LIQUID SWORDS

I'M SPARKED. , WAITING FOR THE DARK TO HIT –

[bllsource]

[lectscarrow]

iincendiia·:

“i wasn’t, i was trying to get us out of it, and again i won’t repeat the apology i gave so knock it off alecto, stop trying to pick a fight and make this all a thousand times worse than it already is.” he said through a clenched jaw, barely keeping his cool. but he knew she liked to get people going, she liked to fight so he wouldn’t satisfy her need and give her one. he breathed and his anger dissipated, replaced by cold scrutiny.

 “what did they have to say when they found out about what you did? or are they just thrilled to have pulled so many strings to keep you from being expelled? i’m sure they’re keeping you on an even tighter leash now, how do you expect we end this betrothal at this point?” bringing up her parents was a low blow but he knew what made her tick, for the most part and he’d use what he had to to make her see reality and truth.

 “i don’t fully believe you, you must be angry about the watchdog charm they put on your wand.” he would be, he’d be livid, he’d all but burn the thing and get a new one if he was angry enough. but too often he forced himself to see reason, something she never did. “no, i want honest opinions on the demise of our future marriage, unless you want to do this for the next fifty or so years.” he gestured between them.  once they were out of school  he saw no reason why they’d still need to be listening to dear old mum and dad. he certainly planned to cut ties the second he graduated, if not sooner if necessary. they just had to last until the end of the year or so without killing each other, or anyone else it seemed.

Alecto pressed her lips together when he brought up her parents, rolling her eyes in the other direction. At first, she didn’t even respond. She let him go off on his tangent, feeling herself grow angrier with each word he spoke. “What do you want me to say, Leo?” she suddenly exploded when he’d finished. “That I’m terrified to go home now because I’ve no idea what they’ll do to me? Or what they had to do to keep me here?” If she knew her parents, it couldn’t have been very pretty. She hoped it was only monetary. 

“That I feel like a prisoner with the tracker on my wand? Yes, I’m fucking angry about it. But I still don’t regret what I did.” Alecto wasn’t sure if she fully believed that. Did she enjoy it, and the bragging rights that came with it? Yes. But she was realizing that she was reaching the age where her actions were going to pay a price, and it could’ve been a much more serious one after graduation. The dark mark would offer her some protection – and likely work out well for Leo, since it might be enough to patch the damage with her parents.

She let out a long exhale, grinding her teeth together. “I have a plan, alright? Don’t worry about it.” As angry as she’d been with him lately, she did care about him. She didn’t want to see him hurt and miserable, either. Getting her mark could possibly satisfy her parents enough to weasel her way out of the arrangement. To her own surprise, though, she was struggling with the idea of going through with it.

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evienott·:

Using the offered hand to hoist herself up, Evie gathered her stuff quickly, but she didn’t let go of Alecto’s hand once she was up. After the attack, she’d been feeling clingier than usual and depending on who was around, she’d be stuck to their side. Currently, and usually, it was Alecto. “We could always sneak out. I’m sure it’d be impossible to have people watching every exit.” And worse come to worse, there was the astronomy tower and a broomstick. It might be nice to go for a ride and just escape all of the simmering tension brewing in the castle. Ever since Leo told her he had seen their father with the Death Eaters in Hogsmeade, she almost felt like she was torn between being fine and suffocating. 

She didn’t care for herself in this situation. As far as she was concerned, she had escaped with her mother, grown up with someone who was kinder, who allowed her to be a kid and to not put ridiculous expectations on her. Leo hadn’t. He had chosen to stay and because of that, she was more concerned with how he was feeling. And then there was Lenora, out there with her new family. For all Evie knew, she was in Hogsmeade when everything happened too. “No, I … I’m fine. I was far enough back in the shop that when the windows blew out, nothing hit me.” Not all of her classmates had been so lucky. “What about you?” She wasn’t as concerned for Alecto’s physical state but for her mental one. 

Seeing as she was so close to both of the Notts growing up, she knew quite a bit about their parents, but mostly their father. He was the one she was able to observe growing up, that she knew first hand. And he didn’t seem to be a much better man than her own father. “I’m fine, too,” she assured her. She hated to admit it, but she knew sneaking out wouldn’t be the best idea. Alecto groaned again at the reminder of her loss of freedom. "You know it pains me to follow the rules, but I can’t go anywhere with this damn tracker on my wand. They'll know. Astronomy tower and a bottle of whiskey?” 

She gave Evie’s hand a squeeze as they walked. If anyone else had ever tried to hold her hand, they likely would’ve ended up with a punch to the throat. Alecto felt oddly protective over Evie, and she always had. Even now, when she should be writing her off for her controversial beliefs and behavior. Maybe she admired her for having the courage to differentiate herself from the hardships she’d faced – that was something Alecto struggled with herself. “I...need your advice on something,” she said with a rare cautiousness. “Or maybe just need to vent about it. I’m not sure yet, but... I don’t think you’re going to like it.”

[lectscarrow]

iincendiia·:

“you know, if you stopped talking for once and listened you might get more of what you want.” he shot back without hesitation. she jumped the gun so often it was easy to reply in anger but he fought to keep his cool despite her. “it isn’t mutual, and i won’t repeat an apology i already gave for how i reacted when we got the news. you weren’t exactly in the right head space either.” he mentioned. it was his turn to laugh without humor, “she would be.” it was too bad he’d have to disappoint evie but he was right, it would be a lot more difficult to end the betrothal now, now that she’d gone and been an enormous git. “you’re the one that complicated this with your behavior, don’t forget that. i didn’t go around using unforgivables on anyone. how daft can you be?” this wasn’t going how he’d imagined it but they were like oil and water these days.

“Oh, I complicated this? As if you weren’t trying to do that from the start?” Alecto let out a huff, shaking her head incredulously when he called her daft. She wanted to bite back, but she was coming up blank. What excuse did she have for using the unforgiveable? Because she wanted to? She was feeling weak, powerless all because of her parents and their stupid decisions for her, and she’d taken it out in a violent manner – as usual. Now, she was more scared than ever to face her parents. For once, she didn’t have the energy to fight with him. “Listen, if you just came to lecture me, you can fuck off. I did what I did, and I don’t regret it. I don’t need more shit from you.”

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moon-loops·:

Remus rarely went out of his way looking for a fight.  It simply wasn’t in his nature.  Especially not when he had such hot headed friends that constantly sprang forward before he ever had the chance to actually get angry.

Or at least, that’s what he liked to tell himself anyway.  He liked to pretend that some days, he didn’t feel the anger simmering right underneath his skin - pent up rage that he ultimately unleashed on himself every full moon.

But as he ran his tongue along the cut on his lip, tasting his own blood, all he could do was laugh.  

He laughed straight in her face - her petty threat about her unmarked hands only egging him on further.  

“Detention, Carrow,” he declared, voice suddenly cold as he wiped at his mouth - barely holding back the urge to snarl in her face.  He refused to give her the satisfaction of knowing just how affected he was by her - even as his fingers itched to press his wand right up against her throat.

“What’s another two weeks anyway?,” he taunted, as he began to circle her slowly.

“Especially since you seem dead set on making it seven months with this little act of yours,” he continued, lips pulling back in a sneer, “almost as if you’re the one that’s really scared instead.”

A strangled sound of rage came out from between her teeth. It was all she could do to prevent herself from letting out a full-on scream. He was just trying to get her to dig herself into a deeper hole, which was obvious, but Alecto couldn’t help but oblige.

He began to circle her as if she were his prey. She detested that. Alecto was the hunter, not the other way around. She stepped closer to him and grabbed a fistful of his robes, momentarily keeping him in place. “Why the fuck would I be scared of you? Of anyone, or anything here?” This time she was the one that laughed, despite her still trembling with rage – and, admittedly, anxiety, though she pushed that down as hard as she could.

“You’re a coward, Lupin. You won’t fight back, you’ll just toss more detention at me. Go for it. What’s another two weeks, indeed?” She was seething, and her grip on his robes tightened. “At least Dirk had the decency to retaliate. I thought it was cute, really. It hurt a bit, but I was mostly still replaying his little screams in my head.” Alecto grinned, her eyes wild. “He was trying so hard to hold it in, poor thing, but he just couldn’t to it.” Another laugh, even more disturbing than the first. “Any amount of detention wouldn’t matter to me. It was so worth it.”

[yourfavouritecelebrity-source]

Phoebe Tonkin

2020 Darren McDonald photoshoot

[lectscarrow]

iincendiia·:

“it’s the hottest gossip in the castle, people trying to forget about the attack in hogsmeade, i’m sure.” he’d like to forget but it wasn’t that easy. he knew her family probably had to pull a lot of strings to keep her from being expelled and he appreciated that monumental effort. as annoying as alecto could be he didn’t wish that on her. 

he already apologized so saying he should be sorry was redundant so he said nothing. her saying it back, in her own way, was highly unexpected. she hadn’t finished her thought but he understood anyway, he wasn’t sure where he was with it either, he just knew he didn’t want his behavior to get alecto in more trouble. a part of him was pretty angry with her, for using an unforgivable and getting herself into so much trouble. “it will be harder to end it now, i think you know that.” 

Alecto didn’t miss the prod in his statement. She was already regretting her apology. “Like you said, Leo. We’ll stay out of each other’s business. I couldn’t really give a damn if what I do makes life harder for you, and that’s clearly mutual,” she snapped. She’d intended to hear him out, to have a calmer conversation this time, but it was already proving difficult. A dry laugh escaped her and she shook her head, void of the proper humor that should’ve accompanied the action. Her anger was still seeping through. “At least Evie’s excited, yeah? She says we finally get to be sisters.” 

[lectscarrow]

serpenn-sortia·:

There was no use in pretending he didn’t know what she was talking about. It would be an insult to his own intelligence, and denying it was just as foolish. He parted his lips to speak, but pressed them together firmly. For a moment, just a moment, he considered telling her some detail. It would surely aggravate the Slytherin boy he watched from the corner of his eye as they disappeared back into the corridor. Mulciber knew, though, that if he did that he would eventually face the same ridicule he would have tried to impose on the other.

“I already did,” Mulciber said airily, a stark contrast to his sudden outburst. “I tutored him over the summer. I know for a fact that this particular lesson was one he would suffer with indefinitely, so I believe he’s a cheater. But, it is possible that maybe I’m just sore over the possibility that the student actually surpassed their teacher.”

It was enough details to satisfy everyone involved. It wasn’t a complete lie that would prove difficult to maintain, but it was vague enough to protect himself. It should have also been enough to appease Alecto. He had, in fact, completed some sort of studying over the summer with him but the subject had taken a completely different route as the weeks carried on. As he thought sorted through his own thoughts of his summer to conjure up a story, he could feel the aggravation creep up on him again. He may have appeared much more composed than he had been a moment ago, but his knuckles were still white around his wand.

She genuinely couldn’t tell if he was being truthful. Mulciber really did have a knack for lying, and his excuse sounded quite convincing. After all, he was quite pretentious. It didn’t seem out of character for him to be so upset about somebody cheating under his tutorship. Still, the white-knuckle grip he had on his wand made her a bit suspicious.

Alecto came to the conclusion that he wasn’t going to elaborate on it further, as usual. “Merlin, Mulciber. I almost forgot how pointless it is to have a conversation with you. All I can ever hear is bullshit. Isn’t it tiresome?”

[lectscarrow]

iincendiia·:

the nickname, the term of endearment, grated on him but he tried not to show it. even when they’d been intimate he hadn’t used terms like that, they were too — clingy, too possessive for his tastes. he hoped alecto would be able to move past her apparent bitterness and talk to him the way they used to, just days ago before they were betrothed. he didn’t want it to ruin their relationship prior to it but he recognized he’d made a mistake in his initial reaction and he was ready to own up to that. 

“i heard about your punishment.” he mentioned, knowing she probably didn’t ant to talk about it but wondering why she’d have been foolish enough to use an unforgivable on another student and think she wouldn’t get caught. “and we should talk about —- us. i didn’t assess things properly immediately after getting the news. i’m sorry about how i reacted and what i said.” he was sincere but who knew how she’d react.

Alecto had to roll her eyes. “Seems like everyone has,” she responded about her punishment. Not that she was shocked. “Could be worse,” she said half-heartedly. Despite the punishment, she was still glad she’d done it. People knew what she was capable of now, if they had ever doubted it before. 

“You should be.” At first, she didn’t offer an apology of her own. “But... me too,” she forced out, as if actually saying the word sorry would bring her physical pain. “I know this wasn’t your choice either. I’m just...” Confused? Lost? Angry? In the process of losing her mind? She couldn’t even land on an emotion to feel. Scared, maybe. But she would never admit that. Instead, she left the sentence dangling. “There’s not much we can do about it at the moment. I’m under high scrutiny as it is.”

[lectscarrow]

moon-loops·:

At the sight of two suits of armors quite literally running away from Alecto’s rage, Remus wasn’t sure if he should break out into a laugh or join them.  And any other time, he might’ve gone ahead and followed their example.  After all, the situation was beyond ridiculous when even inanimate objects weren’t willing to risk their existence when Alecto Carrow was in the middle of a tantrum.

Yet the anger that he hadn’t been able to shake since the morning he’d heard about Dirk’s attack kept him rooted firmly in place as he held Alecto’s gaze - refusing to back down despite the hatred that was basically rolling off her in waves.

“Is that supposed to scare me, Alecto?,” he asked mockingly, pushing off from the wall as he strode towards her.  He had no doubts that Carrow was capable of holding a grudge until the day she died; he simply didn’t care.  Especially not as she threw Dirk’s attack in his face.

“Because I’d love to see what you do against me,” he taunted, his anger at her audacity making him reckless as he stopped right in front of her.  

“But, oh wait, I forgot you’ve been muzzled.”

He was uncomfortably close to her, clearly reveling in whatever power he thought he now held over her. Alecto’s mouth stayed shut, her teeth clenched together so tightly that she could feel her jaw growing sore. At his comment, she couldn’t control herself. She was still in the heat of her rage. Without a second thought, she let her fist fly into Remus’s mouth. 

The comment hit home. Muzzled. It was exactly how she felt. “You may have forgotten, Remus, that I do still have full access to my hands. Those can’t be traced.” She tilted her head, a crazed smile matching the look in her eyes when she spotted the blood on his lip. “If you aren’t scared of me yet, Lupin, I don’t mind putting in the work to convince you that you should be.”

[monarchyhqs]

he’d intended to find alecto after the attack, not just because she was his betrothed and he did feel a sense of responsibility towards her and the expectations placed upon them but because they were friends. he was certain she was fine of course, uninjured and probably thrilled by the whole thing. when he did find her, he saw no sign of bandages or anything so that was a relief. “i thought you might be fine, but i had to see for myself.” he had heard about her punishment, and why she’d been saddled with it. perhaps they should talk about that too, and their betrothal which had gone so poorly the first time but now he’d had time to think. 

@lectscarrow​

[lectscarrow]

It was likely that Alecto felt much differently about the attack than most of her classmates. Rather than terror, she’d felt elated. When the wind screamed through the windows and the Death Eaters appeared, her blood was pumping a mile a minute. It was like a beacon of hope for her. But after the initial excitement died down, and especially after she’d received her punishment, she found herself feeling more confused than ever.

When Leo walked up to her, she was torn between two courses of action. Part of her wanted to hug him and not let go for a long time. He’d always been a source of comfort for her, at least in the odd way that past intimacy tended to bring about. A larger part of her wanted to turn on her heel and walk away. She opted for neither option, simply staying put in her spot on the couch. “Thanks for the concern, honey,” she threw out the pet name with obvious sarcasm. “But I’m just fine. Better than ever.” Maybe it would have been a more convincing lie if she’d covered up the bags under her eyes.

[lectscarrow]

regblackx·:

“Fine, child or not,” he said, pointedly avoiding calling the baby what it was: a bastard, “She and Leo still betrayed what they were taught growing up.” A Gryffindor. One who didn’t side with them like they were supposed to. Even if Leo wasn’t in Slytherin either, he knew what was right, he knew what side he belonged on.  Alecto’s friendship with the younger Nott wasn’t right and it wasn’t proper. She would have to grow out of that sooner or later and cut ties. Nott was a blood traitor and Alecto knew better. But he was almost amused by her palm hitting wood, sure that she would have preferred it if it was his face she hit instead. 

He sipped his tea with a hum. “It’s not your job. But the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t. Your family will marry you off to whomever they please and they’ll expect you to go along with it. At least you know Leo. Theoretically, you could trust him, if that was a word in your vocabulary,” he pointed out. “It could have been any pureblood man and you’re upset because you got one that’s, objectively, attractive and smart? If Leo’s worth anything at all, sooner or later, he’ll come to terms with it and the wedding will happen. You’re not exempt from the duty we all have because you think you’re too good to be someone’s wife.”

Alecto felt her anger burning with each word he spoke. Is this how crazy she sounded to other people when she spoke of the pureblood ideals? Ironically, they didn’t sound so ideal when she was the one being victimized. Regulus did have some points, of course. She was attracted to Leo, and he was smart, but marriage? For the sake of her parents, nonetheless? She could be betrothed to the handsomest, smartest man in the world and it wouldn’t matter. It wasn’t her choice. 

At the end of his rant, she did slap him this time. Right across the face, as she’d intended to the first time. The end of the word “wife” was lost in the impact. “Fuck you, Regulus,” she hissed through gritted teeth, ignoring the excitement she’d caused at the table. “I am not just somebody’s wife. I will never allow that. Nott or otherwise.” She stood from the table and stalked away from him, not turning around to see if he’d followed. He wouldn’t retaliate in public, she knew that, but she welcomed whatever he had in store for her later.

[lectscarrow]

evienott·:

Oh. Six months was way worse than six weeks. With a grimace, Evie expressed her sympathy. Her longest stint in detention had been a week at most and it was only because she’d used the bat bogey hex on someone who dared to talk shit about her during fifth year. “Of course I’m listening, Alecto.” But she continued to flip through her magazine, as if unimpressed. “I’m an excellent multitasker.” It was a skill she had learned from watching her mom growing up, able to do fifteen different things all while Evie info dumped all sorts of useless information on her and listened. Not once did Evie ever feel like she was being brushed aside, unwanted. And she tried her best to replicate that here but maybe she wasn’t as good at it as she thought she was. 

Alecto didn’t seem to be pleased that she wasn’t really listening. “You’re right, I am out of her league, aren’t I?” she hummed, resting her head on Alecto’s shoulder. “I definitely wasn’t going to say that. I’ve known you long enough to know that you cast first and think later.” The magazine was still in her lap but she was too distracted to look at it now, flipping through it mechanically and not absorbing anything the pages held. Part of her wanted to ask what the Carrow parents said but she was sure Alecto didn’t want to talk about it. “C’mon. Let’s get out of the castle for a bit and go for a walk.”

Alecto breathed a quiet sigh of relief that Evie didn’t try to squeeze her for more details, but she wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep it a secret. Normally she was only completely honest with Amycus when it came to their parents, but she hated to burden him so constantly. It wouldn’t be inconceivable to think that he’d received a scathing letter of his own for allowing Alecto to act so rash. Her parents tended to think of him as her keeper, even though he was just as troublesome as she was – he was just better at not getting caught.

“Please,” she said, exasperated. Alecto stood from her spot on the ground and offered Evie a hand. “I wish we could get out of the castle entirely,” she lamented, but it wasn’t likely that students would be allowed back to Hogsmeade anytime soon. That was another issue she’d been struggling with. She’d spotted her father amongst the crowd of Death Eaters. She was still unsure of whether her mother had been present or not, though it was likely. “Merlin, I haven’t even talked to you since that all happened. Did you get hurt at all?” she asked as they walked, a rare trace of concern showing on her face as she gave her friend a quick once-over. She wanted to ask if she’d seen her own father there, but avoided it for now. Bringing up Mr. Nott was painful on a good day, let alone if she’d been able to recognize him in the crowd.

[lectscarrow]

serpenn-sortia·:

“No one,” Mulciber snapped at her, the anger stinging the tip of his tongue. He was more upset now that he hadn’t been able to keep it to himself and remain vague, but his disturbance was blatant. It took him a moment to collect himself but even then he was struggling. The knots that turned in his stomach made him sick with a sort of grief he never coped well with. He forced a small laugh to dismiss the flash of aggression but it came out more a hiss, short and hot like a tea kettle taken off the stove too early. If anything, it sounded more like a disapproval. 

He crinkled his nose at his own behavior. “It’s nothing. I’m just certain that prat cheated during our last quiz in Arithmancy and it’s the only reason they got a higher mark than me. Anyways, betrothals? I understand the desperation of it, but things done in desperation can often cause more strife than resolve.”

He shook his head lightly, his voice softer than it had been. His attention was still not entirely hers, the skin on top of his nose wrinkling as he failed to find solace in whatever thoughts ran through his head. 

It was rare to see Mulciber lose his composure, quite rare indeed. Especially when it was something as simple as identifying a housemate. Alecto’s eyes narrowed, clearly not buying it as he attempted to turn the conversation back to her betrothal.

“It was done in desperation, surely,” she agreed, “but not my own. Trust me, it’s caused enough strife already.” She continued to eye him, observing his wrinkled nose. Not unusual for him, but a clear sign he was deep in thought. Though they were typically more enemies than friends, that allowed Alecto to pick up on his mannerisms all the better – she was used to being on guard around him. “So you’re really not going to tell me?”

[chewbacca]

Scrubs (2001 — 2010), cr. Bill Lawrence

[lectscarrow]

@evienott

[lectscarrow]

regblackx·:

“Siblings often fail to live up to expectations.” Regulus had his own experience with that. It was supposed to fall to Sirius to be the perfect son, their first born. He’d inherit all of the titles that came with being the heir to the House of Black but he’d decided to be imperfect. To rebel instead of conform. So now it fell to Regulus to carry on the family name. None of the children his cousins bore would carry the Black family name, Sirius was no longer recognized as part of the family, so it fell to him. “That doesn’t negate the rest of our duty to our families.”

With a roll of his eyes, he scoffed. For a Ravenclaw, Leo wasn’t particularly smart, was he? “Leo is a moron. His sister and her bastard child are as much of a disgrace as the Nott family will allow.” That wasn’t an intentional jab but he checked out of the corner of his eye to see how Alecto reacted anyway. “Not that it matters, she’s a blood traitor regardless. You’re really his only hope and he’s giving it up, for what? Imbecile.” 

At the mention of Evie, Alecto slammed her open hand down on the table. It was either that, or she would’ve slapped him clean across the face. “Don’t bring that up. You know better,” she said, her voice quiet but authoritative. She knew that her friendship with Evie wasn’t one that Regulus approved of. A blood traitor. Perhaps it was a sign that she really didn’t believe in blood purity, since she turned a blind eye to “the rules” being broken when it was someone she loved? That she was struggling to form her own opinion, rather than going along with what she’d always been told? It was something she thought about often, but she never allowed herself to dwell on it. Evie was going through a period of questioning herself, that was all. She would come to her senses. 

“I know I’m his only hope,” she yielded to him, agreeing with the last statement. “But I also don’t want to be the Nott family’s ticket back into everyone’s good graces. That’s not my job.”

[lectscarrow]

evienott·:

Flipping through the latest edition of Witch Weekly she’d picked up during the trip to Hogsmeade, Evie glanced over at Alecto. Her back was pressed to a column, sitting on the floor and turning the page idly. “I love you,” she hummed, popping a piece of Drooble’s into her mouth. “But please stop with the detention talk. It’s only for, what, six weeks?” That wasn’t short by any definition but it could be way worse. Besides, it was an unforgivable curse and not having been expelled was better than Evie would have expected. Normally she avoided these topics with Alecto, as much as possible given their own slightly different political viewpoints, but this wasn’t so avoidable.

Still, Evie tried. Blowing a bubble and swiftly popping it, she moved over to show Alecto the magazine. “That dress is so pretty, oh my god. I would die for it.” It was easier to keep her friends when they didn’t get into deep topics like this. “Or maybe I just like the model it’s on. I don’t know, she’s cute.” Almost reminded her of Hestia, in a way. She really should try to talk to her again. 

@lectscarrow·

“Six months,” Alecto corrected, folding her arms. “Are you even listening?” She knew that Evie likely didn’t want to talk about it considering what brought on her punishment. Alecto had been almost as worried about Evie’s reaction as her parents’. Luckily, the two had a habit of dismissing each other’s less than favorable qualities. Their friendship was often questioned, after all, considering how differently the two were turning out as they grew older. For some reason, Evie was the one person Alecto couldn’t flick to the side like she did with anyone else who didn’t share all of her beliefs. She was a hypocrite, and she knew that, but Evie was someone that Alecto couldn’t lose. They’d been through too much together, and aside from Amycus, she was the only person Alecto could feel normal around.

She’d been pacing back and forth but paused when Evie pushed the magazine in her face, heaving a sigh of temporary dismissal. She studied the image for a moment. “Yeah, it’s nice,” she mumbled, clearly still distracted. “And the girl is hot, but you could do better.” She gave up her pacing and sat down beside her friend, helping herself to a piece of gum that she chewed a bit too aggressively. “This is the last thing I needed. And don’t tell me I should’ve thought about it before I did it, because I don’t want to hear that, either.” Her gaze absently followed the flipping of the magazine pages. “Fine, I’ll stop talking about it. I’ve just got enough shit to deal with right now. I don’t want to think about any of it anymore.”