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harrysgloves · 4 years

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Fine Line (Chapter 5)

>>>Catch up with the Fine Line Masterlist!<<<

word count: 2.5k

story summary: Since you were kids you and Harry had always walked that fine line of friends or something more. Now, pregnant by someone else, you find yourself staying with your long time best friend after things go sour with your boyfriend of 3 years.

Singlemom!Reader x Harry Styles

chapter summary: Your last night with your friends in town ends the same way it did in your childhood, curled up with Harry.

warnings: Language

a/n: Editing? I don’t know her. xx

>>><<<

You flipped through a trashy magazine as your head laid on the soft pillow on Harry's couch. You knew you should have been looking for an apartment but you were determined to spend your remaining night with your girls in peace.

"What are you going to do when you can't paint your toes yourself?" Gemma asked as she dipped the brush back into the yellow polish you had snagged from Harry's bathroom cabinet.

"Make Harry do it." You said with a smile as you flipped another page.

"Fucker used to steal my polish so much." She grumbled as you let out a snorting laugh.

"You two ever going to talk about your thing?" Abby asked as she plopped back down in the living room a jar of pickles and peanut butter in hand along with ice cream and mayonnaise in the other. Your pregnancy cravings were already out of control and weird as hell.

"We don't have a thing." You said as you reached from the pickle jar, Abby jerking it out of your reach as she glared at you.

"We didn't believe you when you were 14. We don't believe you now." Gemma scoffed as she screwed the top back on the nail polish bottle.

"Withholding pickles from a pregnant lady should be illegal." You whined as you laid back on the couch, staring up at the ceiling of Harry's house.

"Just tell us the truth." Abby said with a smile as she tauntingly held the pickles in front of your eyes from where you laid.

"Nothing to tell." You said as you stared longingly at the jar of food that quickly disappeared from your line of sight. Your eyes following it to see the very unimpressed Abby's disbelieving face staring at you.

"Bullshit." Gemma said with a laugh as she took the jar of pickles, eating one, and mouthing 'so good'. Adding fuel to the flames as you rolled your eyes at her.

"The room you're staying in is decorated in bunnies, and you're trying to tell us nothing is going on?" Abby's eyebrow raised at you as Gemma happily ate YOUR pickles.

"Oi, it was a stupid childhood nickname." You said as you made grabby hands for the jar that Gemma pulled out of your reach.

"Fine, you two really want to know?" You asked with a huff their heads nodding instantly as they situated themselves for story time.

"Wait." Gemma paused as she got settled in her spot. "You're not going to tell me weird sex shit about my brother, right?"

"I will if you don't hand me that jar." You said barely having time to catch it as she shrieked and threw it at you.

"That's what I thought." You mumbled as you got the jar of mayonnaise, opening both to dip your pickle in it.

"God, that's fucking disgusting." Gemma said as she pulled a grossed out face. Watching you eating your snack with pure disgust.

"Never mind that. Spill the tea." Abby said as she laid her head in her hands, peering up to the couch at you.

"You two asked for it." You mumbled under your breath. Your back pressed against the couch as you let out a sigh.

"So, you know we were always close right?" You said as you dipped a pickle in the jar of mayonnaise. Their heads nodding their agreement as Abby gestured for you to continue with your story.

"And that summer before he left for his first tour we were really close?" Your eyes stayed fixed on your treat, teeth chewing the side of your cheek as you thought back to your time with your sweet Hazza.

"Yes! Oh my god, get on with it!" Abby groaned as you rolled your eyes at her. Gemma looking somewhere between curious and weirded out.

"Well, we had sex, he was my first."

"Ew. Okay, I don't think I can do this." Gemma said as she pulled a disgusted face. Abby quickly slapping her across the shoulder telling her to shut it as you continued.

"Anyways," You said as you glared at Gemma. "Afterwards, he started saying all this shit about staying with me 'cause my dad had just got his diagnosis, you know?"

Your eyes stinging with tears you were holding back as you swallowed harshly. The memories of your dad explaining to you that he wasn't just a normal kind of sick burning into your mind. The feeling of absolute hopelessness engulfing you all over again as he explained to you that he was too far gone for chemo treatments.

"So, I told him it was over. Whatever we had was a one time thing." You said as you took a bite from your snack as Abby's eyes widened.

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"Cause of the look Gemma is giving me right now." You said with a smile as Gemma continued to look absolutely horrified.

"It's just weird picturing my brother and you…" She trailed off as she gagged dramatically.

"Ew, don't picture us!" You shrieked, throwing a couch pillow at her.

"I can't help it!"

"Wait, so, have you liked him this whole time?" Abby asked as she ripped the pillow away from Gemma, your face giving away the answer before you could even speak.

"It's complicated." You said with a sigh. Your hands running down your face as you groaned.

"Can't be that complicated." Abby said as she rolled her eyes. Your hormones flaring as you debated smacking her. It was complicated. Or at least, to you it was complicated.

"I moved on with Jess." Your lips pursed as you thought about all the times he was there for you.

You had known him growing up but he was more Harry's friend than your friend. Once Harry left you two got closer. After your dad passed and your mom got sick he fell into place as the person who helped you through everything. By the time Harry got back from tour you'd convinced yourself you'd moved on. Replacing Harry with Jesse.

"Oh, you mean the asshole who knocked you up and left?" Gemma said with a very blatant tone of anger running through her voice. Even though you couldn't blame her for being angry, hell even you were still angry at him. You still had this part of your mind nagging at you to protect him. After all, he was the father of your soon to be child.

"Think he just needs time." You swallowed down the lump in your throat from the lie you had just told. Both your friends not believing you but neither one of them wanting to push the topic and trigger a hormonal meltdown.

>>>

"Wish you guys weren't leaving so soon." You said a little while later. Another rom-com playing in the background as you braided Abby's hair.

"I know." Gemma sighed, her eyes shooting up from her spot on the floor as you tried your best to hide the disappointment on your face.

You were going to miss them.

Miss the comfort and stability they gave you.

"I can stay another week." Abby popped up, making you stop fiddling with her hair.

"No you can't. Your boss already hates you and Kevin hasn't stopped calling since you left. The boy is like a lost puppy without you." A smile on your face as Abby swatted away your hands. Pissed you called out her man like that but you thought it was adorable.

He absolutely loved her. Exactly how she should be loved. Exactly how you wanted to be loved and accepted by some future partner.

"He's not a lost puppy." She grumbled as Gemma laughed.

"Yes he is!" She said through giggles, your own laugh ringing through the air as Abby grumbled from in front of you.

"Missin' all the fun?" Harry said from the dining room, a grin on his face as he saw all of you in his living room. Remembering all the times you three would camp out in the living room back when you were kids.

"Fun's just starting." You said as you moved over on the couch, tapping for him to sit beside you. "'Bout to make this lot flip on Footloose."

"No!" Gemma cried as she looked at you. Her eyes pleading with you to not make her watch it.

"God, please. Any other movie!" Abby groaned as Harry let out a chuckle, settling beside you on the couch. His arm around the back of it as you settled into his side.

"Come on. Me and Y/N know all the dance moves." Harry said with that toothy grin as his hand cupped the side of your head. His fingers playing with your hair as you hummed your agreement.

"Wish mum was here. She wouldn't let you two watch it." Gemma huffed with her hands crossing over her chest. Her eyes glaring at the ceiling.

"Whatever. We killed it back then. Only dance this fucker knew how to do." You said as you nudged Harry in his side.

"Oi, I wasn't that bad of a dancer!" He said loudly as you cracked up laughing at him. The other two joining in as you gave his cheek a few pitty taps.

"Whatever you gotta tell yourself, Hazza." Your smile across your lips as he mumbled about you being the world's biggest brat and pulling you in closer to his side.

The movie was barely on for 10 minutes before Abby and Gemma passed out. Their soft and not so soft snores filling the living room.

"They bitch 'bout the movie and they don't even make it 10 minutes in." Harry grumbled beside you as you shrugged.

This was a very accurate representation of your youth. Hanging with your friends and them passing out way before you, leaving you awake with Harry.

"Not like I didn't expect it." You said, Harry humming his agreement as your head rested on his lap. "How was Mitch and Sarah?"

"Fine. Annoyin'." He grumbled as you turned over on your back to peer up at him. The dark room surrounding both of you, the blue light of the TV hitting across the high peaks of his cheek bones.

"You think everyone's annoying." You smiled as he turned his head down to look at you. His lips curling as his hand rubbed up and down your arm. Something so soothing that he'd done so many times.

"Not you." He said as you snuggled into his tummy. His hand tightening around your arm slightly as he felt that familiar fluttering of butterflies swirling in his stomach from your touch. "Well maybe if y'keep eating all the pickles and mayonnaise in the house."

"I can't help it!" You gasped, your head snapping to get a view of him smirking at you.

"Mhm. Just wanted to stay fo' a few days fo' my snacks, bunny. Don't lie." His fingers cupped under your chin as he lifted your eyes to look at him.

You swallowed that feeling burning deep inside of you as you smiled sweetly up to him. His eyes twinkling with that hint of mischief you used to know so well.

You didn't have to read minds to know you two were already slipping back into those murky waters of the unknown chemistry between you two.

"You do have good snacks. Those little cookie things? Yeah, they're amazing."

"I saw you eatin' those mint chocolate cookies with mustard. How the fuck is that good?" He scoffed out a laugh, reality slapping you in the face as you shrugged.

"Dunno, the baby wants it."

The room felt like the air was taken out of it as you both stared at each other. The baby, Jesse, Camille, all of it running back into both your minds as Kevin Bacon's voice rang around the room. Your body pulled away from him even though your mind begged you not to.

"When's y'appointment?" He asked as his hands rubbed down his thighs, fidgeting with his rings.

"Thursday." Your eyes stayed fixed directly on the TV as you spoke. Teeth biting your bottom lip as your arms wrapped around yourself.

"So, they'll be gone." He asked, gesturing to the two snoring logs on the floor in front of you two.

"Mhm."

"You tell Jess 'bout it?" He asked and even though your eyes were burning holes through the television you could feel his uneasiness.

"Yup." You said with a sigh, leaning back against the couch. "Well, I tried but you know…"

"He's a dick." Harry mumbled under his breath a smile cracking on your face as you nodded your agreement.

"Maybe he'll come around." You shrugged, your fingers picking off the lint on your plaid pajama bottoms. Not wanting to get into this with him.

Not wanting to get into this conversation with anyone.

"Maybe I'll call my mum and she'll make him come 'round." Harry offered with that grin on his face.

"Okay. I want the option of him being in the baby's life. If Anne gets ahold of him, it's game over."

"Yeah, she'd be a bit… violent." He said with a laugh, your head nodding as you hummed your agreement.

"Remember when my homecoming date stood me up? That was scary." You blew out a breath as your eyes widened, remembering her storming into the dance to tell him off.

While it was sweet. It was probably the most embarrassing experience of your teenage years.

That and the time you started your period in a white skirt but you tried your absolute hardest to forget that ever happened. Even though Harry was sweet enough to give you his gym shorts for the day it was a fucking nightmare.

"Pretty sure that guy cried."

"We had a good time though." You said a smile ghosting your lips as your head rested on his shoulder. Him humming his agreement as his own head rested on top of yours.

"I'll go with yeh to y'appointment." He said a little while later, his eyes looking down to see you already staring at him.

"You don't have to, Haz. Know you hate doctors offices." His eyes rolling at you as he nudged you a bit with his shoulder.

"'S different when 's me goin'. Wanna go with yeh."

"You sure?" You questioned, your eyebrows furrowed as you stared at him. Knowing damn well his white coat anxiety was rough on him.

He just rolled his eyes at you. Smiling as he nodded his head. His arm reached around to pull you into his chest and even though you knew deep down inside of you that you two were crossing that line. You couldn't help how good he made you feel.

You sighed, settling into his chest. Eyes growing heavy as his hand ran over your hair. His breathing sounded like a gentle song lulling you to sleep.

"Night, love." He said a while later even though you couldn't hear him. Your slowed breathing giving away you were asleep as his lips pressed to your cheek.

"Going to get your heartbroken." He heard his sister mumble out from the other side of the room. Her head still resting on the pillow she had on the living room floor.

"I know."

#Harry Styles #Harry #Harry Styles x Reader #Harry Styles x You #harry styles x y/n #Harry Styles fanfic #Harry Styles Fanfiction #Fanfic #Fanfiction #Writing #Mine #Fine Line #FL

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kennedysfm · 4 years

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。· . ˙ ⌈ hailee steinfeld + cis female + she / her + the polymath ⌋ yo , have you meet that KOOK , 𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐝𝐲 𝐯𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐚𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐫 , yet ? — no ? well , to give you a little heads up before you do , they’re a TWENTY ONE year old , INTERN AT A TECH FIRM AND ASPIRING COMEDIENNE , and have been coming to coston each summer for TEN YEARS . since i’ve known them , they’ve reminded me of 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 , 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 , 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐲 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 ‘ 𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 ‘ 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 , 𝐚 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐜 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐲 , 𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐣𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐬 , 𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 . usually they’re quite 𝑏𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑡 & 𝑗𝑜𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑟 but just make sure you keep an eye out for them around town because i heard can be quite 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟-𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 & 𝑛𝑒𝑢𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑐 as well so here’s hoping they aren’t the ones to undo this whole peace pact they have going on this summer . but just between you & me , i kinda hope it all falls apart . the rivalry keeps this whole boring town interesting .

* tw death

okay so this is kennedy ! forgive me she is a new muse imma just ramble JEKHERJWHKERW

grew up in san francisco , california , to a dad who owned a major high - end sports equipment brand equivalent to like . nike p much . mom was a cognitive therapist who took in some major clients so life was p good for baby ken ! she’s an only child and it shows kjekwekwje . her parents were incredibly loving , particularly her mother , who balanced out her dad’s stern expectations with a delicate touch . ken was p happy as a kid , living in a swanky ass penthouse and enjoying her parent’s hard work !

her maternal grandparents retired out to coston which is where kennedy spent her summers . the season was major time for brand deals to pick up so her dad was international on business and her mom had an influx of clients , so it worked out well for ken to have a summer away to enjoy a change of pace

she was always pretty bright but her teachers described how curious it was to see kennedy’s two sides . when it came to classwork , she was focused and kept her head down , tending to keep to herself to ensure a job well done . they explained what a notable storyteller she was on the flip side , thriving off the attention she got when she described something that had happened on the playground in such detail and with such phrasing it would hook the attention of many , if not most , of her peers . her parents had always known this , kennedy and her penchant for putting on elaborate skits at home whenever the two of them could spare 5 minutes to dedicate to her antics

she took to the engineering side of things rather efficiently in science classes , leading to an enrollment in a STEM magnet high school that truly fostered her talent for robotics . bright , vibrant , and enthusiastic about her craft , with a personality and a work ethic that readily charmed a handful of her professors , she landed herself a spot at the prestigious california institute of technology . college was where kennedy truly blossomed , able to explore herself and her passions outside of the rather structured lifestyle she had been brought up in . she experimented more with her style , reached out to mingle with new people , and did things nobody would have ever expected from the rather studious girl

kennedy became known throughout her circles for being the storytelling friend , recounting adventures with her group in such a way that she commanded the presence of the room , making people double over with laughter and feeling herself glow under the knowing that she was bringing so much entertainment to so many people . though she never considered herself to be a performer , more and more she found herself enamored with the experience of making people laugh , distracting them from whatever their life may look like , and hoping to push to give people at least a moment of happiness

she’s blasting through college with ease until a phone call at the end of her sophomore year upends her life as she knows it . her dad is incoherent explaining her mom’s sudden collapse in the middle of a session at work , an unexplained occurrence even beyond the understanding of the medical examiner . with her mom being perhaps the closest thing to a best friend , she didn’t take the passing lightly . kennedy buries her mourning in her work , a forced distraction from the devastation she experiences at losing the one person she really ever felt herself with . she takes up more internship hours , more lab hours , shuttering herself out of a social life to the point that all she does is pad her resume and pass out on her bed from exhaustion and crying herself to sleep

it’s a heartbreak for there to only be one van der yaeger parent present for her graduation , a moment that kennedy takes upon herself as somewhat of a decision to try and stick to a career that would make her family legacy proud . of course , she adores the concept of entertaining others , but the sheer unlikelihood of ever getting anyone’s approval pursuing a lifestyle like that is enough to push the thought into the recesses of her mind

she graduates top of her class and the silver lining to it all is a formidable offer to do an internship at a major tech company in silicon valley . she takes it up without hesitation and is preparing to start in the fall

the rivalry has never been major in kennedy’s mind until last year’s incident with the pogues , since then she’s been on edge with the prospect of issues escalating beyond someone’s control . she’s not the type to discriminate on the basis of a stupid label , but out of hopes to keep everyone in one piece , she’s rather hesitant when drama starts to stir .

personality wise , kennedy’s best known for wearing her heart on her sleeve . she SUCKS at keeping secrets and you can usually read her emotions right on her face . she’s a chronic over thinker which is rather ironic for someone who seems to have no filter , endlessly spouting off whatever mindless thoughts she deems valuable for the sake of sharing . she has a plethora of expressions that deliver what her words can’t and is often the one in the friend group making commentary when LEAST asked for . she’s got a big heart and likes to see her loved ones thriving and happy . she hesitates to say something mean or lie to someone and will often phrase things in the most convoluted way due to her hesitation with confrontation . she ain’t want no SMOKE fr . on the plus side , that makes her super earnest and straightforward with her sentiments — she’s not the type to pretend to be anything she isn’t and tries to live her most authentic life ( when it suits her bc shes . a bit of a hypocrite jwhejhwe )

though she’s got a definite neurotic streak in her , she has a sense of confidence that allows her to just push forward and go on with her life , though she’d rather streak naked in the middle of her family’s jewish synagogue than to fail at something . her grades and her work ethic are motivated by a joke her mom used to repeat to her after having seen it on facebook : ‘ you better get good grades , you’re asian not bsian . ’

on the note of middle aged memes , kennedy’s most notable strength is her sense of humor , something she’s been lauded for her whole life . the bitch is the DEFINITION of comic relief and is just so stupid funny ! she doesn’t handle tension well so her go - to response is simply an attempt to lighten the mood , often with a well - timed quip that will do the trick . she’ll occasionally miss the mark and just make things more awkward , which in that case , watching her squirm is funny enough lmao .

in terms of weaknesses , her tendency to over - think make her often act on impulse before having thought a situation all the way through — she’s so prone to want to over - do things , she under - thinks as an attempt to be ~spontaneous~ and will often misread or fuck up a situation that could have been easily avoided kwjehrwr . being so in - tune with her emotions means she has a tendency to overreact to things on occasion or be completely devoid of a reaction , whichever the roulette lands on tbh . she can cry for 2 hours uncontrollably just because someone else is crying , or repress emotions until they’re so pushed back they’re untouchable

not a spitfire by any means she just wants 2 be friends and make everyone laugh

coston is a break from her fancy fast pace life and a place for her to come back into herself . she represses so much of her personality in order to be taken seriously that sometimes she starts to feel inauthentic in her own skin , so the ability to be around a place that’s less judgy ( although admittedly , kooks are pretty judgy ) is still something she treasures greatly

#not even sure how 2 tag anymore BUT #coston:intro #* ╰ . 𝑘𝑒𝑛𝑛𝑒𝑑𝑦 𝑽 . › intro .

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jadeargents · 4 years

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o n e

“Jade.”

She was exhausted. After getting back to her house in the middle of the night and getting two hours of sleep before the busy day she had ahead, Jade couldn’t escape her mind. Fighting in Los Angeles was too dangerous, which was why she went to a lesser known city in California, but the journeys were long and getting a few minutes of sleep between overthinking wasn’t exactly anyone’s idea of a good night’s sleep. After being in the studio early in the morning, she had a meeting with Adam to speak about the first act for her upcoming tour. However, just because her body was where it was supposed to be didn’t mean her mind was.

“Jade.”

She couldn’t stop thinking about the album. Writing those songs helped her deal with her emotions better, but putting them out there was a risk. Everyone would know her now, or at least parts of her. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. But it wasn’t as if she could take it back, pretend she wasn’t angry or sad or lonely, and she had to trust that there would be some people that would understand. That wouldn’t judge her, or think she wasn’t grateful for what she had — because that wasn’t the truth. She was grateful. She just wasn’t happy. There was a difference, a line of awareness that she could see, but she wasn’t sure that everyone could.

“Jade! Are you listening to me?”

The slightly raised voice made her snap out of her thoughts. She blinked a few times, turning her eyes towards her manager. “I am now. Only the important parts, though.”

“You know you don’t have to remind me that you don’t have time for meaningless details every time we have a meeting, right? We’ve been working for years together. I got your message.”

Jade smiled. “Oh, you never know. Go on.”

Adam stared at her for a few seconds in silence, time in which Jade believed he debated whether he should quit his job. She wouldn’t blame him. She knew she wasn’t easy to work with, and she was surprised he lasted that long with her, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t miss him. He somehow knew how to deal with her personality, and that wasn’t a given.

“I was saying — Julian Diaz. He’s your opening act. He was one of them possibilities from a few months ago, and you said —”

“I know,” Jade interrupted him. “I know who he is.”

“Good,” Adam replied, relieved she didn’t change her mind or forget that she listened to his music and accepted his place on the tour. Anyone who worked with Jade Argent knew everything had to be run by her. “You’re meeting him today.”

“I am?” Jade said, raising her eyebrows slightly. That was unexpected, but nothing that would affect her in any way.

“Yeah, right after we finish talking.” He stopped for a moment. “How are you feeling?”

“In general or right now? Because in general, hasn’t changed since the release of the album. Right now, I’m alright.” She avoided his gaze, focusing on her hands and her new nail polish that was already fading. She knew she could trust him, but telling him how she really felt was out of the question — but she knew he didn’t believe her statement too much. “I’m… tired. But I’ll survive.”

“Okay. Are you fine with socializing?”

“Are you asking me if I’m gonna confirm the rumors that I’m a bitch towards everyone for no particular reason? No, I’ll act professionally.”

Adam seemed relieved.

“Unless he gives me a reason not to be nice.”

“Jade —” he sighed. “He won’t, but… in case he does, I doubt he’ll do that on purpose. Be understanding.”

“I was joking,” Jade reassured him. “Well, half joking. From what I’ve heard, there’s no reason for me to act that way around him so you have nothing to worry about.”

— — —

Jade couldn’t stop thinking about Julian while she was waiting for him to appear. She had listened to all of his songs back then, and while his voice was beautiful and the songs were great, it wasn’t the kind of music she listened to regularly — solely for one reason. They were too romantic. And while that was fine for most people, she didn’t have that mindset. She didn’t think she ever would.

Then she saw him. She had to give it to him, he was more charming that she expected. He even made her smile by running into a table, but she quickly erased it from her lips. She didn’t want him to think she was judging him, when she wasn’t. Adam introduced them to each other, and Jade even smiled at him when she shook his hand. She didn’t expect to be complimented on her work, but that only made her feel better. “Thank you, you’re not too bad either.” She could feel Adam’s eyes begging her to be nicer than that. “You managed to make me listen to love songs entirely, which is rare since I usually skip them after the first thirty seconds. You have a way with songwriting.” She knew that wasn’t exactly what Adam had in mind, but he would have to settle. She wasn’t going to lie just because she knew she was admired.

After making some small talk about the tour and asking about what he had planned for the future, the meeting was almost over. While her manager and Julian’s were talking, they were left alone for a moment. “I’m looking forward to going on tour with you too,” Jade told him. She wasn’t lying, or just saying that to be polite. She never did that. She was curious to see where the future would take them.

t w o

Jade had to admit — there was nothing like tour. It was her second world tour, and yet, she never got tired of performing. As much as she went back on her decision to become a musician that exposed her heart and life for everyone to see, this was the one part that she didn’t regret. Being on stage, singing her songs to a venue full of people that sang her words with her — nothing compared to that feeling. It was exhausting, but she wouldn’t change it for anything.

She had spoken with Julian a few times. They were friends, kind of. Jade wasn’t sure what qualified as friends, since she didn’t let anyone close enough. But she appreciated hanging out with him, and she appreciated his music more too. Listening to him perform every night had some kind of effect on her point of view. Some kind of effect on her, but she would never admit that to herself, let alone anyone else. Julian didn’t know that she even added his songs to her music library, and listened to him sometimes to fall asleep. She didn’t think anything of that, however she doubted that would be the case for him if he found out.

t h r e e

Jade spent more time with Julian than she thought she will. She spent more time with him than anyone else, except Adam, which she had to talk with everyday to make sure she wasn’t completely making a mess out of her career. There was nothing that obligated her to hang out with Julian, but being with him made her feel at peace. As if all the anger that she had inside was taking the backseat for a moment, letting her breathe and forget. No one else she encountered in the past made her feel that way. She didn’t know how they got along so well. Part of her felt scared because they were really different and she was aware of that, but she didn’t think Julian knew just how much. She was afraid that if they got too close, he would see just how messed up she was and leave. Jade was certain about that. That was why she would make sure to not reveal too much of herself, which she was used to with everyone else, but with him it was more complicated. Jade told herself to not get attached. People were temporary, and the only one she could count on was herself. However, for once in her life, she realized keeping her emotions at a distance wasn’t that easy.

f o u r

As soon as the concert was over, Jade took her jacket and her sunglasses and disappeared before anyone could see where she was going. She didn’t want to talk to anyone, even more than usual. Which meant that of course, she had to run into Adam. “Great performance tonight!” he said with a smile. He then considered her appearance and furrowed his eyebrows. “Where are you going?”

Jade was glad she had her black sunglasses on to hide how she wasn’t looking at him, only at the exit at the end of the hallway behind him. “Hotel. I’m exhausted and need sleep.” She tried to dodge him and continue her way towards the door, but Adam caught her arm before she could leave. Turning around, she didn’t bother to hide the frustration in her voice. “What?”

“Jade, are you high?” he asked. Jade huffed, unsure whether getting angry at him would be unprofessional but resisting in the face of the dilemma.

“No, I’m not. I don’t take any drugs, and you know that. As if I’m not fucked up enough as it is.” The latter left her thoughts before she could stop herself.

“That’s why I’m worried. You know, if you ever feel like talking to someone…”

“I’ve already tried talking to a therapist, remember? I don’t want to expose my life to a stranger who will give me healthy coping mechanisms that won’t help me with anything. I’d rather just write my angry songs and perform them on stage every night. Now, if you excuse me, I need to go back to my room and sleep in order to not be exhausted for tomorrow’s show.”

She didn’t wait for his response before leaving, walking as fast as she could to set as much distance as she could between them. Adam knew her too well. She didn’t need another lesson on how she could cope better with her emotions when she was fine with what she was doing.

Before leaving through the back door of the arena, she tucked her red hair under her hoodie, ignoring the falling rain. She knew exactly where she was going, and she knew Adam would disapprove but she didn’t care.

Singing with Julian on stage made her feel some emotions she couldn’t quite understand. For the rest of the concert, she couldn’t stop thinking about that moment. She was sure no one noticed because she knew how to camouflage the hurricane in her mind, but while she believed the sensation would disappear until the end of the show, it just felt more and more suffocating as time went on. She knew she had been ignoring her feelings for a long time now, but she couldn’t hide from them anymore. There was some unspoken thing between her and Julian, and she was terrified, because she promised herself she wouldn’t get attached. He deserved much better than her. Someone who was emotionally unavailable and had years worth of pain and anger.

The worst part was all of that went away when she was with him. She knew she would have to push him away eventually, but she didn’t want to.

f i v e

Jade didn’t know what happiness felt like, since she couldn’t remember a time when she felt truly happy, but if she were to guess what that felt like, she would say it was pretty close to what she felt during the day spent with Julian. She knew she was getting deeper and deeper into her feelings, and that she should stop before she crossed a line she couldn’t come back from, but letting go of the only person who made you feel that way was easier said than done.

How could she deny herself of this when talking to him reminded her she wasn’t alone? Or when she felt safe around him to the point where she could fall asleep next to him? Or when she realized their bodies found their way to each other, and his arms around her made her feel as if someone offered her the much needed affection she was deprived of for years?

How could she hurt him when she knew him, everything that made him the person he was? He trusted her. And she was going to break his heart, because she couldn’t be vulnerable and give someone else the opportunity to break her. She knew if he were to leave, she wouldn’t recover. There would be no coming back from that amount of hurt, because she told him everything. He knew the person she was. He knew her better than anyone. That was why she needed to make sure she was the one leaving.

“You should’ve stayed away. You should’ve stayed away. You should’ve stayed the fuck away from me.”

+ s i x

“Jade?”

She flinched. Jade hadn’t realized someone was in the hallway, as she was sneaking back into her room in the early morning.

“Can you not give me a heart attack next time, Adam?”

“I’ll do that when you’ll stop doing the same. Where were you? I was worried out of my mind, and you weren’t replying text messages…”

“I’m fine,” she interrupted him. “I’m a celebrity. I was just out drinking at a time where paparazzi hopefully were asleep.” That wasn’t a complete lie, but that wasn’t everything she did either.

“With who?” he asked, raising his eyebrows in suspicion.

“Ooh, it’s just me, myself and I,” Jade sang, a short laugh leaving her lips at the end.

“Are you drunk?” Adam asked, approaching her cautiously.

“No, I’m not. I just had a few drinks. I remembered where my hotel room is, right?”

“That’s… actually Julian’s room.”

Jade turned her head towards the number. “Oh.” She felt her heart stop for a moment. She moved away from the door, leaning on the opposite wall. She hadn’t realized her feet had taken her there. She just wasn’t thinking. That seemed to be her brand lately.

“Let me help you get back to your room,” he said, trying to help her.

“Do not touch me or I’ll break your arm. I say that as nicely as I can. I can find my way back on my own, since I told you I’m not fucking drunk but you don’t believe me.”

“Well, you’re being irresponsible right now so how can I believe anything you say?”

“Well then don’t,” she said, slightly raising her voice. “What do I care?”

She turned her back to him, walking towards the elevator at the end of the hallway and pressing the button. It was pathetic how her room wasn’t even on the same floor as Julian’s, and yet she ended up there. Because she couldn’t stop thinking of him and what she told him. The thought that he must hate her now was replaying in her mind even more now.

Stepping into the elevator, Jade was surprised Adam was still there after the closing of the doors. Admittedly, it was his job to make sure she wouldn’t hurt herself or put herself in danger in any way, but she wished he could go away.

“What’s going on? This isn’t like you. Coming back at four in the morning when you have to be awake in two hours because we’re leaving. You have a show tomorrow. And the day after that. What were you thinking?”

“I wasn’t, okay? I wasn’t thinking. I just needed to get out of here for a few hours. Everything feels suffocating and I just wanted a moment where I could be by myself. Is that too much to ask?”

A ring announced the elevator had reached Jade’s level. Adam didn’t respond, and Jade was too hurt to care. She stepped out of the elevator and walked the short distance to her room, expecting Adam to follow her to annoy her furthermore. But he wasn’t. When she looked towards the closing door, he only heard two words from him.

“Goodnight, Jade.”

She stared at him until the doors were completely closed, then she used her key card to enter her room. Closing the door behind her, she felt her heart beat faster and faster. She let herself fall on her bed, face forward on the pillow. She wanted to yell, but even though that would be muffled by the pillow, it was still too much of a risk to take given that the rooms on her level were occupied by crew members who knew she was staying there. Instead, she just started crying, letting her tears fall on her pillow until she couldn’t breathe and had to turn to the side.

Apparently the underground fight hadn’t been enough to relieve her of her emotions. Neither the punching bags she used after that. Nor the strong alcohol that was supposed to make her forget. And now here she was, crying after years of having avoided that.

She hated him for making her catch feelings, but not as much as she hated herself for not being able to give the both of them what they wanted. She wanted to be with him, and she knew Julian wanted to be with her. But she was a complicated person, and being vulnerable with him, and letting him see her dark side, was just too much for her.

Besides, he deserved better than her. Than someone who hid who she was from the entire world, that only faced her emotions with anger, that had more flaws than qualities. She didn’t deserve to be with him.

That didn’t change how much she wanted him, because she did, but she knew if she told him that he wouldn’t understand. Instead, she pretended she didn’t feel anything. Paint herself as the bad person in the relationship, because that’s what she was in the end. The only thing she was sorry about that she had to hurt him in the process. That increased her self hate.

Wiping the tears from her face, she stared at her notebook on the night stand. For a moment, she considered writing about this. But the truth was she couldn’t even do that without thinking about him even more, which would make her feel worse. Instead, she closed her eyes and attempted to sleep, but when the alarm announced she had to get up two hours later, she hadn’t slept one minute.

#self para.

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youngster-monster · 6 years

Text

The one that got away

Read it on AO3

I love you. I love you. I love you.

Donovan’s voice echoes in his ear, melting into static or ripped away by the howling wind, he’s not sure.

The endless wall of windows unfolding to his left reflects the city lights, bright blue and neon red, glittering as if the stars, chased from the sky, had settled among humans instead. It’s beautiful. He feels a little like a falling star himself, what with the fiery glow of his cigarette and the wind grasping at his clothes.

It’s odd. Brandeis never expected to be the kind to accept death like that. Guess there’s something about the inevitability of your own end, once you’re face to face with it, that makes it hard to say no. What’s the point in being angry about it? It’s not as if there were anything he could do to stop it from happening.

He has regrets, of course. Who doesn’t? There are so many paths to life, but only one you can walk on your way to the void. He wishes he had taken that call, in the office; his curiosity has always been his main drive, and not satisfying it one last time feels like a missed opportunity. But he’d listened to Donovan, as he often does — encouraged, most of all, by the fear in his voice. Hah. If he’d known his death was inevitable, he wouldn’t have bothered. Donovan would have understood.

Leaving him behind is pretty high on his list of regrets, too. Damn near the top, because it’s not as if he could have avoided it without missing a hell of a lot more opportunities. That’s the risk with living life like he does — or rather like he did, seeing as the ground is getting nearer and nearer each second. He’s been courting death for so long, it’s about time he popped the question, right?

Still, he worries about Donovan. A guy like him never deal well with loss — he feels too much, it will hurt like a bitch. But he’ll manage. He always does.

He might get into less troubles, now that Brandeis isn’t there to drag him into it anymore. Then again, it’s not as if trouble won’t find him all on its own. The Red Strings Club has never been a quiet place, after all. But he doesn’t worry about that: Donovan is a hard man to kill, after all.

It’s not that hard to make peace with one’s fate, after all. Brandeis has always taken it all in stride, guess it’s only fair this applied to his death, too.

At least it will look cool in tomorrow’s obituaries.

He should be nearing the end, by now. The wind around him quietens. Odd, but then again, he’s never died before.

The wind dies down.

Brandeis looks around himself, vaguely surprised. He thought he would at least feel the impact, but—

He hasn’t even hit the ground yet.

In fact, he doesn’t appear to be falling anymore, which sounds like it goes against everything he’s ever learned about physics, gravity, and the way the universe works, but oh well — after today’s events he’s ready to accept whatever comes to him next. At this point it may as well happen, right?

Slowly, cautious of the very real possibility that this is temporary and he will resume plummeting to his death at any time now, Brandeis looks on each side, looking for an explanation to the present situation.

There is nothing on his right excepted for the sprawling city. And on his left —

There is a window, and behind this window, there is a man — or at least he suspects it is a man. The only thing he can discern in the dark is a vague silhouette, the glint of metal spikes on his shoulders and a skull mask, grinning mockingly at him.

The air feels a lot heavier suddenly, darker but in a way Brandeis can guess but not see. It feels like the second before a thunderstorm, the silence a tangible weight on his chest.

“Well. You’ve gotten yourself in quite the bad situation, haven’t you, Brandeis?”

The stranger’s voice comes perfectly clearly despite the pan of glass between them. Brandeis huffs a laugh.

“Yeah, you could say that. Although I have to say it mostly isn’t my fault.” A pause. “You know my name — care to share yours?”

“Hm. They call me Gost.”

Wait a fucking second.

“Wait a fucking second,” Brandeis says, blinking hard. Death he can accept. This is a little harder. “Gost as in, the smuggler?”

“Is that what I am?” The skull tilts slightly to the side, thinking. “I guess I am.”

“What are you doing here?” Wrong question. “Wait, no, don’t answer. Are you the reason I’m not presently one big puddle of blood and biomatter on the pavement?”

“Yes.”

He doesn’t dare ask how. He’s sure the answer to that question is not one he wants to hear, or even one Gost would give him. “Why?”

“Consider this a favor to our — mutual friend, so to say.”

“Our mutual fr— wait. Are you talking about Donovan?”

Gost shrugs. “Who else?”

Damn, the man really doesn’t need him to get into trouble if he goes around befriending Gost of all people.

He can’t help but be a little worried. “What has he done for you to warrant such a favor?”

“He made me a cocktail.”

“That’s all?”

“It was a really good one.”

“Fair enough.” A pause. He glances around. Gost is still there when he looks back through the window. “So… Are you going to let me hang there indefinitely, or—?”

“Oh, yes, that.”

Brandeis has the sudden and rather uncomfortable feeling of being put back into gravity’s grasp — like he went from weightless to his usual state in less than a second. It’s a bit disorienting. But he isn’t actually falling anymore as much as he is gently floating down, until his feet come to rest on solid ground once more.

He looks up, and up, and up— and back down before he gets vertigo. He catches the glimpse of a broken window and the thought that he was all the way up there a moment ago twists his stomach like he’s about to throw up.

Gost is there when he looks down.

He almost has a heart attack at the sight, which would be a terrible waste of time and effort keeping him alive. “Fuck! How did you do that?”

He can’t actually see Gost’s face through the mask, but he conveys the impression of a very deadpan look just fine despite this.

“Alright, stupid question, I get it.”

There’s no way he should be able to get distracted while in the presence of such a person, but Brandeis suddenly realizes — he’s alive. It’s apparently not a thing that is about to change in the next minute.

Donovan is not aware of that.

“Shit,” He says eloquently. As an explanation (to whom? Clearly not Gost, he doesn’t put it past the guy to be able to read mind), he adds, “Donovan!”

He’s already reaching for his earpiece before he’s fully aware of it. There is a brief burst of static — Gost shifts a little, his face turning ever so slightly toward the source of the noise — and then, a muffled sob on the other end of the line.

He says again, “Donovan!”

There’s a gasp, the sound of someone scrambling around, followed by a breathless, “Brandeis?”

“I’m not dead!”

“How?”

“I don’t know!”

They are, maybe, a bit hysterical by now, but he thinks they’re entitled to a level of relieved panic after all that’s happened.

Gost leans in until he’s close enough to the earpiece to be heard and says, “I thought he might need a hand.”

“What the— Gost? What are you doing here?”

“That’s what I asked too!”

Gost shrugs, which is completely useless to Donovan’s reading of the discussion but perfectly conveys the sheer carelessness of the man to Brandeis. “I was in the area.”

“You—” A sigh. “Alright. Fuck, Brandeis, I—”

“Akara is a god-like AI who’s been influencing the world since before we were born. Also, they kind of caused my almost death.”

“What?”

Poor Donovan has been having a confusing day. He’s a little sorry about that. He hears him sigh — can imagine him rubbing the bridge of his nose, the way he does when Brandeis is getting into another dangerous situation with no safety net.

Then, “Come back here. Please.”

“Of course, pumpkin. Want me to bring Gost along?” He looks around as he says it. “Nevermind, he’s gone. Didn’t even get to thank him.”

“He does that. Just— get your ass to the bar. I want to kiss you. Also maybe punch you for the scare you gave me.”

He hangs up without waiting for a reply.

Brandeis smiles, bright and wide. Against all odds, he’s alive, and so is Donovan. Who cares if there’s a rogue AI running around meddling with humanity? As long as they live, there’s hope for the future.

He couldn’t ask for a better chance.

#the red strings club #donovan #brandeis #gost #writing #trsc spoilers

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ilegnangeli · 3 years

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Random May Thought #3

The monsoon season is almost upon us. I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready for rain. I was born in September. I’m used to the monsoon season breaking my heart because it’s almost always raining on my birthday but I never get used to it, I don’t love it.

I am sat right in front of our window as I stare at the cloudy grey skies. Our family’s group chat is full of pictures of the skies and I kinda actually don’t miss the cerulean skies right now—specifically because I’ve been praying for rain for some time now. It’s just so hot in the Philippines. I guess everywhere else in the world, too. At least in the northern hemisphere. It must be nice to be somewhere in the southern hemisphere right now. I know these are conflicting statements BUT I would love it if it rained right now. But I don’t like the rain, okay? Lol

Anyway, this week was full of surprises. I got transferred to a different section. Praise God! Fr, I’ve been praying for this to happen and now that it’s finally happened, I have no words but THANK YOU, GOD!

I feel like I’m going to miss the Board members. I’ll miss asking them for their meals. I’ll miss joking around with them. I mean I’ve only worked with them for a couple of months but it felt like we’ve known each other longer than that. It was a privilege serving you, honorable members of the Board for recruitment and promotion. But here’s me, officially signing off.

There’s a bittersweetness to it. I loved being with the people in the recruitment and promotion section of our organization but God, I just wanted out. And you made a way. Thank you, Father. My heart will never be at peace if I stayed there longer. I would have eventually broken down (again and again) and never recuperated. It was just that bad. It was really dark for me to be in that place. It was just heartbreaking. I wasn’t growing. I was just THERE.

Plus, it felt like I won’t be able to improve things in the system because it isn’t up to me and I don’t want to be impeded like that. I don’t want to stay blinded by practices that go against my principles. I don’t want to keep on pleasing people. It’s tiring. And I’m knocked out. Totally.

I do pray for the people who need to remain in that darkness. And those who have newly joined and rejoined the team. My goodness. I pray that they keep their principles in tact. I pray that they don’t feel gaslighted like I did. I pray that God sustains them. I had to tap out because I couldn’t take the abuse any longer. I even cried in front of the Board members because of how heavy it felt to be in that section. Dear LORD, thank you for coming to my rescue.

Everything’s new to me in the section I was recently assigned to. I have never been assigned in the records section before. But what’s nice about it is that I’m already familiar with some of the things that I’ll be “chief” of from now on. I actually hate being called “chief” of anything because I’ve never been a chief of a section before. Lmao. There was an order from last year that made me “acting” chief of a section but lmao, I never felt like I was the chief because there was someone else who kept on “taking” the role so I never really “got the hang of it” nor did I get to “embrace” it. Because I might take the spotlight away from that person. And I don’t play dirty like that. I actually never knew my place there. In fact, I even wondered myself which “section” was I “acting chief” of since I never really got to call the shots. There was someone always in the way. I sighed, my goodness. I was even often told I was already “receiving so much help” that I wasn’t even “performing” well enough because I might be “getting overwhelmed” of so many tasks.

I’ve never felt so manipulated.

Truth be told, I was truly bombarded by tasks without proper timelines nor prioritization. The decision makers were indecisive and I was being blamed for their incompetence. Their lack of direction. Their lack of accountability. Their lack of responsibility. And I also began questioning myself if I was underperforming. Was I? Was I unprofessional? I started blaming myself for not being ENOUGH for them. I was losing myself. It was a dark tunnel I journeyed the past few weeks, if not months. I hope when these people get a chance to read this, I hope you understand how it felt like for me to be there. I was as confused as you were. At least have some empathy for your co-workers. Your co-workers aren’t robots. If that was how your previous bosses treated you (like shit), please don’t do that to us. We’re not being snowflakes, we’re ACTUAL human beings with feelings, if you know what I mean. Just like you?

The lack of proper communication and the amount of talking behind other people's backs and the amount of misunderstandings. The worst. I don't want to be in that place. EVER AGAIN.

This is why I always pray that I get mentors who have the same ideals or principles as I do. But it's so hard to find those kind of people.

However, I’m just glad I’m out of that tunnel now. I get to breathe again.

On another topic, our air-conditioner broke. It’s eight years old so it’s understandable. But I kinda feel sad that electronic appliances’ life spans are so short nowadays. Our aunt’s air-conditioner from MY CHILDHOOD still lives. They even got to bring it to their new house lmao. Meanwhile this air-con from only eight years back has given up on us. Anyway, my sister and I are getting a new one tomorrow. So I pray it rains tonight so I won’t have to endure this midsummer night’s heat.

So I printed my manuscript and have been editing some of my poems for binding. I’m thinking of giving this away as a gift to my friends for my 30th birthday or for Christmas this year, idk. I’m still thinking about it. IF I COULD AFFORD PUBLISHING IT. Lmao. But I’ll pray about it. I found an independent book publisher but I haven’t had the courage to inquire about their service fees. I’m afraid I can’t afford it. BUT GOD WILL PROVIDE lol. I’ll just be faithfully saving up for my book’s publication.

We did a general cleaning inside the house today. And I found so many boxes of the many things I bought from January 2020 up to present. When I think about it, I could have saved so much money right now. If I only had been patient enough. But dang, I wouldn’t be typing on this laptop right now if I didn’t dare purchase one lol.

The pandemic has ruined my timeline for EVERYTHING I had planned after returning from China. I planned that after two years, I would leave the organization. I would be teaching in Japan. And I would live on my own. But COVID-19 had to happen. I have postponed my graduate studies. I haven’t thought about leaving the country. And I am still dependently living with my sister and/or sometimes my parents lmao. I’m sorry. I WANT TO LIVE INDEPENDENTLY BUT THINGS ARE HARD RIGHT NOW. And also I really hoped and prayed for autumn, winter, and spring. But you can’t have everything.

LMAO, I was just having this conversation with my sister, like right now. She told me that she was going to check if she’s won the lottery, I told her that if she won, we should resign immediately and I would just leech off from her. And SHE SAID YES! Whoa! That’s UNCONDITIONAL LOVE right there. Lolol

Oh I just wanted to share another story because this was a conversation I really liked about this week, too. My lovely co-worker and I had a chat about her plans of getting married. This biatch, let’s just say that she is my biatch, we are each other’s bitches. Whatever. We’re friends, I get to call her that and she’s also welcome to call me her bitch. Capisce? Comprende? Alright, on with this story:

She told me that she and her boyfriend have spoken about settling down. CUTE RIGHT? But they’ve been talking about whether having a kid first or getting a house first. So she’s thinking about saving up for a house or applying for a loan so they could get a house and start saving for their wedding.

Ah, it’s cute, isn’t it? How like just six months ago, THIS BITCH TOLD ME SHE IS DONE DATING AND WILL JUST PROBABLY DIE ALONE, LIKE ME! AND NOW THIS BITCH IS ALREADY PLANNING A FUTURE WITH SOMEONE—HER BOYFRIEND! Okay, I’m not even angry or disappointed but it’s just somehow ridiculous and surprising at the same time. They say that when the right one comes, you’ll know. But man, I feel like THE RIGHT ONE for me got hit by a bus or something. WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU? Lmao

To be honest, I don’t feel like in a hurry dating or marrying. Even though the rest of the world feels like I’m running out of time. I don’t live by the world’s standards—at least not anymore. Even though I often hear these resounding statements: “You’re just saying that,” “You’ll change your mind about it,” “You should explore because you’re at your prime,” and “You need a boyfriend.” I don’t feel pressured. Though I’ve been thinking about it a lot recently because these people keep putting these thoughts in my head LMAO. Should I be grateful though? Thank you?

But I have people surrounding me who pray for me and for my future partner or spouse or whatever the hell he will be (but I hope he’s in human form, okay?). Because for now, I know it’s insane and a pity (for you guys, but not me), I just enjoy watching other people’s blooming love lives. And I get happy and excited for them, like no other. I feel genuine happiness for people who are settling down right now, getting engaged right now, and falling in love right now. Because it’s their time. Not mine. So I will stay and I will wait. Because until I meet THE ONE, I can’t mess up fate. So I don’t mind, if you come into my life late.

P.S. Whoever you are, wherever you are, I’m excited to spend the rest of my life with you.

P.P.S. I’m already feeling the heat and it sucks we can’t turn on our air-conditioner. Imma cry.

#About God's Chaser #random thoughts #May 22nd #2021 #Yay it's drizzling

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moodymurda · 6 years

Text

shanemundi forever and ever

tw: mention of death

i knew i was going to want to come here for this but i kept putting it off. thinking about this and everything else it makes me think about hurts so bad. i honestly don’t know where to fucking start. idk. I’m going to try.

so shanemundi. my fucking niggas. my fucking family. my babies. all that shit. shanemundi is what the fans of the shane show are called. (i write this shit like someone reads it, no one reads this shit. download the shane show app tho. they’re also on the podcasts shit if you have an iPhone.) i became aware of who shane was and then the show obviously like mid 2015 thru being subscribed to golf media and listening to golf radio on dash. (for some reason tho i didn’t realize that there was a whole ass community of fans and shit on twitter until 2016. i truly do not know how i had no clue fr. i deadass live on fucking twitter). but anyways, the shane show quickly became one of the most important things in my life. it became something that got me through the day. i’d listen to the live show and then re listen throughout the day whenever i felt like i needed to. even then tho, i don’t think i realized just how much that show was going to mean to me. I’m just thinking back to the headspace i was in in 2015, i would not be able to comprehend what the fuck happened. i wouldn’t believe this shit.

so anyways like i said, i realized there was a whole ass community of fans on twitter in 2016. i followed a couple people, i really wish i could remember who i followed first and all that. i know it happened around the time where everyone was taking over the shane show snap. i know my takeover was march 7th, 2016. It’s crazy that I was sitting last night and realizing i dead remember that day. like i rememberrrrr that shit, i remember what i did that day and how nervous i was when dc dm’d me the password for the snap bc i was 100% sure my snap takeover was bout to be weak as FUCK. anyways. I remember ru had quoted my tweet and said something along the lines of “i enjoyed your takeover” or something. i remember some of the replies people sent to my snaps and shit. and a couple people dm’d me bout some shit i was talking about on snap, saying they could relate and shit. anyway. I’m all over the fucking place. but recalling this shit is, fuck i don’t know. it’s just like we were innocently just encouraging each other while basically being fucking strangers. we just knew for sure that the shane show and OF were two things we had in common. fuck the fact that that shit is damn near the foundation for all this shit is fuccking crazy.

anyways. we have a twitter group chat for the show now. i am so assy at timelines bruh i can not remember how shit happened i just know what the fuck happened. other shit happened between there but imma make this shit short and sweet so I’m skipping to the twitter gc. i think it got started early 2017. i know it was after cfg 2016 had already happened. it was so that anyone could be in the chat and it wasn’t about like who’s s100 and who isn’t and shit (I’m not going into explanations about what the shane 100 is rn. i don’t have the time i got too many thoughts flowing rn and i gotta get these bitches out. I’m already bad with words and this shit probably don’t make sense already). anyways by this time i had already bonded with some people but honestly the bonds i had grew stronger after this chat was made and i gained some new ones. the chat is a fucking mess to say the least. i say that in the most loving way possible. so many disagreements have gone down in that bitch. full out arguments. so much shade (yassss honey i LIVE!!!!). but one thing you can’t question is how much we all love each other. i really grew to love everyone like family. like i was talking to my mom today about me graduating next yr & my grad party. deadass my main concern was who would be able to make it and how much i just want my friends to be there. I’m thinking about it and i’ve dead talked to these niggas damn near everyday. that shit is fucking crazy. i traveled alone for the first time and i did it with them. fuck. thats crazy thats fucking crazy.

but yea anyways. i guess i gotta get to what i’ve been avoiding now. so a lil while ago someone had added ru back to our chat. now that I’m thinking about it i don’t remember when he left or for what reason. everyone was like “where have you been” etc etc but he never responded. thinking back on it I’m wondering why i didn’t think anything of him not responding to us…. anyway. last night lost came in the chat and was like he hadn’t realized ru was “gone”. when he said gone my first thought was “fuck do you mean we just added him back to the chat”. and i checked to see that he was in fact in the chat. and then i looked at his twitter account and realized his last tweet was december 15th i think. then i started to reconsider exactly what lost meant by “gone”. like “fuck does he mean gone like gone gone” i don’t know bruh. i didn’t want to believe that he meant gone like.. ya know. and i don’t know. i didn’t reply to the chat when i saw it because i just.. i don’t know i don’t know i do not know. i can’t remember who asked what he meant. he sent an article though and the article had a video of a news report attached to it. which i put off watching because i felt like if i didn’t hear it then it wasn’t real. i watched my friends be like “wtf” “is this real” etc in the chat but i was just like nah this can not be for real right now.

i haven’t had to deal with the death of someone that i knew a whole lot yet. the first death of someone in my family that i actually knew and was close to was november 2016. that shit was rough as fuck for me because it was the first ya know. for some reason i thought that the next time i had to deal with it, maybe i wouldn’t take it as hard. boy was i fucking wrong. the thing about death that i guess I’m not understanding is that it’s final and that it kinda just creeps up on you. whatever all of our (meaning shanemundi) last encounters/conversations with ru were, we didn’t know that would be the last one. shit he didn’t know either. makes me wonder like what if, what if niggas knew ahead of time ya know? maybe we (as people. like society) would appreciate shit more. idk. anyway. one part thats super hard for me is that we found out damn near a month later. i guess thats the trouble with internet friends. the only way we know whats going on with each other is when we decide to get on our phones and post some shit. and truly i be checking for my internet friends on social media more than my local friends because they’re less accessible to me and I’m a mom friend at heart. i need to know how everyone is doing. (hi friends if you are reading this. i stalk all of you. like i be seeing all y’all’s tweets and snaps and shit. i love y’all okay. anyway)

ru was probably one of the most dedicated fans to the show. he had a whole ass meme account where he made meme’s related to episodes of the show. that was highkey something i looked forward to, seeing what meme’s he’d make. he was a fucking witness for the world record show. (s/o shane & vanger. they fucking killed that shit. also s/o all my other friends who were witnesses). he went to vanger’s games to support him like.. so much shit. fuck. I’m sure he made sure everyone around him knew about the show. he shit on my music opinions a lot to fuck with me. and he’d always tell me nas was better than jay (nas was his fav, jay is mine.. so you know how that goes) that shit used to be so funny. fuck man.

i feel like at this age a lot of us feel kind of invincible. i truly don’t realize that any day could be my last.. whats going to stop me ya know? i’m 20, i’ve barely gotten to live yet. I do what I’m supposed to, what could possibly go wrong? i didn’t realize that was my mindset until shane kind of said it on the show today. life truly is so precious and we don’t ever sit back and realize that. on top of that, we impact others lives so much with out even knowing it. the HARDEST part about this for me is not my own sadness but knowing that my friends are hurting. Seeing everyone reminiscing in the chat and on the timeline just makes me think did ru KNOW. did he know how much he meant to everyone? and do we realize how much we all mean to one another? There have been times where i’ve felt down & I didn’t bring it up to anyone because I’m not always up to talk about how i feel. But somehow one of them said something in the chat that inspired me, or simply made me laugh & realize whatever was wrong wasn’t THAT big of a deal.

i don’t entirely know what i’m trying to say here because i’m feeling so many things at once. what i do know is that we should all cherish our lives and make the most of it. we should also cherish and love one another because friends/family is all we’ve got. to this day it still amazes me that the shane show brought all of us together. i gained close ass friends from having a fucking radio show in common. HOW THE FUCK.

Rest in peace Ru. Thank you so much for being a friend to all of us, I’m glad to have known you. If any of my friends are reading this, I’ve said it a million times already at this point but I love all of you so much. I hope that you all keep growing and learning and prospering. You can literally have whatever the fuck you want in this world. You guys are deadass the coolest group of people I’ve ever met and I’m so inspired by all of you in different ways. I'm not just saying that, I'm deadass. Shanemundi for fucking ever. I can’t wait until i get to see and hug all of you again.

#RIPRU #MISTER818 #shanemundi #me #ni

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punkscowardschampions · 5 years

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Indie & Rio

Indie: you 👀 this Rio: edie's snaps Rio: yes bitch Rio: so she gonna have a dog now, they setting up house Rio: where WHERE Indie: you know it in a whip Indie: if it any place Indie: wtf wtf Indie: he aint even got a nice ride & we all been knew Rio: he be driving without a license rn too Indie: he be driving w out his head on right fr Indie: you think im always high bitch Rio: I swear he been high since he been on the scene as a younger Rio: she makes a point of not dating lads her age but why if he only gon provide you what any waste of any age could Indie: i kno he has cos he come thru to me & drew when Indie: wasteman Indie: from day 1 Rio: exactly Rio: god Rio: saying poor dog but not even the point Rio: how she livin he stealing dogs for her now what Indie: we aint even gon be set to call any heads in cos we dont know where they @ Indie: cant say a 🐶 be stolen & holed up somewhere Rio: she lucky if someone don't clock Rio: it's a pup and it's clearly pedigree Rio: that's thousands, not to mention if they love it and all that fucked shit he ain't consider Indie: it probs chipped thats how mans do when they drop cash Indie: bet he aint thought Indie: he could go prison w drew if 🐶 are missed least get him away Rio: oh god Rio: i'll warn her, not that that'll be appreciated Indie: he should b anyway riding a girl her age at his that shit nasty Indie: get a wifey in your years Rio: i know Rio: surprised he ain't make her keep it on the low til her bday Indie: how your ma not merk him ages afore this Rio: you know how it is Rio: she gon do it anyway so don't fight her on it Indie: i kno she been tryna chase away any boy i ever been near & dey in my bracket Rio: yeah well you ain't gonna do something 10x worse when you questioned init Indie: bitch maybe Indie: if she gon have a dog in a car imma live how i want Indie: deal w it mama cavante Rio: don't even play Indie: she 🤡ing nuff for us all Indie: im vexed af Rio: seriously Rio: this is ridiculous Indie: u do kno she dating drew younger Indie: he buy shit to keep peace thats literally how it plays Indie: boy aint even as cute tho awks Rio: but worse Rio: at least drew isn't an addict, whatever else he got going on Indie: nah that just how he want his wifeys Rio: he should be proud Rio: twat Indie: i feel 😷 Rio: at least she admitted she's feeling on it Rio: buster tried to talk to her and got nowhere so Indie: how that boy exist Indie: 😇😇👑😇😇 Indie: get you a daddy who Rio: clearly she good like Indie: i aint even get a call back from the lad i want 👁👁👁 madness Rio: you wanna be wifed up by a lad like that, i think not Rio: he only got no chill cos that's how he livin' his whole life Indie: i want who i want Indie: he aint that Rio: exactly Rio: lord Rio: at least it ain't an actual baby Rio: 'cos that'll 'bout be it, like bye 💀 Indie: dont even chat it Indie: we aint need that possible in the universe Rio: 😶 Indie: u kno he aint ridin proper all the drugs he on Indie: no gettin hard Rio: as much as i ain't about u puttin that in my head i hope u right Rio: god Indie: i is Indie: i been round nuff customers to get the vibe Rio: yikes Rio: drew making a side hustle selling the little blue ones is it Rio: can't be dealing Indie: he should it y them boys so 💔💔💔💔 & vexed Rio: cracked it Rio: we'll do it and get the money Rio: is it prescription, not tryna go to jail with him Indie: hacks Indie: nah man it over counter Rio: nice Rio: so doing it, untapped market Indie: shame it aint work for girls too Indie: you could make more if it do Indie: 🤑🤑🤑🤑 Rio: i think there's a female one but bet that's still prescription, if even available here Rio: bullshit Indie: is it? Indie: if i been knew i coulda hit that w my ex Indie: 💔💔💔💔 Rio: yeah? Indie: he aint good i told you nah? Rio: i didn't know if it was just the first or what and i weren't tryna be too in your face at that time init Rio: not on speaking terms Indie: innit Indie: i been thought it me but i 👂ed others saying since he dashed me Rio: ha Rio: unlucky Rio: know he ain't trying and that's literally half the battle so he ain't gon' do better Indie: bitch if i tried any harder w it id have to pray Indie: waste Indie: 😭😭😭😭 Rio: aw baby Rio: happen when you ain't looking Rio: ma realness of the day Indie: but i want it to happen w the boy i 👀 everywhere in my circles Rio: is this science boy or another one? Indie: we aint tryna call him science boy but you kno Rio: okay gimme a better name i gotta keep track somehow Indie: he called zamari thats he name Rio: that's cute Rio: i'll probably remember that Indie: [sends screenshot of a snap so she can see his face] Indie: lookit Rio: aww Rio: sweet Indie: be sweeter if he was bout me Indie: but you kno Rio: no chance you reckon or what Rio: what's the vibe Indie: the vibe is he one of the boys now Indie: w the rest Indie: he aint see me like 😍😍😍😍 cos we ✌✌✌✌ Rio: I get you Rio: never know Indie: help me cos you 🔥🔥🔥🔥👑👑💖💖💖 Indie: aint no boy ever friended you how Rio: i have boy friends Indie: bitch where Rio: Rian Indie: please he wanna fuck you since he been known Rio: 😒 Rio: Still Rio: I got friends bitch Rio: I just been busy 😂 damn Indie: i aint tryna come for you i saying you a MILF i needs you to help me Indie: it been long & no thing i done work Rio: Hmm Rio: Maybe you gotta stop being friendly for a bit so he see you like that Rio: that way you know Indie: like stop showin him skate tricks? Rio: yeah Rio: start showing him other tricks Indie: but i aint have none Indie: how i gon do that Rio: just pretend Rio: he aint gone know Indie: i cant b like oi lads guess who know how to suck a dick it me Indie: we aint rollin w no girlie sleepover moves Rio: that ain't exactly what i mean 😂 Rio: just be more of a girl Rio: then they'll see it and fill in the gaps if they feeling it, you know Indie: 😒😒😒😒 Rio: what you poutin for Indie: why he not want me how i is Indie: rude Indie: this aint happen to me afore Rio: idk maybe he got a type Rio: don't take it personal, some people be so specific Indie: @mckenna Indie: 😂😂😂😂😂 Rio: exactly Rio: shows there's hope yet, just work out what he likes Rio: probably tell you cos you one of the boys Indie: there is this girl in science he 👀 @ when i looking toward him Indie: I just do how she do? Rio: Yeah Rio: but better, obvs Indie: [sends pic of the girl in question who is obvs more girly etc] Indie: can you do it bitch or nah Rio: 'Course I can Rio: though Grace would be gutted if you didn't let her in on the action too, like Indie: she gon own me w it Indie: but k 💄👗 Indie: we on it Rio: It'll be fun Indie: is it? 😒😒 Indie: when tho? Rio: you don't gotta Rio: n u don't need to but if you wanna get your mans Rio: it might work, boys are that dumb Rio: so whenever you wanna roll up on him Indie: imma do it but i aint vibin Indie: lets kick this now afore i think any harder on it & chat myself out Rio: you know this only good for a hookup yeah Rio: you ain't gonna makeover scene yourself for life Indie: naaah he gon get a taste and then he gon love me Indie: dont get me twisted Rio: Hmm Rio: expectation management baby Indie: he gon get himself a girl who do both Indie: 👑👑👑👑 Rio: slow your roll gurl Indie: 😂😂😂 Indie: wys i been waitin since he showed Rio: to ride him mayb Rio: you don't gotta go so hard for the d Indie: you want me to hit & quit now? Indie: damn ma Rio: nah you do you Rio: i just sayin if you wanna be w him then he gotta be about u for u Rio: goes without sayin but like Indie: so you not gon help me or you is? Rio: we gotta debrief harder on what this is and what you want Indie: 👌👌👌👌 Rio: just keep away from that tattoo gun this time yeah? Indie: 😂😂😂😂 you gotta chill ri ri its no thing Rio: nah Indie: nah? Rio: yeah but we dun had this argument then so we don't gotta now Indie: caraca bitch 😮😮😮 you gon do me like i aint learned Indie: i just want him i aint tryna head down no aisle w you & mckenna Rio: Nah, I know Rio: I'm just chatting on any more ink Rio: we're good Indie: his name aint fit in 💘 its all good Rio: 😒 shut up bitch Indie: you rude Indie: play w me Rio: I'm trying Rio: but her shit got me in no mood now like Indie: 💔💔💔💔 Indie: lets roll out somewhere some way Rio: where you wanna be Indie: idc Indie: far Rio: Okay Rio: I'll see what's on Rio: seeing as I do have friends, you know Indie: so you keep chatting 😂😂😂 Rio: 😒 Rio: lucky I don't have too many or I wouldn't roll w you would I 😜 Indie: bitch allow it Indie: im the most ✌✌ Rio: you certainly the most something Indie: innit tho Rio: 😂 Indie: tell yo friends baby 😏😏😏💘💘 Rio: You're chief Rio: also Jas and Kels are on pre-drinks now so you believe they exist enough to come or what Indie: i aint never said you w out squad Indie: just w out boyyys Rio: well they cramp your style how you gon meet boys when you surrounded init Indie: i aint had no issue w it babe Rio: 😑 Rio: you saying i'm dry Rio: i'm cool Indie: i saying what i been saying this whole they all 😍😍😍😍 cos you peng Indie: not tryna friend you when they can wife it Rio: they can't now tho Rio: soz about it lads 🤷 Indie: 💎💎💎 see from 🌚 Rio: You know it Indie: how you styled? Rio: Hmm Rio: I gotta see, my clothes are still all over Rio: Nothing too wild Indie: i feel that Indie: im clappin rn Indie: look & mood Rio: 😔 Indie: aint tryna have your mates think im dry crump Indie: gotta step in & up Rio: Nah they nice Rio: you know that kid in your year Rio: ugh, what do they call him Rio: O'Shea they last name, anyway, Kells is his sister Indie: !!!!!!!!!! Rio: Yeah but it'll be chill Rio: not trying wriggle into that fucking catsuit again and have you creasing 😂 Indie: i aint tryna help your drunk arse out again and be sweatin Indie: 😂😂😂😂 Rio: 😂 rude but fair Rio: actual mess Indie: how mckenna get under that? the boy is 👑👑🥇 Rio: i mean you can ask but you already worried peeps be getting the wrong idea about you, babe so Indie: girl please Indie: i aint worried bout no thing you hush Rio: 😏 is it Rio: ma be so proud Indie: wys Indie: it all good over here Rio: i saying she got a bisexual agenda Indie: 😂😂😂😂 Rio: gutted by how many straight kids she got Indie: she turned my ma i aint tryna follow in dem steps soz bout it Rio: 😂 Indie: kissed few girls but she aint need kno Indie: not bringin them home to meet Rio: Exactly Rio: Such a cringe, bless her Indie: her hair always be sick tho Indie: how she do it Rio: #blessed Rio: jammy bitch Rio: in the genes, obvs 🍀 Indie: im mad Indie: you aint tryna do me one solid drew is it Rio: you know you cute sh Indie: dash that Indie: 👾👾👾 Rio: what you talking bitch Indie: he got me lookin 👽👽👽 cos his dna Indie: vexin Rio: you don't look like an alien you mad Rio: if anything he's given you the looks, like Rio: literally bout the only thing Indie: nah Rio: 😡 Rio: where dis coming from Indie: im in the mirror bitch Indie: & my feelings Rio: you want me to sort your weave Indie: its chill Rio: you can't go out not feeling 💯 Indie: i been done that trust Rio: 😢 baby no Indie: you aint gotta amp it Indie: im w out a man stealing me any 🐶 for my woes Indie: just out here w it Rio: you got a 🐶 and you ain't need no man for no thing else either Indie: you kno Indie: how i mean it Rio: i know Rio: it's nice to have one about but only if they not a fuckboy Rio: otherwise it's just hassle, more than already you don't need, trust Indie: im just tryna feel caught up in a thing that aint walking the streets w this face wearing his name while everyone kno where drew is and he been livin Indie: i been stopped mad amount times today only Rio: makes sense Rio: i don't blame you Rio: this town always talks Indie: u think thats how science boy dont fuck w me Indie: he aint new now he been around & he kno Indie: ?? Rio: I don't reckon Rio: why'd he be that anti-drugs or like Rio: nah Indie: not 🚭 just anti waste Rio: not like he gotta hang w ur dad Rio: i don't see it Rio: would be fucked if he was Rio: you ain't drew, like Indie: but i be livin on top like him Indie: too hype maybe Rio: if he roll w u and ur squad he obviously about that life too Indie: idk man Indie: if you right you right Indie: 💖💖💖 ty for chattin me down from 👑👑 Indie: big love like Rio: don't be silly Rio: always Rio: 🧡 Indie: how much time it gon feel like this for us Rio: How you mean? Indie: will it be good again when i kno drews stretch or nah Indie: i aint tryna feel worse Rio: I don't know Rio: better for knowing exactly what's gonna happen Rio: it always helps Rio: not gonna make everything magically better like but least we know the plan, like Indie: least if he gets a few i can age out of him playin da Rio: yeah Rio: we'll see Indie: & you can get mckenna down the aisle w out him not holding his ☮ Rio: 🙄 Rio: christ, probably not making the guest list either way, like Indie: you gon do big & white or lowkey Rio: go big or go home init Rio: gotta be grown to have those funds Indie: 😂😂😂😂 i shoulda been knew Indie: mckenna aint do lowkey no time Indie: he got the 💸💸💸 tho so go off Rio: just tryna get out of the matching dresses, i 👀 Indie: allow it Indie: you aint want me to go out feeling less than 110 but you bout 🤡ing me in 💒 k k Rio: 😂 Rio: it's my big day, bitch 😉 Indie: yeah so how you want me in all the pics looking bare owned Indie: catch me 😒😒😒😒 in every frame bitch Rio: Obvs Rio: that's the kinda bitch I am Rio: long as I'm slaying, none of you hoes can be Indie: ruuude Indie: how i be hookin mckennas best man in 👗 nah Rio: thought you reckoned it'd be nance Rio: sure she'll think you look lovely 😘 Indie: i aint got enough years to be her type innit Indie: dont wear nuff 💄 either Rio: True Rio: least jailbait ain't her vibe or she'd be in real trouble rn Indie: catch her waiting to be sentenced w drew Indie: wild Rio: Bless Rio: she's doing better, I think Indie: is it? Indie: safe Indie: she getting her head shrunk still? Rio: yeah, well, she ain't asking me to go out on the piss with her as often like so Rio: must be Indie: 💖💖💖💖💖💖 Indie: more ri time for me Indie: sick Rio: You know Rio: so in demand 😘 Indie: innit tho

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captnbarnesrogers · 7 years

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Masterlist

PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO GIVE ME FEEDBACK OR REQUEST!

UPDATED: 20.05.2020

ONESHOTS

MARVEL:

BUCKY BARNES/THE WINTER SOLDIER

This Isn’t You: Reader is a trained S.H.I.E.L.D Agent. She and Bucky have been in relationship for a while.Bucky wakes up like his memory has been swiped. (violence, fighting, swearing, angst, fluff)

Children Don’t Do The Things I Do: Reader is much younger than Bucky. The youngest Avenger at that. They come home from grocery shooping just to overhear Bucky, Tony, Clint, and Steve talking about her and her childishness. (smut, swearing)

You’re My Strong Soldier: Reader is pregnant and is asked to stay off of the missions for own good. Bucky comes back from a really tough mission with Steve involving some kids and HYDRA. (angst, violence, swearing)

How Deep Is The Ocean?: Continuation of ‘You’re My Strong Soldier’

Jealousy’s A Bitch: Based off of a request about jealous!bucky and his competitiveness when reader’s ex-fiancee stays at the tower. (jealousy, swearing, fluff)

I’ll Be Fine: Based off of a request about clingy!bucky and his fear of the reader dying during a mission.

Un-Thinkable: Based off a request about Bucky praising Natasha instead of the reader. (smut, swearing, insecurity)

Two Lives One Person: Reader has a four year old son from another relationship but Bucky loves him nevertheless. After dropping him off at Laura and Clint’s, he just has to tell Y/N how amazed he is that she can juggle this life and the other. (swearing, fluff)

Unoffical Big Brother: Based off a request about an Avatar!Reader and Bucky who rescues her for being kidnapped by HYDRA. Bucky and the reader have a brother and sister relationship. (violence, swearing, brother/sister relationship)

It Was A Joke!: Based off of a request. Reader has been a bit busy with work lately and just hasn’t had time to spend time with Bucky. So when Bucky wakes up after a nightmare, all her wants is Y/N. Natasha and Sam thought it would be funny to play a little prank on Bucky because he’s “so whipped”. (swearing, night terrors)

Give Me One-Hundred Percent: Bucky comes home from a mission and the Reader shows her appreciation for his work. Based off of a gif (linked in the summary of this fic). (smut, swearing)

Is It Okay?: Bucky’s mind is still in the 1940’s so when he sees a girl of colour who he likes, he’s frazzled on whether he should ask her on a date or not. What’s everyone gonna think? He asks Steve’s advice. (fluff)

We’re Not Friends: You and Bucky aren’t friends because friends don’t do the things you both do. Based off of Friends by Ed Sheeran. (smut, swearing, blood, violence, character death)

Lightbulbs Are Useless: Bucky’s fallen for Tony’s shy assistant who is actually more than she seems. Based off a request. (fluff)

Better For Me (Masterlist): You meet one of New York’s richest Bachelor’s. He’s hot, he’s rich, and he’s an absolute fucking asshole. Luckily for you, you’re an asshole too and you could take a challenge any day. Within the first 24 hours of knowing each other, you’ve already pushed each other over breaking point. But when something comes up, you’re both forced to try and get along. Can it be possible? (eventual smut, sexual tension, swearing, cocky!bucky, character death) Hands To Myself: Bucky misses you and just one view of your body can send him into a frenzy. (smut, self-love, swearing)

Ain’t Nobody In The World But You: The reader has gone to extremes to try and look like a ‘deserving’ part of Bucky’s life. BIcky just wants her to understand that he doesn’t care about what she looks like. (smut, type of self endangerment/harm, swearing)

The Thing That Kept Him Safe: No one knew how they used to control The Winter Soldier back in the day but Steve thinks he has finally found it. (violence, blood, fluff)

It’s Starting To Feel Like Home: Based off of prompt numbers - listed in the fic. (miscarriage, angst, blood, fluff)

I Don’t Need Your Assistance: You are internationally known actor, Bucky Barnes’ P.A and with one impulsive move, everything changes. #Tay’sAUWritingChallenge (smut, angst)

True As It Can Be: A story based off of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ by Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson about your life with Bucky Barnes. (fluff)

My Love’s So Strong: You’re a very valuable team member of The Avengers and that means you have fans. Some fans just don’t know their boundaries. (stalker behaviour, kidnapping, attempted sexual assault, angst, fluff)

Tequila Works Wonders: You and Bucky are best friends, the thing is, you’re in love with him. What happens when you’ve drank a little too much? (swearing, drunk reader)

Blame It On The Alcohol: Bucky gives into his jealousy and confesses his love for you. (smut,angst) // Part 2 of Tequila Works Wonders

I’m Just A Bad Guy: This is how Bucky Barnes broke your heart.

The Bucharest Way: A day in the peaceful life of Bucky Barnes while in Bucharest.

Slip Of The Tongue: Being best friends with Bucky Barnes was difficult but it gets even more difficult when he admits his feelings towards you after an eventful night. (angst)

Romeo Save Me (Prince Bucky!AU): When your father makes a trade with the King of Latervia, your forced into marriage in return of their resources. Little does he know, you’re in love with the Prince of Sokovia. (fluff, smut,angst, arranged marriage)

The Fire’s Out Anyway: After finding out about your girlfriend’s whereabouts, you run to the only person you know would fall for your want to release. (Reader x Natasha, Reader x Bucky, smut, angst)

Cold as Ice: Dating one of your brother’s co-workers is not his cup of tea, you’re supposed to be the no-go zone but sneaking around is what makes it so hot. (porn, choking, daddy!kink, spanking, angsty-ish)

Loose Wires: Bucky has his doubts but you’ll always prove that your love is stronger than anything that comes your way (angst, swearing).

Pickle: Bucky’s gotten himself in a little pickle, he has a crush on you - His best friend’s sister (sexual tension)

I Wish I Could Unhear It: You didn’t know why it was so hard to open up to your boyfriend (angst!!!)

TONY STARK/IRON MAN:

My Number One, My Always Will Be King: Tony’s daughter is growing up way too fast. He knows this because she bought a boy home that she did not intend for him too see. (angst, swearing)

Make You Ours: Tony finds a girl helpless and weak on the street. He takes her in and notices the seemingly endless amounts of cuts above her thigh. They become very close as time stands longer. Based off a request and I Was Made For Lovin’ You by Tori Kelly (TW: mentions of past abuse, mentions of self harm)

Right Side Up: After Pepper leaves, Tony still wants to give his love to a kid who didn’t experience love. He meets a girl at an orphanage who loves Captain America and is the smartest kid he’s ever met. (fluff)

Little Sick Stark: When you don’t come by your dad’s office one day, Tony wonders where you are only to receive a phone call that answers his question.

CAPTAIN AMERICA/STEVE ROGERS:

I Had Him: Inspired by some dream I had the other night and the conversation I had with the lovely @acklesdowneyandhiddles-ohmy (smut, angst)

See, I’m Smiling: You and Steve have been together for five years and the first four were incredible but lately things have been a little rocky. He’s been acting sketchy and you’ve been away in Ohio doing a summer show, you’ve been dying to see him. You’ll have the whole week together and you’ve never been more excited to see your husband. (angst, swearing)

No Such Thing As Bulletproof: You’re captured by Hydra Agents who want revenge on your boyfriend, Captain America. The actions of one agent would make you do something you will never forget. #Kate’sCardsAgainstHumanityChallenge (angst,blood, violence)

I Am Not Peggy: You are Captain America’s girlfriend and you find that you will always be compared to a certain piece of Steve’s past. (angst, swearing)

You’ve Still Got A Chance: It’s been months since your last encounter with Steve, is there any chance you’ll take him back? (Angst, violence, blood) // Part 2 of I Am Not Peggy

Get Your Feet Off My Dash: Reader doesn’t deal very well with long drives (or road trips as Steve calls them) and she starts to get really impatient. She’s so impatient she starts to fidget… a lot. Steve doesn’t mind, until she puts her feet on the dash of his brand new car. (smut, fluff)

Eat My Body Like It’s Holy: You haven’t seen Steve for a whole week and you’re so excited for him to come home. (Smut, unprotected sex, swearing, oral sex (FR))

Chest To Chest With Your Lover: When your insecurities get the best of you and you begin to get mouthy, Steve shows you how beautiful you are to him… In Steve’s way (smut, choking, slight Captain kink, oral sex (FR))

Failures of Hiding: You are Steve Rogers’ fiancée. Although he promises you a better life that isn’t in hiding, you reassure him that you are content but it isn’t the hiding that will be your problem. It’s Thanos. (unprotected sex, violence, INFINITY WAR SPOILERS)

To Be Mine: Steve’s been super affectionate lately and you’ve been getting bigger lately.

Your Mouth Down South: A phone call that shows Steve that you can do other things too (smut, oral sex, pwp)

Sorry for my Mind: Steve accuses you of cheating on him

QUICKSILVER/PIETRO MAXIMOFF

Goodbye My Almost Lover: Reader is very close with the Maximoff Twins after spending so long locked up together. When the Maximoff’s leave to fight with Ultron, Y/N is to survive on her own without them for the first time. She eventually finds them again only to change their lives quicker than Pietro could run. (angst, swearing, character death)

SCARLET WITCH/WANDA MAXIMOFF

The Problem with the T-Shirt: Wanda has a crush on the you. One night after hearing Bucky ask the you out, Wanda avoids you. (GirlxGirl, oral sex, scissoring, swearing)

Your Love: Your wife finds out she’s pregnant while you’re away on a mission.

KINGSMAN:

GARY ‘EGGSY’ UNWIN:

A Kingsman and Statesman Affair: When a Statesman and Kingsman work together, all seems to be a success but when a mission fails and a Statesman goes down, one Kingsman feels like he loses everything.

Life As A Kingsman: After saying goodbye to you to meet Merlin at the Headquarters, you are left alone at Eggsy’s house with JB and a missile on its way.

You’re My Problem: After studying up at the library, you bump into Dean’s friends which doesn’t end too well for the both of them when your best friend enters the picture.

SUPERNATURAL:

SAM WINCHESTER:

Letters From A Stranger (Series): While on a hunt, a letter arrives in the mailbox of the Winchesters’ room. A heartbroken letter from someone named Y/N. In a moment of boredom, Sam answers the letter with no expectation of a response. - ON HIATUS -

ACTORS:

SEBASTIAN STAN:

Merciless Princess: You’re extremely busy buy Sebastian doesn’t care, he needs to be near you. He needs to be touching you. Always. (smut)

Scratching Up The Ice: You try to ease Sebastian into one of his all-time traumas.

CHRIS EVANS:

Peak: Birthday presents come in all sorts of ways, don’t they? (smut, swearing, lap dance, slight choking, oral sex (MR), PWP)

When Dodger Begins To Love: The times where Dodger became close to you and the time Chris realised he loved you.

Your Mouth Down South: After overhearing a conversation between he and his friends, you prove to your boyfriend that you can get him off in other ways. (smut, oral sex (MR), throat fucking, deep throating, messy blowjob)

TARON EGERTON:

I Hit The Glass With My Face: Taron has his eye on one of Ed Holcroft’s friends, you, a nurse. While on set, Taron gets into a minor accident and you treat him.

OTHER:

HARRY STYLES:

The Company Rules (Series): After landing a job that pays well straight out of college, you and your friends go out to celebrate at a new and popular club in town. As you dance and drink the night away, you meet Harry Styles. It was just silly fun, you would never see him again, right?

Being On My Knees Is My Favorite Secret: Before you’re off to wed, you reminisce a memory of you and Harry.

The 5 Times Harry Styles Was Just Harry: In short, Harry is sweet, friendly, protective, attentive, and loving.

Dad!Harry: Just a lil blurb abt what kind of dad Harry Styles would be.

How To Break Your Heart in 250 Words or Less

Is It Always Like This?: When the cramps on your period hit, you’re forced to cancel dinner with Harry but that doesn’t stop him from spending time with you.

Underworld, Over You: You left Harry six months ago after he asked you to follow him back to the Underworld but you couldn’t, in fact, give everything up for him (demon!harry, angsty)

Kiss in the Kitchen Like it’s a Dancefloor: You’re exhausted. You want Harry but you need to finish this assignment first (fluffy)

Bathroom Encounters P1 & P2: School’s out and so is your little secret (both parts have smut, dub con, drunk sex, step brother!harry)

6K notes · View notes

the-nature-of-the-art-beast · 7 years

Text

Happy Hour Murders I - V

Minerva Saldivar never knew an un-bitchable day of her life. She was a miserable little woman who never saw the good side of anything or anyone. She was coming from the doctor’s office one Monday evening when saw some motorcycles and pickup trucks in a parking lot. It was Humpy McDurvel’s parking lot. Humpy’s is a neighborhood bar with no grand illusions. Life happens here. Transients, neighborhood good guys and bad ebb and flow through its antique doors as regular as the tides of the Corpus Christi Bay. Not a lot remarkable happens here.

“Those people, sitting there drinking. They’re in there and God only knows what they’re really doing,” she thought to herself. Just as she was pulling away from the stop sign in her BMW, she saw some of “those people” sitting outside the building smoking. She shook her head again and then it happened, her car stopped moving. She jiggled the keys, pounded the steering wheel and, to her horror, the people smoking outside the bar were walking toward her.

She said in fitful panic, “God, don’t leave me here with these people!”

Phillip was the first to her door and he knocked on the window. She was frightened. She looked at him through the window and said, “What?!” As she was nearly in the middle of the intersection he asked her, “Ma’am, can we help you move your car?”

Well she didn’t know what to think. Her mind was racing and then struck quiet with Phillip’s voice, “Ma’am? Are you alright?”

“Yes I’m alright! Why wouldn’t I be?” She snapped.

Phillip smiled and said, “We just want to help. Will you let us or, do we have to call someone for you?”

Phillip Smithson, a retiree, is a transplant from the mid-west. He’s a good guy with an absolute atrocity for a wife. She uses her insecurities against him with cutting remarks nearly constantly. But, he seems oblivious, so they have been happily married now for forty-something years.

“I have a cell phone” she snapped at him again while she dug through her purse. “I’ll make my own call!”

Phillip cocked his head and turned to walk back with the rest of the group to the bar. Then he heard, “Mister! Come and at least move my car out of the intersection!” He turned, to see her getting out of her car. She was about 5’-nothing, wearing a pair of white jeans, a faded aqua shirt and a bowl cut hairdo, with a way too dark of a dye job.

He waved the others over and they joined him pushing her Beemer out of the intersection and into Humpy McDurvel’s side parking lot. She supervised the entire move, making sure they knew that her car was expensive, she had lawyers and that her nephew was in the FBI. They moved the car and got away from her as quickly as they could. Phillip handed the keys to her vehicle back and asked if there was anything else he could do. She said no in her cold manner. He wished her well.

Back inside the bar they were all at their usual table and when Phillip got to the table; they all looked at each other and said, “Wow.”

Just then she walked in the door, she looked scared and confused.

Ryan Castillo is the mid-shift bartender. He is the tallest surliest looking barkeep you’d ever meet. He is a 6’4”, broad shouldered, solidly built, and bearded man. His countenance is an almost permanent scowl, even when he smiles. But he is truly one of the best people walking the face of the earth.

“Can I help you, ma’am?” He asked.

Minerva turned quickly and nearly lost her footing but gathered herself, “My phone is dead! I need your phone to call the BMW dealership!”

“Yes ma’am,” he said handing her the bar phone.

She manically punched in the number and waited in a fidgety stance. Finally someone answered, “THIS is Minerva Saldivar, I picked up my new BMW yesterday and now it is broken down and I’m calling you from a BAR!” there was silence on her end. “Well, I’m in a BAR! I don’t know what it’s called.” She stood there with the phone pressed into her head like she was trying to shove it through. The bar was silent as they took in this weird little vignette of elderly frustration, elitism and entitlement.

Then from the silence a voice called out to her, “Minerva?” Chase Landress walked in the bar just as Minerva was about to really rip into the person on the other end of the line.

Chase Landress is an accountant, semi-retired. He is quite frankly one of the most hating individuals ever. Chase’s wife left him after about 42-years of marriage. Everyone wonders why it took her so long. She moved back home to Alabama to be closer to her family. It’s often been discussed that the wrong person left Texas.

“Chase!” Minerva was exasperated. “You talk to this impudent woman on the phone!”

He took the phone reluctantly, “Hello? Yes. Yes. OK well we’re at Humpy McDurvel’s. Oh you know it? OK, well if you could send that tow truck over....oh OK, I’ll let her know. Goodbye.”

"Well!"

“Calm yourself woman. Good lord you could drive Mother Teresa to murder.” He looked at Ryan and said, “I’ll take a Corr’shlight and she’ll have a Maker’s neat. You still drink Maker’s right?”

Minerva didn’t bother answering. She was quiet for as long as she could stand it and then she finally burst out, “Well, what did that slacker of an operator say?”

“They’re sending the tow truck and the courtesy van,” he said taking his first sip.

“That’s it!”

“What the hell do you want? A parade? A mass said in your honor? Perhaps a day of mourning because your precious Beemer died in front of a low down bar? Drink your Makers.”

She looked at the glass of bourbon on the bar. She whipped around to Chase and asked, “Well why can’t you take me over to the dealership?”

“Because I’m busy,” he picked up his beer, looked her square in the eye and walked away.

She walked out of the bar in a huff, mumbling something about a bunch of no good drunks.

“You know that woman?” Phillip asked Chase when he got to the table.

“Oh yeah, her husband I used to do business together. He was one of my clients. Good guy. She, of course, is stark raving bitch and that, I believe, was the reason for his early demise. Passed away in his sleep, as peaceful as peaceful could be. Really the only way he was going to get any peace in that house.”

“Why would someone marry a woman like that?” Those who knew Phillip’s wife were thinking, ‘Man, look in the mirror.’ But out loud they mumbled, "Dunno.....beyond me...." and went back to Minerva.

“They ever have children?” Angela asked.

Angela Wisdom is a private investigator. She works for the very well known personal injury lawyer, Waylon McBride, ‘si, se habla Espanol!” his television ads assure. He’s a good guy. She’s happy with him.

“Nah....evidently her legs were fused together,” Chase said lifting his beer.

They all laughed, they all drank, and eventually they all ordered another round. The conversation turned to Angela’s two-week vacation up in the Hill Country, when a deer in headlights looking guy, wearing a Chipman’s BMW uniform, came into the bar looking around. He looked like he half hoped to disappear.

He went up to the bar, "Excuse me sir, did you see a lady in here that was a little, ummmm...."

“Bitchy? Yeah, she’s outside waiting for you,” Ryan told the guy.

“She’s not out there. The tow truck just took her car but I can’t find her.” He left the bar after another glance around and no one else gave it a second thought.

Humpy McDurvel’s got its name from Jack Henry McDurvel II, of the legendary oil rich family. Jack Henry was called Humpy because he had an unfortunate weak right leg which gave him an unusual gait. He wasn’t concerned about what the world might think of him, or his condition. Not because he was one of the great and powerful McDurvels but because he just didn’t give a damn. Humpy’s attitudes endeared him to the every-day Joe. His family found him eccentric at best.

The family wasn’t all that surprised when Humpy decided to go into the bar business but months later when he married a beautiful lady bartender, Hazel McIntyre, there were some ruffled feathers. Within their first year of marriage, they had the first of four McDurvel’s, Jack Henry McDurvel III. Rose is the second eldest and, as the only female of Humpy’s children, was the apple of daddy’s eye but she wasn’t spoiled. She knows what it takes to earn a dollar. She was also one of the hardest working women, volunteering and fundraising for homeless women and children.

Austin, barely 11, died in a tragic Tilt-A-Whirl accident. The carnival was in town and back in the day drunken carnies operating huge, fast moving machines was not out of the ordinary. Austin, being a smallish child was catapulted out of his Tilt-A-Whirl seat like the rock out of David’s sling. It was a closed casket funeral and eventually led to his mother’s massive heart attack and her subsequent death.

Travis, the fourth child, was a mere toddler when Austin died and, unfortunately, was still a toddler when his mother died too, which made growing up a little difficult for him. One of the many aunts they had, Sophie took it upon herself to care for Travis as if he were her own. The problem with that was her children did as they pleased with little or no consequences. Travis grew up from a wounded child into a bitter and spoiled man with lots and lots of money, all of which makes a very bad combination.

When Humpy died in 1996, well into his 80s, he left a massive fortune to Hank and his siblings.

Hank inherited the bar and some couple of hundred of acres in the Hill Country, right around Enchanted Rock area in Fredericksburg, one third of the multi-billion dollar fortune. Rose got most of the up-town property Humpy had in Corpus Christi and several acres in Padres Island and her third of the money. Travis was left with several businesses in downtown and his third of the loot.

III

Angela was leaving the next morning for the Texas Hill Country and was looking forward to having quiet time. Two weeks of no phone, no television, no computer and of nobody. But tonight she was going to revel in the company of her friends.

The door opened but it didn’t disturb the conversation. Two patrol officers walked in and they stopped at the bar and spoke to Ryan. The group of regulars looked up at the bar and Angela decided to sidle up and see what was going on. Since she knew both officers from her work at the law office, it just seemed natural. It wasn’t always a great relationship, the police/private investigator relationship, but she was curious and her buzz was working her.

“Officer Roberto! Que tal?” She smiled at Office Ragland Roberts.

He looked at her with mild contempt, “Miss Wisdom.”

“So frosty; so formal,” Officer Tanger Washington admonished his partner. “Angela, how are you today?” Washington inquired with a slight bow.

“Finer than frog’s hair Tanger. So what are you and Roberto up to today?”

“Missing woman. Hey, were you here earlier?” Washington replied.

“Three beers, so yeah, I’ve been here for a bit. Why?” She answered.

Washington pulled out his note pad to start taking notes, “Did you see an older lady with car problems?”

“Oh the Beemer Biddy! Yeah we helped her with her car. It was dead in the intersection and we pushed it through to the parking lot around the side. It wasn’t dead dead, it had juice but wouldn’t drive.” Angela stopped talking and started thinking, “She’s missing? It’s only been a few hours. How is she missing if 24 hours has yet to go by....or have I been in this bar longer than I thought?”

Office Roberts answered her with some irritability, “She’s the mayor’s sister-in-law.”

Angela thought for a bit, “Hmmm, you’d think I would have run into her before.”

Washington shook his head, “Not from what we understand unless she goes to the doctor’s office, which is where she was prior to breaking down here, she rarely leaves her house. Pretty much just stays at home with her dogs 24/7.”

“How does she get groceries?” Angela asked.

Washington consulted his notes, “She has an errand girl. The girl, Grace Ayala, gets her groceries, her prescriptions and whatever other shopping she needs. She just goes in picks up and drops off. From what I understand the old lady isn’t that much fun to be around.”

“Yeah, that’s putting it lightly. One of my friends knows her, let me see if he’ll talk to you.”

“Alright, Missy Ma’am,” Washington said with a tip of his hat.

Angela was standing next to Chase and she gave them a synopsis of the conversation at the bar. Chase groaned, “And you want me to go talk to the cops I suppose?”

“Well, it would be your duty as a good American.” Angela knew Chase couldn’t pass up doing his “duty”...whatever it may have been. He was a frustrated soldier. When the draft came around he was found unfit to serve in the military because of his poor eyesight. Flash forward several years and he got laser surgery and perfect vision.

“Fahhhhhhhk, fine,” he drained his beer. He ambled up to the officers with Angela in tow and introduced himself.

“So you know the missing woman?” Roberts asked.

“That sour old cow ain’t missing. She’s probably flagged down a cab because she couldn’t wait five minutes for the courtesy van from over at the Beemer place. So there’s probably some poor tortured soul of a cab driver contemplating suicide because that biddy bitched him up one way and down the other.”

“So, you’re not good friends with her?” Roberts asked taking notes.

“Nope. Can’t say that. I know her because her husband was a client of mine back in the day. She killed him you know.”

The officers raised their eyebrows.

“Well not in the conventional murderous fashion. God just took him in his sleep because that poor bastard wasn’t gonna get no rest with that woman around. You know the old saying, ‘God made them and the devil put them together?’ Yeah, well it was 100% true in this case.”

Washington chuckled. “Yeah I know the type.”

“This one is the ORIGINAL of the ‘type.’ Really if she is missing, she didn’t go quietly. That woman doesn’t know from quiet. She put up a fight....unless of course...well...” He looked at the officers, “The only way she would’ve gone quietly is if she was taken by surprise. Even if she knew the person she would have put up some kind of ruckus.”

“Good to know,” Officer Roberts said. He told Chase he could go back to the table.

Washington turned to Angela, “Hey, wanna show us where the car was and where she may have waited?”

“Sure, my pleasure. The more time I get to spend with Roberto the better,” she winked a smile at Washington as Roberts rolled his eyes.

They went out the front door and she showed the officers where everyone was prior to the breakdown of the Beemer Biddy.

“We were sittin’ out here smoking and the Beemer pulled up slowly to the stop sign. The lady seemed to be staring us down. She kept shaking her head. I don’t think she approved of us. Then she made it to the stop and then she looked at us again and then tried to pull away but the car barely budged its way into the middle of the intersection. That’s when Phillip first approached her, we all voted to leave her to herself, but you know Phil is one of those guys that won’t leave anyone hangin’ like that. So at first she told us to back off and then next thing you know she was ordering us to move her car. We moved it over here.”

She took them around the side of the building; they could see tracks in the loose gravel, two sets of distinct tracks; that of the Beemer and those of the tow truck (the latter being heavier and wider). There were footprints in the loose gravel, several, too many…the tow truck drivers, the regulars from the bar who pushed the car and those of the Beemer Biddy. Loose gravel is not very informative. There are no real impressions that really look like anything solid.

You can see where a tire may have been but you couldn’t identify the lands and grooves of the treads, therefore you can’t identify the tire. You can see foot prints but you can’t get an impression of the sole of the shoes, therefore, you can’t identify one shoe from the other. It was a mess. And if this woman was indeed missing, it was going to remain a mess.

“So you think we should alert the lab boys?” Roberts asked Washington.

“For what? There’s almost literally nothing here.”

“Yeah but the mayor....” Roberts reminded him.

Washington turned his head to the heavens, “Ugh, that greedy old.....I mean that kind and benevolent man? I know, let’s CYA it. Let’s call Detective Bruno. He loves helping the mayor.”

“Brilliant,” Roberts smiled.

Angela has seen the Cover Your Ass game before. It was always wise for patrolmen to bring in bigger badges on weirdo stuff like this so that way the beat officer wouldn’t take the fall for something that might lead to nothing, or something way above their pay grade. She went back inside the bar and decided it was time for a shot of Espolon, especially if she was going to deal with Bruno. She went up to the bar.

“Ryan, may I have an Espolon?”

Ryan grabbed a bottle off the top shelf and poured a beefy shot for her, “They still out there?”

“Yep, they’ll be here for quite some time. They’re calling in Detective Bruno. That old lady was the mayor’s sister-in-law. It has to look like he’s doing something about it.”

“Great the rest of my afternoon is going to suck balls. No one is going to come in with that much black and white outside.” He handed her the glass.

She took the glass and said with a bright smile, “Yeah, but the good news is you’re stuck with us.”

“Yay.”

She drank her tequila, gave Ryan the glass then headed for the ladies room. The ladies room has five stalls only four that worked. The last stall in the corner was used more for storage than an actual potty.

She sat and commenced her business and she heard some funny hissing type noise. She looked at the floor and around her stall, but the noise didn’t seem to be coming from where she was sitting. Then she heard a low gurgle noise. After she finished, she washed her hands and she noticed that the sounds stopped. But it bugged her enough to make her start for the stalls to take a look, just then the whirlwind known as Gaylyn came in to the loo.

Gaylyn is now what one would call a mid-range call girl. Since the recession, she had to take a pay cut that’s why she’s mid-range. She is a raven haired wench with a shapely figure. If she were not so known as whore, she might have married well. But this being a small city, with everyone in everyone else’s business, there’s no way a man of wealth would marry her. She wanted the wealth. She had no children or pimp and she skated by the law because she was so well connected.

As she tumbled into the bathroom, she put her purse on the counter, waved at Angela and was on her cell phone with her engagement secretary speaking as casually as one might have talked about a pedicure.

“The Orion? OK, how many? Two....OK, a couple. Oh hey, Angela! Yeah I can be there by eight. Do I need to wear anything special? Oh good. I hate dressing up. Alright I’ll call you when I’m finished with this gig.” She got off the cell and attempted to tame the flurry of wildness she called hair. “Hey, Ang!”

The call really didn’t faze Angela. She was well acquainted with Gaylyn. She is a great source of information, “Hey, Gaylyn. How are you?”

“Fine, busy. So what’s up with Roberts and Washington out there,” Gaylyn asked.

“Missing person’s case. The mayor’s sister-in-law.”

“Really? Minerva Saldivar?” Gaylyn asked as she studied her face in the mirror.

Angela looked in the mirror to see what Gaylyn was looking at, “Yep.”

“She’s one tortured old woman.” Gaylyn said.

That statement took Angela back a little, “She didn’t come off that way. She came off as sort of a...”

“Bitch? Yep, that’s how she masked everything,” Gaylyn recounted the story of Minerva Saldivar as she fixed her make-up. “She was sexually abused as a child and traded it seems, very brutal. Her sister didn’t know anything about it because the sister was brought up with an aunt. See, their mother died when they were young. The father took Minerva, she was older by about six years and Susanna went to live with their aunt. So a lot happened that the sister never knew about, well, until quite recently. Minerva actually killed her father when she was 12. Bastard had it coming.”

Gaylyn pulled out another compact and was a flurry again with a brush, powder flying everywhere. “She should have strung him and his pals up by their balls. But being 12 well, what could she do? So she poisoned his food and nothing was ever said about it. Because everyone knew what was going on but, back in the day, even a rich Mexican could get away with such nastiness. But they really didn’t look at him like he was Mexican. He was very fair, from what I understand, had green eyes. Actually Susanna looks stunningly like him,”

She pulled out another compact out and yet another brush, her purse was like a little leather clown car of make-up. “Anywho, Minerva killed him and, everyone figured, good for her as it seemed like the law wasn’t going to do anything. So no one ever messed with it.

“Minerva, you see, never really recovered from the abuse. Though she married she never really trusted her husband. Well really, she never really trusted men ever. Not like our distrust of men,” she said with a chuckle. “Her distrust was downright psychotic. I don’t even know how she talked herself into getting married. She got pregnant within the first year of marriage but she had an abortion because she didn’t know what might happen if the child had been a girl. It drove her quite mad.”

Angela was blown away. Not a whole lot shocked her. She had seen some things, had heard some stories but for some reason this one really struck her hard. She had already made up her mind that Minerva was THE Beemer Biddy. She was an entitled, spoiled, my way or the highway, type of person who rolls through life like it were a demolition derby. And really to a certain extent she was that person, she wanted the world to hurt as much as she did. She never learned to turn her hurt into a foundation on which she could build a better life but then, when you think of it.....that’s a shit-ton of hurt. It’s not easy to move out from under a shit-ton.

Eventually Angela said, “Wow.”

“Yeah I know. What a nasty childhood but, I can see how people could look at her as a stark raving bitch. I’ve seen her go full tilt.”

“Grace Ayala is your secretary right? How do you know this story, through Grace? You know she worked for Saldivar too, yes?”

“Yep. One time Gracie got her meds and she took them up to the house on Ocean, you know it, it’s gigantic with the kind of medieval castle look to it?”

“Yeah, I know it.”

“Well Gracie got there and she found Minerva lying on the ground. And she didn't know what to do so she called me. I got there and Minerva was passed out; a bottle of Maker's Mark by her head. She was drunk one day and told Gracie the entire story. She was furious at herself the next day for telling Gracie and, of course, took it out on Gracie. Anywho, that night we found her passed out, we took her upstairs and stayed with her. I was asleep in the chair beside her bed and she woke me with an alarm clock biffing me upside the head. She hollered and carried on and then threw up. Gracie came running in and calmed her just as much as she possibly could. We were both told to get our whore butts out of her house. So we did.”

With the final stroke of mascara Gaylyn added, “Well with all that and her husband committing suicide like that....it’s a wonder she ever got out of bed herself.”

Angela was puzzled, “I thought he died of natural causes.”

“Nope. El suicidio.”

“Wow. You can learn a lot in a ladies room,” Angela was thoroughly wowed.

“Oh you have NO idea!” Gaylyn tossed the final compact into her purse. "Shot?”

"Sure what the hell. I’m taking a cab home. Oh heads up, Bruno is coming up here.”

“Shit! Oh well… Le’s go git summa dat tekilla!”

The ladies came out of the bathroom and Ryan looked at them, Gaylyn was talking a mile a minute and Angela was listening intently. They got to the bar and ordered their tequila. They cheered each other and sunk it. Ryan got Angela another beer and went to making Gaylyn’s Cosmo.

He really liked Gaylyn especially since that misty morning, after a late night at the bar and a later night at Ryan’s, with a little this and a little that. She truly was a professional. Ryan was in love, even though she expressly forbade him to fall in love with her. “Friends with extreme benefits is what we are. I forbid you to fall in love with me.” Too late, Ryan was a goner.

Gaylyn stayed at the bar and Angela gravitated back to the smoking section outside the bar. Corpus Christi went smoke free in bars in 2009. Oh it was hard fought; people were outraged that their civil liberties were under attack. “It’s a bar for cryin’ out loud, not a health club,” some said.

Others were more colorful about it, “They wanna bring in fuckin’ Las Brisas and pollute our air with pet coke but we can’t smoke cigarettes in a fuckin’ bar?! Stupid mother fuckers.” Oh it was an ugly little time but political correctness won out over civil liberties.

“Aaannnnnnnnnngelahhhhhhhhh,” Detective Bruno was in a mood, one of his best. He figured there was a huge possibility that the mayor was just covering his ass so his wife would think he was doing something to find her sister and that the woman would be found quite undamaged and probably riled that everyone was getting into her business. So he felt he was getting paid to do nothing really.

Angela lit a cigarette, “Bruuuuuuuuuuunooooooooohhhhhh, que paso, senior?”

Bruno smiled, “Oh nothing. Just doing some looking around, asking questions, taking pictures...”

“C.Y.A.?”

“Yep. How’re you doing? I haven’t talked to you since that Coast Guard murder last year.”

“I’m fine. On vacation, leaving for Fred in the mornin’, be back in a couple of Sundays,” Angela was looking forward to this vacation. The Coast Guard murder last year was the first murder investigation in which she fully participated. It wasn’t pretty but now the bad guy is in the pen and he won’t see freedom ever again.

“That’s nice.” Bruno switched gears and said, “Hey why won’t you ever go out with me?”

“You’re a cop. I don’t date cops. It’s unprofessional.” She said with a wink.

“Yeah, hide behind your profession. You are askurred of magic that is the Bruno Love Essperience?” He said while flexing stocky physique in front of her.

“That must be it.” She laughed. “Get back to work Magic Man.”

“One day, you will knock on my door.”

She put out her cigarette, winked at him and went inside.

Bruno came in after her but now he had his serious cop game face on as he approached the bar, “Ryan Castillo?”

Ryan said, “That’s me.”

“Can I ask you some questions?”

“Sure, but I told the other officers everything I know.”

“Well other than that table of misfits over there,” he gestured to the table of regulars, “and the hooker at your bar” he looked directly at Gaylyn, “you don’t have a lot going on. So answer my questions.”

“Alright, alright....” Ryan said, red faced and temples throbbing. He wanted to put Bruno through the wall. “You don’t have to get nasty about my customers,” he said in a calm growl.

He asked the same stream of questions as the patrolmen did. Ryan gave the same answers, which pissed him off further.

Then Bruno asked, “Where’s this Chase fellow?”

“Over here, with the ‘misfits,’” Chase bellowed with a wave.

Not a lot of people were fond of Detective Anthony Bruno. He was a real hard ass. He kept the Fun-Flirty Bruno completely separate from Work Bruno. His parents literally swam across the Rio Grande and made a new start en los Estados Unidos. They lived in the Rio Grande Valley, where they picked fruit for the gringos. They didn’t want their children to pick fruit or cotton. They instilled the value of education in their children.

Bruno didn’t speak English until he was in first grade. But he made it his mission to make his family proud. Ever since he was a child he had this huge sense of pride and duty to his family. He worked very hard and got through school with flying honors. He ended up at University of Texas in Austin. He got a degree in law and a minor in criminal justice. He took the bar and passed it the first time through. So there, he was a lawyer but he didn’t like his fellow lawyers. He said he felt especially slimy after dealing with them. Then he realized one day when doing a plea deal, he truly was one of them.

“No, no, I’m going to be a detective,” he told his then wife, Maria Elena. “I’d rather deal with the law on that end, then on this end.”

Maria Elena soon left him. Not because of the hard life of a cop’s wife but because of the cut in pay. Maria Elena soon, he later found out, broke up the marriage of one of his law buddies and successfully married him. They’re very wealthy, so he figured that made her happy.

Being the eldest of six children, Anthony helped raise his brothers and sisters. God help the brother or sister who stepped out of line. They weren’t as scared of their parents as they were of what Bruno might do. Yes, even his siblings called him Bruno. This confused their friends at first. “So your parents named him Bruno Bruno?” “No. It’s just ‘Anthony’ just doesn’t seem to fit him. So we call him by his only other name.”

Bruno went over the same information with Chase that the police officers did and then walked away to consult his notes and compare them with Roberts and Washington’s notes.

“Chase,” Angela said, “You bes’ take a cab home tonight.”

“I ain’t takin’ no g’ahdamn cab.”

Phillip chimed in, “Chase, you better listen to Angela. She knows these guys.” The others nodded in agreement.

Finally a bleary eyed Chase Landress agreed, “Fahhhhhhhk. Fine.”

Angela had one more shot of tequila and then made a B-line for the ladies room. She remembered the noise she heard earlier and looked in each stall. There was no one there. She landed herself in the fourth stall next to the storage stall. She hadn’t bothered to look in it. She was doing her business when she saw what she thought was a wig hanging under the stall. “Probably someone’s Halloween costume from last year,” she thought.

Last year’s Halloween party was crazy. Travis McDurvel, the black sheep of the McDurvel family threw a Halloween party that rivaled anything seen in Corpus Christi as far as public debauchery was concerned. The stories of women stripping in order to be painted by an artist hired by Travis for the evening are still recounted nearly a year later. The free flow of tequila was mostly to blame. It’s hard to resist free booze…especially when you’re a booze hound. The bar staff was still finding bits and pieces of costumes in every nook and cranny since that party.

She finished her business and she just kind of tugged on the wig. She thought it would be funny if she put it on and went back out as a brunette. Truly the tequila was gaining on her. She tugged harder at the wig. It was stuck on something. She reached up under the stall and she felt a face. She bolted upright and stifled her shock. She went to the storage stall and she shut her eyes to steady herself, this wouldn’t be her first body but it just never got easy. She opened the door slowly and there was Minerva Saldivar, stuffed upside down, as if she were flung into the stall, dead as a door nail. She left the ladies and hollered for Bruno, “You need to come here!”

He went to her with a smile on his face. But when he saw the serious mug she had, he knew this wasn’t for fun and games. Sadly for him, it never was. She took him into the ladies room and pointed to the last stall. Bruno looked. “The missing lady, I take it?”

“Yep.”

Most of the bar had filled the doorway to the ladies room and all were angling for a better view. Not much to see though because the body was upside down and kind of crumpled looking. Minerva was not a big woman. She was very petite. Angela was looking at Minerva’s body and thought to herself, “It wouldn’t have taken a lot of strength to pick up her body. But why is it upside down? Surely whoever did this could have hidden the body easier and with less effort if they had left it right side up. Very odd.”

“Strange isn’t it?” Bruno asked.

“Yeah, I don’t get it. But then there’s a lot I don’t get about murder,” Angela said.

“Yep,” Bruno agreed. He pulled out his cell phone and called the crime scene unit and told them to alert the morgue as well.

“Lab guys coming?”

“Yeah.”

“K, can’t wait to see what there is to see when they bring her down.”

“What makes you think you will? You’re not involved in this case,” Bruno and his game face are nothing to challenge.

But Angela isn’t easily intimidated, “Oh, that’s how it’s going to be? OK, I’ll remember this”.

Bruno turned to the peanut gallery encroaching further into the ladies room, “Y’all get on back to your barstools. Mr. Castillo, lock your doors, no one in or out before I talk to them.” He got on his walkie-talkie and told Washington and Roberts that the bar was to be shut down until further notice, no one in, or out, past the smoking section of the front door.

He looked at Angela, who hadn’t budged from her spot, “You, you need to go sit on a barstool and drink a beer and stay out of my way until I call on you.”

She raised her eyebrows and said, “Fine.” and walked away. He knew this wasn’t “fine” and he knew this would cost him somewhere down the line. He didn’t care, this was his body, his murder and so, after Angela left the ladies room, he set to studying the scene.

The bathroom is paneled in wood with heavy patina of all the years smoke and Lord knows what else. Though cleaned regularly there is always some kind of debris, a bottle cap here or there, a lighter maybe and sometimes bits of some illegal contraband. The latter are rare though. Druggies tend to keep track of their drugs.

In the storage stall there were a couple of boxes, mostly containing decorations for various holidays. The largest one was marked “Halloween” with the “o” made into a Jack-o-lantern and the next biggest one was marked “Christmas 2” with holly underlining the text.

The other boxes contained various banners announcing specials and special events. All were clearly marked so Bruno didn’t have to go digging in them to find out what was inside them. But as part of the crime scene, they would be taken to the lab and carefully examined.

On the opposing wall was yet another storage closet, but this one had a lock. The toilet/storage didn’t. He made note and took some pictures with his phone. He tried the locked door and it wouldn’t budge. Next to the locked storage closet is the sink. There’s a generous countertop surrounding the sink and another storage space under the sink. There’s a large mirror above the sink and a soap and a towel dispenser to the right of the mirror. To the left of the dispenser is the only door to the room and on that a full-length mirror with a massive crack on it hung. It was a rounded crack and that spread a bit. It looked like a spider’s web.

Bruno leaned in and looked closer, “Well, lookey here…a hair but no blood. Could someone’s head crack a mirror and leave no blood? Or could this be old damage to the mirror? This could be a random hair,” he thought. He snapped a photo, took a pair of tweezers and plucked the hair from the glass and placed the hair carefully into a small zip baggie.

He walked out of the ladies room and approached Ryan. Ryan was already annoyed with Bruno and really didn’t want to talk to him anymore but he knew Bruno could do him up and make his life a complete hell. So he braced himself and Bruno asked about the bathroom mirror.

“Really? No I hadn’t notice. But then I wasn’t in there today. I went in there last night. A lady got really, really drunk and her friends couldn’t get her out of the john so I went in there and carried her up to their car and put her in but last night….no, I don’t remember it being broken.”

“Who were the ladies that were in there?”

“You got me, just some random people.” Ryan was lying his butt off. It was the Martinez sisters who were having trouble with their newly divorced friend in the john.

“Really? Random?”

Ryan thought, “Little mother fucker, he knows.” He said, “Yeah random. Not everyone who comes here is a regular.”

“Well no. But I was a lawyer for a lot of years and now I’ve been a detective for the better part of a decade, I know when people are lying to me Mr. Castillo. Why do you want to lie to me?”

“Look I don’t know who the drunk lady was, I just carried…”

“Yeah you carried her out to the car, did you see what kind of car it was, did you make note of the color? Anything?”

“No it was busy; I just wanted to get back to work.” Ryan was really digging a hole now.

“Great, I love looking at bar receipts. Hand ‘em over.”

“OK fine, it was the Martinez sisters, Hazel and Aletha. They were here with some friend of theirs, who I really don’t know, anyway she just got through a nasty divorce and she wanted to drown her sorrows.”

“And why were you lying for them?”

“Because they’re good people and they really don’t have anything to do with this. I just don’t want to bother a whole lot of people over this.”

“‘This’ is a murder,” Bruno’s words came out staccato and direct. “There is a dead woman in your restroom. Do you not understand the urgency here? I have to clear up a lot of things before I can even get to the body you dumb ass,” Bruno hated when civilians got in the way of doing his job.

“OK, I get it. I’m sorry,” Ryan surrendered.

The crime scene people pulled up in their vans eyed by half the bar. Phillip, Chase, Angela and Gaylyn were sitting on the bench in front and a couple of stragglers were smoking cigarettes or on their cell phones telling their wives or whoever, they were going to be late.

Phillip was on his cell, “Well I don’t know when, all I know is the cops are here and they’re not letting anyone in or out of the joint until they talk to all of us. For crying out loud Melanie, there’s a woman dead in the john! Oh great, the T.V. stations are here. You can flip on the flippin’ news and watch it. Look I’ll even fuckin’ wave to you,” he started waving frantically at one news camera that was up and running. “There, ya happy?” With that he hung up.

Hanging up on someone when you really want to slam the phone down on them and make a statement is very unsatisfying with a cell phone.

Gaylyn was laughing at Phillip, he knew it, “Well that woman, I love her and it’s not enough to love her. She’s just such a bitch sometimes.”

Gaylyn smiled, “Gracie, it’s me. Well I’m kind of in a pickle and I can’t leave the bar. Well someone up and got murdered here so the cops are keeping us here until they talk to all of us. Can you call the McGregor’s for me?” Gaylyn had a code name for all the types of clients she had. McGregor was for couples. “Yeah turn on the news. Right now we’re the only thing worth watching on T.V. Yeah I’ll tell you all about it later. Yeah Bruno is here…yeah.” Gaylyn was exasperated with trying to avoid Bruno or really just exasperated with Bruno’s presence. Just the fact that he was breathing the same air she does is enough to exasperate her.

Chase had no one to call, its not like the dogs could answer the phone.

The crime scene unit filed into Humpy’s carrying various cases and very serious looks on their faces. Angela recognized most of them and so did Gaylyn. Not that she let on, she had a good poker face.[R1]

Bruno dispersed the majority of them to the ladies room where the body was. The coroner arrived and came in with a stretcher. He was sent to the ladies room. The rest of the crime scene unit peeps were scattered around the bar area dusting for finger prints where Minerva stood and outside in the parking lot looking for anything they could tie or eventually tie to this murder. When they finished up their photographs and topical finds they let the coroner take the body from the stall storage and carry it out to the hall of the bathroom because there was no way to maneuver the stretcher around the corner and into the ladies room.

Humpy’s is like a double-wide trailer with beer taps. The front door is at the center of the building facing Buford Street and the second door is on the end facing Third Street. Up until a few months ago those were the only two entrances/exits for decades. Then when the smoking ban was enacted the McDurvel’s decided to make a back patio and put a third door across the body of the building from the front door facing the field out on the back side of the building where the patio is. The roof is a high-pitched barn roof styled attachment. It wasn’t original to the building. It was an add-on after the McDurvel’s figured it looked a little too much like just a double-wide trailer.

So between the roof of the trailer building and the inside of the high-pitched addition there was plenty of room up there to really open an upstairs to the bar. Hank had said many times, “A man can stand up in there. Of course he can’t get too near the sides without bumping his head.” The idea of some kind of balcony bar was tossed around and Hank was considering it. But then Hank was a long muller. He could mull over something for years before he acted. So no one was holding their breath.

Soon the coroner had the body in his wagon and was off to the morgue, the lab people were in the bathroom still processing when Angela went up to Bruno, “I’ve got to use the ladies room.”

Bruno looked at her, her legs were crossed and she was slightly bouncing, “Use the men’s and aim.”

Angela thought, “And then he wonders why no one will date him.” She cocked her head at him and said, “Fine.” without so much as a look back as she went to the men’s room.

“Shit, another ‘fine.’ I’m in big trouble,” Bruno said under his breath.

“Bruno?” The voice came over Detective Bruno’s radio clipped to his lapel.

“This is Bruno. What’s up Roberts?”

“Sir, Mr. Hank McDurvel and his brother Travis are here. They own this place.”

“Oh excellent, let them in, please.”

Bruno knew Hank’s reputation of being a good guy and it never waivered, so he figured Hank is an actual good guy. He didn’t know too many people in the bar business that were 100% clean but he figured this McDurvel came close.

Now Travis has a reputation too and it isn’t all that great. He has a couple of businesses downtown that are a little on the side of shady but nothing could ever be pinned to him. There were a couple of rape charges made that disappeared into thin air. It was rumored that there was a child born of one of these rapes too but no one, not even Hank, knew where the child was or if the child really existed. Travis had blown through most of his inheritance but always seemed to be rolling in money. Hank was curious but not too curious. He loved his brother dearly but he also knew what his brother was capable of and wanted no part of it.

Hank was dressed in belted pressed jeans, neatly pressed plaid shirt and John Deere cap and cowboy boots. He had just gotten back from the property out in the Hill Country when he heard the news. He was dropping in to give Angela the new key to the lock on the back gate to the property he lets a select few use. Travis, who was on his way to the bar for Monday night libation, was dressed in rumpled cargo shorts, a floral shirt, Reef flip flops and a baseball cap.

While Hank went directly to Bruno, Travis made a B-line for Gaylyn, “Hey sugar, all dressed up and nowhere to go?”

“Oh Trav, don’t you wish you knew.”

“I bet I do know…” he chuckled as he ran his finger up her forearm. She wanted to vomit but didn’t give him the satisfaction of letting him know he made her skin crawl.

“Travis!” Hank hollered at his brother. “Com’ere!”

Travis sauntered over to the ladies room, “What do we got here?” Hank and Travis were held in the hall just before the ladies room door.

“Well Mr. McDurvel, we had a dead body. It’s on the way to the morgue.”

“Anyone I know?” Travis jauntily asked.

“Mrs. Minerva Saldivar?”

“Nope, dunno’er. You Hank? You know ‘er?”

“Can’t say as I do. But then I’m not at the bar as often as I use to be, spend most of my time up in the Hill Country.”

“How much longer y’all gonna tie up the bar? I got people comin’ over tonight,” One of Travis’ parties was on the agenda for the evening.

“You’re gonna have one of your parties?” Hank asked. “A woman just died here. What’s wrong with you?”

Travis looked hurt, “Well, I’m just havin’ a few people over.”

Just then Angela stepped out of the men’s room. “Well, lookey here, it’s the Albino Amazon herself.”

Angela rolled her pale blue eyes, “Hank, just how did you end up with a jack ass for a brother?”

Hank smiled, “Angela, good to see you.” They shook hands. “So Angela what is going on here?”

He trusted Angela more than some strange cop.

“Let’s go out to the bar,” Angela suggested.

“Now you’re talking,” Travis said. “OK, let’s get our drank on!”

Hank pulled the lead, “Travis you go on up to the bar, leave me and Angela to do the talking.”

Travis shot his brother a sour look but happily went off Gaylyn’s way. She was in a close-quarters conversation with Ryan. He caught the sight of Travis out of the corner of his eye and gave Gaylyn a heads up. She looked at Travis as he slid his arm around her waist and gave her a squeeze, “Ba’tender! Git me and this lovely flower a shot. None of that Espolon shit. Git the good stuff out of my reserve.” The bottle in his reserve was a $7,000 bottle of Clase Azul Ultra Tequila. One thing about Travis, he has damn good taste in booze. Though Azul is more of a sipper, Travis didn’t have enough class for that. He shot it down. Gaylyn figured she’d savor the Azul. Espolon, though good tequila, was rot gut compared to this bit of liquid heaven.

Travis slapped Gaylyn on the thigh, “Shoot it, girl!”

“Travis, have some class.”

“Some ‘ass?’ WOOOOOOOOOO Let’s git this party started!!!!”

Gaylyn let out an exasperated sigh, “Seriously, why couldn’t you be more like your brother?”

Travis turned on her, red faced, lip in a snarl and snatched the drink from her hand, “I only drink with friends!” And he stormed away to the back patio.

“Drinkin’ alone again,” Gaylyn half whispered to herself.

Pretty soon, everyone was asked where they were, what they saw, who they talked to and all the answers were given. Not one answer strayed away from the original story. There was nothing to be had. The bathroom was processed rather quickly because there wasn’t any blood, all the prints had been collected, and all the contents from the stall storage were taken.

“Well you have your bathroom back,” Detective Bruno said to Mr. McDurvel. “And we’ll be cleared from here in a bit. Thank you for your patience.” With that he shook Hank’s hand and nodded at Angela and left the bar.

Hank followed Angela’s eyes that were following Bruno out the bar, “So, what can you tell me about our friend, the detective?”

“Well, he’s really good at his job. It’s his focus on his job that can make him an absolute ass. If that makes any sense,” She said.

“Yeah it does.”

Just then Angela’s cell phone was ringing. Her mind was darting in all different directions and all the murderous excitement of the last five hours killed her buzz. “Hello? Yes sir. Well I’m on vacation. I leave for the Hill Country in the morning,” there was a long pause. “I know the mayor’s sister-in-law. I…” another pause. “OK well…yes sir…I’ll get right on it….well no one knows anything right now. They just took all the evidence and all the statements. Besides how can I investigate the murder? I’m the one who found the body,” another pause. “Well no I didn’t kill her! But still it doesn’t look right. Yes sir, fine sir,” with that she hung up. “Shoulddah just gone up to the ‘Country this morning. Just shoulddah gone on up. Dang it!”

“Oh Little Girl,” that was Hank’s pet name for Angela. “You know that if you had gone on up Waylon’d call you up anyway. You’re too good at your job.”

“Yeah, he would have.”

“Ah stay and have a beer with your old friend. I could use one,” Hank raised two fingers up towards the bar and in almost an instant two beers, a Lone Star for Angela and a Shiner for Hank, were in front of them. It wasn’t often that Hank drank but when your bar is a murder scene well, you might want to have one…maybe even two.

Travis came back in the bar from the outside patio, “Oh having drinks now?”

“Well, I figured why not?” Hank said.

“If I asked you to have a beer you would’ve turned me down, but Lil’ Girl over there…”

“Now you watch it. I asked her to have a beer with me. At least with her I don’t have to argue my way through a beer.”

Travis looked hurt, for just a quick second, and then his face turned red. He turned heel and as he was making his way out the front door and yelled at Ryan, “If anyone comes in for me, tell ’em I’m at Chester’s!”

No one looked Hank’s way. They were embarrassed for him.

Angela sat and sipped her beer and finally Hank said, “Well, here’s to good times anyway.” They cheered each other and drank their beer. Their conversation ran off to the Hill Country and the sounds Enchanted Rock was making; it creaks and groans along with the rise and fall of the temperatures. That’s why the Native Americans in that area called it Enchanted Rock. Soon they were finished with the first beers, said their goodbyes. Angela went to see Phillip and Chase at the table. Everyone else had cleared out. Gaylyn was off salvaging what she could of her night. Everyone else went on home.

“Well guys, what are you doing here still?”

“Waitin’onagahddamn cab,” Chase slurred.

Angela wanted to laugh at Chase. While he wasn’t a fun drunk, he was a funny drunk….or at least darkly entertaining. His general angst and slurry vocabulary were happy hour gold.

“Angela, did Waylon call you?” Phillip asked.

She shook her head, “Yep.”

“Figured he would,” Phillip said patting her hand lightly.

“Fahkin’law’rs…” Chase chimed in.

Angela smiled at Chase and turned to Phillip, “Yeah well he’s good friends with the mayor and then the mayor saw me on the news standing outside with y’all and so the mayor called Waylon, Waylon called me and well shit rolls down hill.”

“All fahkin’ alike sumbitches.”

Ryan came up to the table and told the men, “Chase, Phil, your cabs are here. Ang, you takin’ a cab?”

“Ride with me,” Philip said. “You’re on my way anyway. Let’s split a cab! HA! Haven’t done that in years. Then again I haven’t spent near half the night in a bar in years either.”

“OK I’ll ride with you,” Angela said.

“Allfahkin’alike. Fahkin’ law’ers.”

More to come ....

#HappHourMurders #LauretteEscobar #murdermystery #fiction #happyhour #murder #AngelaWisdom #WaylonMcBride #Bruno #Hank #Travis #humpymcdurvels #mystery

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