie moaned and sat up, latching his mouth onto their neck, hugging them close to his chest. He dug his feet into the mattress and started fucking up into them. River groaned, hiding their face in his neck. They whined and whimpered against his damp skin, trembling on top of him.

The light slap, slap, slap of their skin against each other was the only sound in the room for a moment before Frankie panted against their forehead, kissing there softly. “More?” he smiled, eyes shut in bliss.

River nodded and whined weakly. “S-so fucking close.”

Frankie grunted as he flipped them over, well and truly fucking into them now. He didn’t let up, moaning when River’s nails clawed into Frankie’s back. He hissed at the sting and shivered all over, his hips slowly losing their rhythm. “Touch yourself, sweet thing,” Frankie breathed, watching their blissed out expression change to a look of focus. River reached between them and started rubbing at their clit at the same pace as Frankie’s hips.

River whined weakly, half-lidded and glossy eyes looking up at him. They were unable to form the words themself, their chest stuttering and breath hitching with every one of his thrusts.

“Yeah?” he breathed happily.

“Yeah.”

Frankie crashed their lips together as River moaned, his hips keeping the pace he knew they needed. River’s whole body stilled for a second before bucking into a slight staccato as their release wracked through them. They whispered into his mouth, their walls clenching around his cock tightly, trying to provoke his own release as well.

“C’mon,” they panted against his lips encouragingly. It didn’t take much after that, Frankie’s hips slamming into River’s as his cock twitched inside them violently, thick spurts and ropes coating their walls. His hips rolled in slow waves until the last drop left his cock. A low grunt left his lips as he looked down at their combined releases coating his shaft. River moved their hips back a little, more of it dripping out in the process. It made Frankie shiver all over, a wicked little grin on his face.

Quiet settled over the two of them as they caught their breath. River watched Frankie’s face go from tense to the most relaxed they’d ever seen him. They smiled up at him and cupped his face, kissing his nose sweetly. He opened his eyes at that, looking into their eyes and his cheeks warmed at the attention.

“Hey,” he smiled, voice rough.

“Hey, yourself.”

Frankie snorted and leaned down to kiss them deeply. He slowly parted their legs, moving out from between them carefully. River sighed into his mouth at the loss, the cum trickling out as his cock dragged against them. They felt empty, clenching around nothing, but reveling in the filthy feeling they had.

When they came up for air, River played with Frankie’s curls, all of them sticking up in every direction. They grinned and tapped him on the shoulder. “Be right back,” they hummed, crawling out from under him to go into their bathroom down the hall. Frankie watched their ass as they left and plopped down onto his back, one arm resting on his forehead. He shut his eyes and just focused on his breathing for a moment before he heard the toilet flush and the sounds of bare feet coming back into the bedroom.

He looked up and saw River crawling back onto the bed with a warm washcloth. They slowly started cleaning Frankie up, almost reverently. Frankie watched them quietly, his heart skipping a beat. He usually did this part, but was more than happy to be on the receiving end of it. As River finished, they tossed the washcloth into the hamper in their closet.

“You need anything? Water?” River smiled down at him. Frankie nodded and pulled them down for a quick kiss.

“Yeah. Thank you.”

River jumped out of the bed and made their way into the kitchen. Frankie got comfortable as he listened to them move around in there. He heard a small chirp at the door and a fluffy gray tail came in through the doorway. He smirked as Jonsey jumped up onto the end of the bed and got comfortable. Jonsey sniffed at Frankie’s toes before rubbing his head against them and curled up into a ball. He fell asleep pretty soon after that.

“Sorry, had to clean a glass,” River chuckled softly as they walked back into the bedroom, still blessedly naked. Frankie appreciated the view, and happily took the glass of water. He took a couple of big gulps and set it on the nightstand next to him.

River dug around in the drawer of the nightstand and pulled out a hair tie. Frankie watched silently as they slowly pulled their long hair into loose braid. Their tattooed skin was slightly shiny from the perspiration of their coupling, making his stomach flutter. He smiled at their flushed cheeks as they tossed the long braid over their shoulder when they finished.

River crawled into the bed carefully, making sure not to wake up Jonsey. “Least he was polite enough to wait until we were done,” Frankie snorted, pulling River into his side. River giggled and kissed Frankie’s chest softly.

“True,” they said around a yawn. “I’m exhausted. You wore me out, old man.”

Frankie sighed in exasperation and laughed softly, kissing River’s hairline. “All that and you still call me old,” he grumbled.

“It’s an affectionate term.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he smirked. “Get some sleep.”

River nodded and got into the covers. They lightly pulled on his arm, kissing his shoulder. “You too, mister.”

Frankie obliged, pulling River close to his chest. Thick fingers passed lightly over River’s skin as their breathing evened out. Frankie stayed up for a bit and just let the moment settle into his heart. He looked down at the top of their head and placed a soft kiss to the crown before shutting his eyes himself.

The last thing he heard that night was the sound of River’s soft snoring. Frankie exhaled, heart feeling at peace for the first time in a long time.

#frankie morales fanfiction #frankie morales #frankie morales smut #frankie morales fic #frankie morales fluff #triple frontier #triple frontier fanfiction #triple frontier fic #triple frontier smut #oaksfics

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april-is · 1 month

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April 20, 2024: blessing the boats, Lucille Clifton

blessing the boats Lucille Clifton

(at St. Mary's)

may the tide that is entering even now the lip of our understanding carry you out beyond the face of fear may you kiss the wind then turn from it certain that it will love your back may you open your eyes to water water waving forever and may you in your innocence sail through this to that

Also by Lucille Clifton: + Jackie Robinson + wishes for sons

Today in:

2023: Wound is the Origin of Wonder, Maya C. Popa 2022: When the Fox Comes to the City, Patricia Fargnoli 2021: aubade for the whole hood, Nate Marshall 2020: Keeping Things Whole, Mark Strand 2019: New Year’s Day, Kim Addonizio 2018: I Know You Think I’ve Forgotten, Jane Hirshfield 2017: The Writer, Richard Wilbur 2016: from Seven Skins, Adrienne Rich 2015: I Ask Percy How I Should Live My Life, Mary Oliver 2014: In the Park, Maxine Kumin 2013: To A Sad Daughter, Michael Ondaatje 2012: My Dead Friends, Marie Howe 2011: Staying After, Linda Gregg 2010: Dream Song 14, John Berryman 2009: What We Kept, Megan Alpert 2008: Please Take Back the Sparrows, Suzanne Buffam 2007: It Happens Like This, James Tate 2006: Tantalus in May, Reginald Shepherd 2005: September Song, Geoffrey Hill

#poetry #poem #national poetry month #poems #hope #lucille clifton

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mystellenia · 3 months

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chapter 1: chit chat

summary: in the bustling atmosphere of the field, amidst sports activities and the warm october weather, you bond with phoebe, sharing gossip about school cliques and observing the dynamics of your fellow classmates. later, during spanish class, a chance encounter with Abby leads to an unexpected exchange, marking the beginning of a potential friendship

content warnings: none

now playing: chit chat by beach weather

(wc 3.8k) (read time 12-15 mins); bet on it masterlist

The field was bustling with noise, with yells and claps coming from cheer practice on one side of it, track runners stretching on the other, and the girls' soccer team doing drills in the middle. The sun had started its slow descent into the mountains, painting the clouds and everything below them a pink-orange color. Even though it was mid-October, it was still more than warm enough for shorts and tanks, overpowering the ocean chill of the Pacific. Thanks, global warming.

You sat at the very top row of the bleachers with your books out, Phoebe by your side. She was new to Oak Ridge, and you took it upon yourself to make her comfortable after your meeting in Physics class. You were glad, to be honest, that you two became friends so quickly after a freshman and sophomore year of only surface-level friends. It was refreshing.

The two of you waited at the field every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for Phoebe's twin brother, Theo, to finish basketball practice. After finding out you and Phoebe lived in neighborhoods connected by a park, you guys started carpooling to and from school, with Theo driving you all in his car. It's not that you couldn't drive, or that you didn't have a car—you could, and you did, but gas was expensive, damnit, so why not save money and mooch off of her brother? The righteous and honorable thing to do, obviously.

"Okay, so you've already told me about track," Phoebe said. "How about the soccer girls?"

Ever since you two started talking, you made it your mission to fill Phoebe in on everyone and their personalities and lives, telling her who was cool and who was an ass.

"You see the brunette with the black and pink cleats? She has a red shirt on." She nods, so you continue. "That's Alyssa. Myers. She's super nice. She was my lab partner in Chem last year, but she got shit-faced drunk at a party in summer and made out with, like, three guys in the hour. All of whom had girlfriends. So overall, she's pretty liked, but the girlfriends of those guys she tongued hate her guts."

"Oh, that's cute," she laughed, her voice laced with sarcasm.

Your eyes trail to the girl next to her, a soccer ball ping-ponging between her legs as she shoots down the field. "Then, next to her, dribbling the ball, is Dylan Hernandez. Brown, curly hair in a bun. Bright blue shorts. You see her?"

She scoffs as if she can't believe what she's seeing. "What do you mean, do I see her? Yeah, I see her, and she's hot." Phoebe drools over Dylan a little while longer before you start again.

"She is the fuckboy of the soccer team. I've never seen someone pull so much. But everyone knows that right now she's messing around with Adri."

"I don't know that," she argues, her brows furrowing in curiosity. "Who's Adri?"

"Well, now we move on over to the cheerleaders. Adrienne Newport is a flyer—yes, the flyer who just went thirty feet up into the air. She's really sweet, actually. The nicest out of Lizzy's bitch pack, for sure."

Phoebe just purses her lips into a tight line before you realize that she doesn't know any of these names. "Oh, sorry, sorry. Lizzy, Liz, Elizabeth—whatever you wanna call her—is the captain of the cheer team. She's the red head lying on the grass with that ice pack next to her. I bet you it was for her 'sprained ankle' that she so conveniently forgot about once she got the okay to sit out."

"I have her in my geometry class," she hums. "God, that girl is dumb as a doornail when it comes to proofs.

"Yep," you sigh, "that's Liz. Adri and Liz are friends, but they got into a huge fight last year when Adri got to be a flyer, but Liz was just a tumbler. I mean, Adri's probably flyer because she's 115 pounds soaking wet, but Liz just wasn't having it. She can be nice, but she prefers to be a brat. She threw a tantrum in front of Principal Grey, who is her dad's golf buddy. Well, another spot magically opened up, because they were both able to be flyers that year. Since her dad knows Woods, she's virtually untouchable here."

"Ugh," Phoebe groans. "I hate mean girls."

"No," you counter, "she's nice, she's just... catty."

Phoebe squints and tilts her head. "So... just mean, then?"

You chuckle. "Yeah, you're right. Just mean."

"Wait..." Phoebe starts before trailing off. You follow her eyes to see what she was staring at. "Who's the blonde walking up to her, to Lizzy?"

You finally spot who she was talking about. Toned, buff arms, short soccer shorts on her chiseled thighs, and one neat, blonde braid falling down the middle of her back. Abby Anderson.

You admit, she was attractive. Anyone with eyes could see that. She just wasn't your type, and you were almost positive you weren't hers. She was popular and always surrounded by a big group of friends, while you kept to yourself most of the time, save for when you were with Phoebe.

"Oh, that's Abby Anderson, captain of the soccer team. Abigail, but no one calls her that. Just Abby."

You see Liz throw her arms around Abby's neck, pulling her down into a hug. Abby loops her arms loosely around Liz's waist before Dylan playfully slams into Abby's back, breaking them up.

"Are Liz and Abby dating?" Phoebe questions.

"Nope," you say, popping the p and grinning at her. You turn back to the field, your shoulders dropping in an inexplicable slouch. "Doesn't make sense with how tight they are. And Liz is supposedly straight, too, but then she goes and drapes herself over Abby and no one bats an eye. Like, it's so painfully obvious that you even noticed after seeing them for literally ten seconds."

"Oh, you feel quite strongly about this," she pokes. "You jealous?"

"Oh, please. I only have Abby in three classes, and I would rather kiss a toad than date Liz."

Phoebe throws her head back in laughter, clapping her thighs and trying to calm down. The two of you settle into a comfortable silence for a moment until Phoebe turns to you to say something.

"How do you know all of this about everyone, anyway?" she prods.

You shrug. "Adri and I were friends for about three minutes in freshman year before I realized she was just using me for answers. Like I said, she's a brat."

You squint down at Adri and the ponytail sitting tightly on the crown of her head, secured by a blue and black bow with a ram on it. "Two years later, and I don't even think she remembers it. Sure doesn't act like it."

Phoebe hums and checks her phone. "It's almost five. Theo should be getting out soon."

You start to pack your things and zip your Physics textbook into your bag, quietly laughing at how you two came to study but ended up gossiping the whole time. Playful shouting suddenly comes from the gym, and you look up to see who was there.

A rowdy group of boys file out of the gym, whooping and still dribbling basketballs. Theo walks out talking to a teammate, his duffel bag slung over his shoulder and a towel draped over his head. You and Phoebe stand up with your bags and begin walking down the bleachers to meet him.

Theo finishes up with his teammate, clapping him on the back before addressing you. "Hey, y'all ready?"

"Hey," you respond. You think back to Phoebe checking her phone and realize there's still time to stop for food. Your lips curl up in a smirk, getting ready to nag Theo. "Wanna get us food?" you ask with a mischievous grin.

"I was just about to ask—you're lucky I already wanted some. Practice was long today. How do you guys feel about In-N-Out?"

Phoebe claps her hands together and shakes them, mirroring a prayer pose. "God, you're the best, Theo. Can I drive?"

Theo immediately starts walking, responding with a "No" without looking back at Phoebe.

Phoebe puffs her lip out in a pout, feigning disappointment and grumpily mumbling, "I take it back."

The two of you follow Theo, walking past the end of the field where Abby, Dylan, Adri, and Liz stood and chatted. You felt someone's eyes boring into you, so you turn to their group to find Liz burning two holes into the side of your head.

Liz has always been loud—be it from cheer or just her need to be the center of attention—so you overhear her statement as you walk by her.

"Do you guys know those two girls walking with Theo? They've been staring at us all practice." Her voice fades out as you walk towards the parking lot. She pops her hip and crosses her arms tightly over her chest, listening to Dylan's indistinct response.

"Dude, come on, where you at?" Phoebe asks, noticing your far-out stare.

You shake your head and tell her it was nothing, and you all reach Theo's car and begin loading in.

Soon enough, the three of you pull into the drive-thru, and you order what you always do—a plain double-double, fries, and a strawberry shake. After receiving your food, you, Theo, and Phoebe now sat in the parking lot, talking and eating your burgers with music blasting in the car. Phoebe and Theo were bickering about something in the front row—what it was, you didn't know. In these few months, you'd learned to tolerate their sibling catfights, zoning out or ignoring their jabs at each other.

"Theo," you cut in. "Do you know Liz? Woods?" you ask, thinking back to her stare on the field and wondering the cause.

"Yeah," he nods, "I have her in Physics. We sit next to each other."

"Really?" you say surprised, looking at him through the rear-view window.

"Yeah." He turns back to look at you, speaking around his bite. "Why do you ask?"

"It's nothing," you brush off. Phoebe then turns to look at you, too, squinting her eyes in suspicion. "Okay, she just looked at me weird when we were leaving school. Like I said, nothing. I was just curious."

Theo turns back to face the front, grabbing his Coke and taking a sip. "Liz has a staring problem," he dismisses. "She's always looking at me in Physics."

"Yeah," Phoebe adds. "We have Student Aid together for first period, and every time I use the printer, she stares at me, no doubt."

You stare out the windshield, thinking about what Phoebe and Theo said. You glance down and see 6:18 on the clock, the numbers blinking before the time changes.

"Guys, it's getting late," you say, remembering the pile of Spanish homework you have waiting on your desk. "Let's go home."

"You're right," Theo says, wiping his hands on his sweats to clean them and starting the car.

He pulls out of the parking lot and starts towards the highway to your guys' neighborhoods. Putting your earbuds in, you shuffle your playlists, landing on an old Bruno Mars song and humming as you look out the window.

San Diego was always busy, no matter the time or weather. If it was cold, club goers threw on jackets and danced through the night. In the early hours of the morning, teens skated through the streets, laughing and talking until the sun rose.

You lift your head at the sound of the numbers of your gate code being punched in, the gate beeping as it swung open. Gathering your stuff, you unbuckle your seatbelt as Theo pulls up to your house, saying goodbye and telling you to let your mom know that he said hi.

"I will," you promise, waving at Phoebe through the window while you pull your key out.

Turning the key, you push the door open and are met by the TV still on, evening news discussing the week's weather. Your dad lay on the couch, passed out and softly snoring. Your mom was a banker and worked fairly late, so you figured she was still at work.

Heading upstairs to your room, you open the door and drop your backpack next to it. Slipping off your school clothes, you change into an oversized shirt and shorts and plop into your desk chair with a heavy sigh.

Your desk was messy with papers, worksheets from Spanish and English splayed across it. You cleared an open space to begin working on your Spanish work that was due tomorrow.

Mrs. Ortiz, your Spanish teacher, was pretty chill, but she hated nothing more than late work. If your work is late, then my grading is late, too, she'd say.

Luckily, late work wasn't an issue for you. Spanish had come easily to you, and it was always one of the easier classes you took.

Your phone buzzes on your bed and you lean over to grab it. A notification from Instagram showed up on your screen, and you unlock your phone to see it: newp.adri03, who you may know, is on Instagram.

Clicking on the notification, you open up Instagram and see that it was Adri's account, her feed filled with pictures of family vacations, beach trips with friends, and selfies. What a coincidence, you think, her account being recommended to you after what happened on the field today.

A highlight called life!! catches your eye, and you tap on it to look at the pictures. You skip through them, tapping past a blur of colors, and you slow down to tap back and find a picture of girls in dresses.

Adri, Dylan, Abby, and Liz all were dressed formally, and you recognize the date as this year's homecoming.

Adri wore a corseted light green dress, her straight hair partially pulled up into a half-up half-down ponytail as she posed in a shrug. Dylan looked charming as ever, donning a black button down with the sleeves rolled up, her hand draped over Adri's shoulders with her hair pulled back into a braided bun.

Abby stood next to the pair grinning with a thumbs-up, her hair cascading over her shoulder in a loose braid, wearing a white button up with a navy-blue suit vest overtop it. Liz leaned her head on Abby's shoulder, her eyes closed, and her lips lifted in a soft smile. She posed with a peace sign out in front of her for the camera, a pretty golden slip dress accentuating her hips.

Your lips curled up in a smile at how cute the picture was, at how everyone seemed so happy.

You noticed small tags over all the girls, quickly clicking on Abby's username. She only had two posts and one highlight up, all of them either about soccer, friends, or her volunteer work at the childrens' hospital.

You knew she had parents in the medical field, and she always talked about her dream of getting into med school in Spanish class.

The thought reminded you of the packet you have yet to complete. You flip it open, starting to fill in the past tense conjugation tables. Your eyelids quickly grow heavy, though, so you eventually set your head down on your arm and fall asleep.

Your alarm goes off right in your ear, making you jump up and scramble to turn it off. Your phone reads 5:30 am, so you get up to start getting ready for school.

Heading to the bathroom, you put your hair up to wash your face and brush your teeth, patting your face dry with a towel. Returning to your room, you sit down at your desk to put on makeup. You don't wear much—just some concealer under your eyes, blush on your cheeks and nose, and some mascara.

As you start, you notice your Spanish packet open and about to fall off of your desk. You close it and place it on your backpack to make sure you won't forget it.

Ten minutes later, you finish your makeup and quickly throw on a college crewneck and some jeans, packing your homework and throwing your bag over your shoulder.

Theo texts you at six-oh-nine.

theooo: We're outside

theooo: You ready?

You don't respond, instead just grabbing a bottle of water from the kitchen and walking out to his car. "Hey, Theo," you say, opening the passenger door to sit down, putting your bag between your legs and buckling your seatbelt.

"Hey," he responds. "How'd you sleep?"

"I slept—" a loud and groggy groan from the backseat interrupts, "—well."

You look over your shoulder at Phoebe laying down across the seats, a fluffy sleep mask covering her eyes. "It'stooearlypleasebequiet," she slurs, her voice still thick with sleep. If you looked up "not-a-morning-person" in the dictionary, you'd find a picture of a snoring Phoebe with drool dribbling down her chin.

You listen to her and stop talking, turning the already inaudible music down. Instead, you take out your phone and see a notification from Clara.

claire bear: it's snowing again. i hate new jersey weather :(

You and Clara have been friends since elementary school when she stood up for you while a group of boys spat spitballs at you. Clara responded by saturating a ball of paper the size of her hand in gutter water and chucking it at a boy's head. Safe to say, they stopped immediately.

The two of you were inseparable. Well, that was, until she moved to New Jersey in freshman year for her stepdad's job, and while she settled in well and made friends, she absolutely hates cold weather and is quite vocal about it. Two years later, you were still best friends and texted almost every day.

you: haha sucker

you: it's still 70 degrees here

claire bear: enjoy your melting icecaps and deteriorating ozone layer

you: whatever

You scrolled through your feed until you got to school, Theo heading to his basketball buddies while you and Phoebe got breakfast and sat in the quad. Phoebe still didn't speak—she usually defrosted by the end of her first period, Student Aid, after running errands and texting you while she wasn't busy.

You spot Abby and Dylan together laughing with the rest of the soccer team. Although school wasn't overly cliquey, all the sports teams usually stayed together.

Liz and Adri lingered close by with the other cheerleaders, the other girls forming a semi-circle around Liz and Adri, intently listening to Liz talk about boys or another topic in her catalog of trivial issues and gossip.

The bell rings, and everyone stands up to hurry to their class. You walk Phoebe to the library as you always do, then head to AP US History for first period.

You go through the motions of the pledge, executing them almost robotically after ten years of practice. The morning announcements catch your attention, though, and you focus on trying to hear Mikey on the crappy intercom over the morning ruckus of the class.

"...get into the Halloween spirit with Ram's boo grams! They will be sold on the stage during both lunches for just three dollars. Attached to the candy is a card—you can either leave your boo gram anonymous or write a spooky note for a special guy or ghoul. That's gonna be all for today's announcements. This is Mikey, your basketball team captain, signing out. Go Rams, Hoo-Rah!"

The scrambled clicks of the office announcement phone trying to hang up rattle through the intercom before it cuts out with a click.

Mr. Greyson stands up with a sigh to move to the front of the room. He fixes the cufflink of his perfectly pressed button up, then pushes his chestnut hair out of his face. He's one of Oak Ridge's younger teachers, and he's well-loved by students for his chill approach to teaching.

After his short lecture, you open your laptop to complete today's even shorter assignment and set a reminder to do the reading he assigned.

Once you finish the assignment, you open Netflix and watch your show, occasionally stopping to text Phoebe. APUSH always goes by fast, so you're not surprised when the bell rings. You quickly pack up and head down the hall to Mrs. Ortiz's room for Spanish.

You notice Abby slouched in her chair, tapping away on her phone and bobbing her head to a song playing through her over-ear headphones. You walk past her desk to sit at your own, one desk forward and to the right of hers.

Your feet stop as you pass her desk, looking back at it to confirm. Her completed conjugation packet sat on top of her folder, her neat script filling the page.

Rushing to your seat, you rummage through your bag and pull your folder out with the packet. You must've fallen asleep before you finished it. Great.

You glance over at Mrs. Ortiz at her desk. She was still putting attendance in, so you had a little time before she came and collected the packets.

You flip to the second page and start scribbling down answers, another page behind it that you still had to do.

A silvery voice fills your ears, asking, "Do you need the packet?"

You look over your shoulder and see Abby Anderson staring back at you, her eyebrows raised in expectance. Her eyes flick between your own, clocking your panicked stare as you look back at her. Her gaze falters a bit, jumping from your eyes to your cheeks and nose, then back up to your eyes.

You stumble over your words, finally ekeing out, "Yes. Yes, thank you."

She hands the packet to you, and you thank her again and start copying her work down. You finish just in time, turning back to return her packet just as Mrs. Ortiz claps her hands and stands up.

"Hola, chicos. ¿Cómo están?" she addresses, nodding at everyone's half-assed biens. "Have your packets out, I'm collecting them now."

She collects all the packets from the first row, then passes you and Abby to grab both of yours.

You turn back to Abby and notice her fidgeting with a piece of hair above her ear that must've fallen from her braid. "Thanks again for the packet."

"No worries," she replies, shaking her head and curling her lips into an upside-down smile.

You introduce yourself, and she extends her hand for you to shake, making you snort at the gesture as you accept it.

Your eyes lock onto her forearm, noticing her muscles rippling as her hand clasps around yours.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Abby."

yayyyy chapter one done!! i hope u guys like it :))

@picklesarenice69 @naoblack87

click before scrolling! takes 10 seconds :)

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