— STUBBORN HEART.

kristine gath — i thought these dreams were friends of mine.

[krstngth]

❖ why you tryna make a lesbo outta ava? let her be a HETTIE in PEACE.

“ I’m— I’m not ! I love Ava for who she is, I’d never try to make her something she’s not. I respect her boundaries, too. I would never try to make a lesbo out of her. I just want to be her friend. That’s what’s important to me. ”

[raelynnnix]

Bailee Madison as Grace Russell in Good Witch 4.05

[raelynnnix]

audience: *deep gay breathing*

[krstngth]

RE : ava ruiz.

AVA FINALLY PUSHES herself off the swing, skidding slightly on the worn down soles of her converse across the smoothed down part of the dirt that sat beneath the swing. “ Then … everyone’s a jerk. Don’t be stupid, okay? Nothing you could do would make me think of you different, okay? ” She makes her way to Kris’ swing, wrapping hands around the chainlink supporting it and taking several steps back just to lean forward — so they’re nearly face to face. She pauses, as if she’s about to say something very important, and then bursts into a grin, freckled nose wrinkling. “ Let’s go to 7/11, I want nachos. ”

Expression brightens slightly at the other’s words, and she smiles back at Ava. “ Okay, okay. I’ll trust you on that — you better not be lying, ” she jokes, smirk twisting lips upwards. And then suddenly their faces are inches apart and Kris feels warm, feels the heat starting to move up her neck. She swallows, feeling very aware of Ava’s face near hers, and part of her wants to just lean forwards and kiss the other. Luckily, Ava’s face breaks into a grin, and it saves Kris from any potential misguided decisions. “ Sure ! I want a slushie, anyways, ” brunette replies, pushing herself off her own swing. She can feel her heart pounding in her chest still, and she’s thankful that the blush she felt rising didn’t make it to her cheeks.

[krstngth]

RE : ava alvarez.

AVA SHAKES HER head, an automatic refusal of the thanks she’s given. “ Seriously, Kris don’t … ” A pause, as she considers what she’s saying. “ Anyone who’d think you were a ‘ freak ’ isn’t worth your time, okay? ” Silence as the next part of the blonde’s statement hits her, and this time, response is less immediate. Part of her is WORRIED, that her delegation as the first response had less to do with friendship and trust, and more to do with hopes of finding a kindred spirit. The paranoia sets in, something she’s ashamed of and yet unable to shake. “ You don’t need to tell anyone you don’t wanna. ” She emphasises. “ But I think people are pretty accepting nowadays, you know? ” Pause. “ And the coming out thing is a little unfair, anyway. I don’t have to be worried about telling you I’m STRAIGHT. ” A soft smile, after emphasis placed on final word. Coward, she thinks, even in spite of her own uncertainty. 

“ I know, I just ... It’s one of those things I can’t help, y’know ? Just a residual anxiety. ” And I can’t help but worry you’ll think that about me, she thinks, with a gentle sigh. Ava’s opinion matters to her above all others ━ though maybe it wasn’t a good thing, it didn’t matter to Kris. “ No, no, I know. I told you because I trust you, Ave. And ... It’s important to me you know, most important that you know, because you’re my best friend. ” Other girl’s statement slightly unbalances her ━ though she knew that Ava was straight, there was a part of her that hoped to maybe find some sort of kinship. It didn’t matter, though ━ all that did matter was that Ava knew, and accepted her. That’s all Kris cared about. “ Yeah, i think it’s kinda dumb, but ━ I know not everyone is. Accepting, I mean. But I’m glad you don’t care. ” She grins, gently nudging Ava’s shoulder with her own. 

[nicole-kidman]

[krstngth]

RE : ava alvarez.

SHE KNOWS HER response is important, and that’s why she’s so tentative with it. Part of her, however, acknowledges that response time factors into it — too quick, and she seems on edge. Too slow, and she seems like she isn’t telling the truth. Even more of her feels bad for agonizing over it, for putting so much thought into something that should be so simple. Cool. or It doesn’t matter to me. But she DOESN’T. She just sits in silence, for another beat, snaker tracing shapes absently in the dirt. “ Kris … ” She says finally, and eyes are drawn from the ground to look at her best friend. “ You don’t need to apologise. For … anything. ” She shakes her head, insistent even though speech is garbled through nervousness. “ I promise. OKAY? Nothing is weird. ” A nod punctuates the statement, cementing it as fact. “ That stuff doesn’t make a difference to me. ” Telling Kris it was fine, it was good, felt like an entirely different beast to tackle than her own. It felt truthful to cement her support of her best friend, and it didn’t change perception. But she still felt burning shame when it came to her own thoughts, her own lack of action expressed in revealing herself. OR — before it even got to that point, knowing herself. “ C’mon, man. I love you forever. Even if you were like … a serial killer. I’d help you hide the bodies. ”

She should know that it won’t matter to Ava — that if they’re really best friends, Ava won’t care. And she knows they’re best friends, so she’s not really sure why she’s analyzing Ava’s every movement, every little word. Maybe she cares more about what Ava thinks than she’d care to admit. She watches as her friend traces shapes in the dirt, not able to bring herself to look Ava in the eye until the other speaks. Shaky breath is inhaled at words, and she knows she should feel relieved — that Ava accepts her, that she’s told someone. Exhale, and she raises her head to look at the other. “ Thank you, Ava. For ... I dunno, not thinking I’m a freak. And for being so willing to help me hide a body — I’ll have to save that for later, though. ” A beat passes, and she continues. “ Other ... Other people aren’t so lucky. ” She’s referring to the acceptance that Ava’s so easily given her. “ You’re ... You’re the only person I’ve told, ” she adds.

[krstngth]

RE : casper mullin‌.

the scenario had played out before him like the snap of his fingers  –  incomprehensible and fast-paced. before he’d been able to voice a response, the other boy had already dropped onto the floor and kristine’s tray had been tossed down beside him. the second act hadn’t been any more intelligible, casper being hauled off to the principle’s before he’d even DIGESTED the previous altercation. and now, there he was  –  a perfectly good friday wasted away. “ or not at all ! ” he raises his voice and is gifted a HUSH from the supervising teacher. “ i can stand up for myself, you know … no issue, no freakin’ problem. ” they both knew that was a LIE. casper often opted to attempted escapes, and if those failed  –  stay put and take it. with stride, though. so much stride it was practically pouring out of his ears. he’d laugh, he’d make a quip back – get his head bumped into one of the lockers, and that was that. “ at least we wouldn’t be stuck in detention. ” he murmurs. “ your go-to being violence is seriously concerning. ”

Eyes roll, and she sighs. Okay, maybe she’d been a little extreme, but it wasn’t enough to warrant an apology from the blonde. “ Hey, I’ve been wanting to smack him since he called Ava and I slurs in P.E. a few weeks ago. ” Kris shrugs. She doesn’t add that they both know that Casper wouldn’t be able to handle it himself — he’d have gotten roughed up by a bunch of bullies that towered over Kris by a solid foot. Sneaker presses against the metal foot of the desk, a soft kick, and she turns her face towards Casper again, brow raised slightly. “ At least you’re not stuck here alone ! Totally could be worse. ” Grin spreads across pink lips, and finally she finds a comfortable position, tucking her knees to her chest. The perks of being tiny — she fits very well in weird positions at a desk. “ No it’s not. He deserved it ! ”

[krstngth]

RE : casper mullin.

* / STARTER FOR KRISTINA GATH ( @krstngth )

O’NEILL HIGH SCHOOL – crawling with outsiders and black spring residents alike, no discerning difference between them on a superficial level. fundamentally, however, he had a list. no, really, he had a complete list of what differed between him and the highland falls native that sat behind him in calc. first point was the blatantly obvious … she was a she. the bullet-points become less TRIVIAL after that. none of that matters now, though, because his beef is not with libby smalls but with his own FLESH AND BLOOD – spiritually. “ remind me at some point to give you a refresher on the meaning of loyalty. ” he murmurs, snarky commentary inaudible to the underpaid teacher in charge of friday’s detention. screw this … he could’ve been home by now, scouring the web for GAME OF THRONES reviews. ( since the council had yet to approve of public access to hbo … less to do with protocol and more with the graphic nudity the service offers, he suspected. not exclusively but adults don’t see it that way. )

Blonde sits with feet propped on desk, drawing on already heavily marked sneakers with a Sharpie. Friday detention is boring — of all the detentions they could’ve been thrust in, Friday’s was definitely the worst. The last detention she’d had was on a Wednesday, and Miguel Gomez had started a fight with Phil Kennedy over which flavor of Gatorade was better. Now that was entertainment. But today, it was way too quiet — as if someone had died. She doesn’t look up when Casper directs snarky comment towards her — instead, she caps her marker and places it on the desk, sliding sneakers off the desk and back onto the floor. Tucking a few strands of hair behind her ear, she turns to face him, brow raised. “ Y’know, you’re being really dramatic. Especially since I kicked his ass for you, ” she sighs, referring to the senior that had landed them in detention in the first place. “ What, did you want me to defend your honor with words? Because hitting him with a tray was way more fun. ” Kris shrugs.

[krstngth]

RE : ava alvarez.

THE SUNSET IS the backdrop behind them, dusk dousing the park in pink light. It’s nearly summer now, and the air around them is a clear indicator, humidity swamping them after the previous day’s rain. But the sky is clear now, cloudless in it’s hues of orange and pink, and so is the silence between them. It’s comfortable, they always are, whether they’re constantly chattering, or sitting with nothing to say. When silence is broken, the truce of watching the skies as they sway forward and back broken. Ava’s converse hit the dirt, skidding her & the swing to a stop. “ Like … ” She hestiates, delicately, her heart thumping in her chest. “ Like, you’re a LESBIAN or something? ” Eyebrows knit together, and she’s trying to tread carefully as her interpretation’s confirmation is sought. I think I might be too, she wants to say, hairs back of her neck standing up in the light breeze. But instead, she returns to aforementioned SILENCE, awaiting an answer. 

Ava’s hesitation causes anxiety to rise in the blonde’s throat, and she holds her breath as she waits for the rest of the other’s statement. “ Yeah. ” She says with an exhale, fingers tightening around the chains of the swing. Kristine’s anxious about this as is, and she’s not feeling particularly encouraged by Ava’s response. But she has to give her friend the benefit of the doubt ━ maybe it’s just a lot to have dumped on the brunette all at once. “ Yeah, I’m a lesbian. ” Beat, as she collects her thoughts. “ I dunno ... How to explain how I knew. I guess it was little things ━ but I thought it was just that I was jealous of others girls, or something. Turns out I guess I was jealous of their boyfriends. ” Curtain of blonde hair falls in her face and she’s thankful for it ━ Kris is sure she’s bright red, at this point. “ I’m sorry if that makes things like ... Weird, for you. ” She sighs, digging her toes deeper into the dirt.

[tilyoutryit]

SOMEONE GREAT (2019) dir. jennifer kaytin robinson

[mayaahart-archive]

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