now and forever

Maya Skellington. 17 years old. Attending Elias Prep.

[sacha-torte]

origami plane to a distant island || open

The giant water splash that came down on everyone in that log ride had absolutely soaked through everything Sacha was wearing. Thankfully she’d passed her bag to an attendant before riding, so when they sopping wet group shuffled their way out she was able to pick it up, nothing damaged. When she was back in the sunlight Sacha pushed her hair out of her face and looked up at the sky. The weather was being wonderful for them, she probably wouldn’t even have to wait long for her clothes to dry. It was a relief to the redhead considering she’d worn a white tshirt and it had gone completely see-through, showing off her very plain mint green bra, which when she noticed had her flushing red. Crossing her arms over her chest in an attempt to cover up, Sacha went over to the doughnut stand, ordering herself a pack of six. She hoped they’d be as delicious as the ones on Brighton Pier. Sacha pulled one out of the paper bag and took a big bite, noticing someone she definitely recognised from school. Mouth full, she simply held the bag out as an offer.

[mayaskellington]

Maya had spent much of the day aimlessly wandering on her own, occasionally buddying up with another student for a ride or two before striking off on her own again- not that she minded. This way she could do whatever she wanted to do, no compromising necessary. And right now, she’d decided what she really needed was a sugar fix. She was nearly to the donut stand when she noticed another girl from the school- Maya was certain she’d seen the other girl before, but couldn’t remember her name for the life of her- and smiled, looking into the bag before pulling out a donut. “You read my mind, I was just about to buy some,” Maya said. “Thanks,” she added, before taking a bite. 

[ladybord]

the edge of seventeen

[mayaskellington]

freshprinceofarendelle:

“It’s right there,” Lucas motioned towards the space above her shoulders. “Sorry, I think that was supposed to be a joke. It’s really fine if you want to go first. I wouldn’t blame you. The pizza is incredible.”

It took her a beat, but when it clicked, she couldn’t help but giggle, touching a hand to her head. “Ah. So it is.” 

“No worries, it was a solid joke. And thanks. I’m totally with you on that, I basically live on pizza and grilled cheese.” 

[rustofstardust]

all your gods are teenage girls:  atalanta, goddess of travel and adventure

[freshprinceofarendelle-blog]

“No, it’s fine, it’s just that– I was kind of already in line, and then you sort of cut ahead of me. But, it’s fine.”

[mayaskellington]

“Oh, no, I’m so sorry! I swear I didn’t mean to, I don’t know where my head is today-” 

“- But that’s not important. Here, you go first.”

[mayaskellington]

sleazyhook:

“I’ve only had gum stuck in my hair once, and I had to cut it out.”

“...Damnit. I’ve been growing my hair out for like five years, I really  don’t want to have to cut it.” 

[mayaskellington]

arabellaheart:

“I’m not sure actually, the help would do it for me if that ever happened. Some sort of oil I think?”

“Oh, shoot. But yeah, oil should work. Would you be willing to raid the kitchens and help me out?” 

“You definitely don’t have to, but it would be nice to have an extra set of hands. And, wait... ‘the help’? Fancy.” 

[mayaskellington]

“Um…this is gonna be weird, but…”

“Do you know how to get bubblegum out of hair? I messed up real bad.”

[mayaskellington]

taliawoods:

There were a number of reasons that Talia was out wandering the grounds at 3 a.m. but the main one was that she was tired of being in the dorms. She had wandered into the city hours earlier, finding a nice place to watch the sunset over the frozen earth. She could feel in her bones that Spring was coming and in may ways she couldn’t wait. Maybe once her mother was above ground she’d come and visit. Or perhaps Demeter would come by and visit. Spring signaled a fresh year and Talia was looking forward to it.

After a stop at a pub that lasted a few too many hours, Talia had just returned back on campus. It was silent, how she liked it most. Just as she was going to near a corner, she heard the footfalls of someone else. It was odd for another to be out so late but not unheard of. She listened to the other speak, thinking she heard nerves in the voice. 

Stepping out of the darkness, Talia simply crossed her arms. “What’s it to you? Are you some sort of security? Kind of tiny if you ask me.” she said after giving the other a once over. 

Maya raised a dubious eyebrow. “Oh, yeah. I’m totally a security guard. These pajama pants I’m wearing are actually a very clever form of camouflage.” She shook her head. 

The other girl, honestly, looked sort of intimidating, and Maya found herself wishing- not for the first time- that she’d resisted the urge to be a smart aleck. But, she reasoned, what’s the worst that could possibly happen? 

“I just wasn’t expecting anyone else to be out at this time of night. Being stuck in my dorm was starting to make me go a little crazy....” She trailed off, looking at the girl expectantly.   

[mayaskellington]

It was the time of year when everyone was starting to feel the academic pressure, Maya included. And while some people might deal with that by, say, throwing themselves into studying, or taking time to practice self-care, or doing anything productive, Maya was coping- or not coping, rather- by losing sleep. 

And she’d gone a little stir-crazy cooped up in her dorm room, which is how she ended up wandering the grounds at nearly 3 a.m. It seemed like she was the only one in the world awake. Until- predictably- she heard shuffling footsteps, sounding like they were around the corner. For a brief moment, her heart stopped. Then she swallowed hard and shook off the fear. She’d grown up with monsters, this was nothing she couldn’t handle. 

“Hello?” she called out, not slowing her pace as she rounded the corner. “Why are you awake?” she added. “Like, I know why I’m awake, but what kind of reasonable person is-” She cut herself off as a figure came into view. 

[ryanrowlands-blog]

There was a certain spring in his step as Ryan strut through the hallway, headphones blasting music at a ridiculously high volume. So high he completely missed whatever the person blocking his path was trying to tell him. He pulled one of the headphones from his right ear, the music still playing loudly in his left. “I’m sorry, I didn’t hear a word you just said,” Ryan laughed. “Come again?” 

[mayaskellington]

“Oh!” Well, now she felt stupid for not noticing the headphones. “Sorry, I didn’t see the...” she gestured vaguely at her ear. “I just wanted to give you a heads up, they closed this hallway for cleaning,” she said, pointing behind her. “Spill in the chem lab.” A spill that Maya may or may not have had a hand in, but he didn’t have to know that part. “So you’ll have to go around.” 

[badbadlands]

The Edge of Seventeen (2016)

[mayaskellington]

sacha-torte:

Sacha, being lost and clumsy, had managed to lose her key to her dorm and had been stuck out for a good few hours. She’d told the school administrator but had been told to either sit and wait or come back later while she went to go get another key cut. Sacha had opted for sticking around, she didn’t have anywhere else to go really. She’d offered to go with, but the idea didn’t seem to be taken well.

Sacha stood at the counter, chin in her palm and elbow on the desk, reading flyers for shows and sports and other things she didn’t really want to take part in. Under the radar was just fine for her. She glanced up momentarily when someone else entered the room, but went back to looking at papers when it wasn’t the administrator.

As the redhead considered how she could keep better track of her keys - a bracelet, necklace, clip on keyring? - something bopped off her head and she looked up in surprise, and then down at the floor at the paper ball. Her eyes flickered up to the only other person in the room before she burst out into a giggle. Sacha went to grab the litter but the brunette had gotten there first, so she ended up awkwardly hovering before standing up again.

“That’s okay! It’s fine, and your aim wasn’t too awful! It could’ve ended up in there!” Sacha pointed over the counter at the staff only area.

Even though the girl seemed to be taking it in stride, Maya still felt bad. Not exactly the best way to make a first impression. Yeesh. Still, she laughed, and shrugged her shoulders.

“True. The admins would be able to track the culprit, too, my name’s on it- it was a letter from my dad,” Maya explained with a shrug. She looked away sheepishly for a moment, unsure how the girl would react. “This is why I put off checking my mail for so long,” she added, playing it off like a joke before changing the subject. 

“What are ya waiting on?” she asked, raising her eyebrows curiously. 

[mayaskellington]

Maya instantly regretted checking to see if she’d gotten mail. An envelope with an ornate seal she recognized as her father’s was her only piece of mail, and she groaned internally. 

She skimmed the letter- some formalities, some small talk, and yep, there it is- asking her to come home for Halloween. How it would help her prepare her for her future if she starts contributing more now, how it would mean so much to the town and to him and Sally, blah, blah, blah. Not gonna happen. 

She shakes her head, and crumples the letter into a ball. Lobbing it at a nearby trash can, she missed by a mile, and it ended up hitting an innocent bystander instead of her intended target. 

Oops. 

“I’m sorry!” she called out, rushing over to retrieve the paper and throw it out properly. “I really shouldn’t be doing that when people are around. Or ever, since apparently I have terrible aim.” 

[hotephoetips-deactivated2017080]

avoiding your family as a practice of self-care

[mayaskellington]

luisaoldenburg:

Lulu had just put a chip in her mouth when she heard someone speaking to her. Seeing Maya, she chewed quickly and swallowed before offering a large smile. “Not to worry. I don’t tattle when it comes to food.” she giggled. “Besides which, I don’t get the big deal about food in the library. As long as you’re careful around the books, ya know? Like, food is important to studying. Or at least I heard that somewhere. I think.”

Maya nodded appreciatively, laughing. “Good policy.” She unwrapped her snack and took a bite. “That sounds right? Like, some foods are ‘brain food’ or whatever. Either way it kinda sucks that you aren’t allowed to eat in here. Some of my teachers are super weird about us eating in class, too,” she rolled her eyes. “What were you reading?” she asked, nodding towards the book Lulu had in front of her. 

[luisaoldenburg]

@mayaskellington

After spending her night off of campus, Lulu had been devastated to find that the air conditioner in her dorm room was broke. It was much too hot for her to spend time in there so after very quickly changing, she headed to the cafeteria to grab a snack, and eventually ended up in the library. It was always cool in there so she could enjoy her snack and her book without sweating. 

[mayaskellington]

What kind of teacher gives summer reading to a bunch of teenagers? Better question, what kind of teenager actually does their summer reading? The answer to that second one was whatever kind of teenager Maya was, apparently. She was halfway through the novel she was supposed to be finishing, and running out of steam fast. It wasn’t even that the book was bad- she was actually really enjoying it- she just couldn’t seem to focus. She put the book down and laid her head on the table, gaze falling on a girl-Lulu, she was pretty sure- sitting a few chairs away. “I don’t think you’re allowed to eat in here,” she noted, eyeing Lulu’s snack. “But I won’t tell if you don’t,” she added, raising her head from the table to rummage around in her backpack for a granola bar.