My home will be a home with no loud anger, no explosive rage, no slamming doors or breaking glass, no holes punched into the walls, no name calling, shaming or blackmail. My home will be gentle, it will be warm. No fear, no hurt and no worries. I may come from a broken and twisted place but I will build something whole and safe.
If you have an abusive, narcissistic, parent, I want you to know that the backlash around important dates for you (such as your birthday, graduation, birth of your own child etc) and the increase in the abuse is normal. Narcissistic parents get angry when the attention is on you, because that means that it is no longer on them. They will try to co-opt the attention, and make it their day by making it somehowĀ āour thingā but even when they can do that, they will still try to make the day, or the previous or following days, hell for you. They want you to feel bad, specially if you make plans, and make something beautiful, or itās a huge achievement. Theyāre crazy jealous of you. Theyāll pick on you more. Theyāll invent new rules. Theyāll backtalk more. Theyāll be more controlling. It might not even seem like those are related, because the increase can be in all the little daily things you already go through, that have nothing to do with your special day, and they may even seem like theyāre encouraging you about your special day because they want to look like a good parent, but that is in fact their way of lashing out. All you have to remember is that none of this is on you. You are not responsible for their tantrums, or their anger, or the fact that you are shining for once. Itās okay. You deserve it. I promise. When you feel overwhelmed and wonder why they are suddenly being hellish again, remember itās on them, and itās because they are jealous of you, you did nothing to increase the abuse, because you never do anything to get abused. Breathe. You deserve good things.Ā
My father didnāt speak to me for a whole month after I got my first job (the job that I got even before I graduated with a really high salary and amazing benefits). He didnāt speak to me or congratulate me. He told my mom to tell me I was an ungrateful bitch for not having consulted him while applying for the job. To this day, he calls me to remind me that my salary is nothing compared to his and that I will soon be unemployed and will have to depend on him again.
Baby⦠You need to find somebody new to fight, or youāre gonna sit around this house and youāre just gonna beat the shit out of yourself. Okay? You did put me through hell, though. Yeah.
ā Yes heās grumpy, yes he only likes you. Heās literally an asshole to everyone except you.
ā Many swears but youāre used to it / also swear as well
ā His love language is definitely acts of service, and will make sure that nothing needs fixing
ā Nothing disgusts himā¦nothing. So you should never feel self-conscious around him
ā Protects you with his life; youāre never scared when heās around. He got you a really big dog so when he goes away youāll always be protected.
ā Also teaches you how to defend yourself, and will test you when you least expect it
ā He LOVES it when you rub his back/give him a massage. He tries not to but the groans he lets out make you laugh every time.
ā He likes it when you lay ontop of him, resting your head against his chest.
ā If you like reading, heāll take you to buy/steal (lol lets be real, if the vendor/place is rude then yeah he steals them for you) them.
ā Believe it or not, he does take you on adventures. Taking you to the river, or seaside. You collect shells and put them around your home that he built with his own hands.
ā With some prodding, he tells you stories. But some heās ashamed of. There are times when his guilt feels overwhelming and he wishes that heād just die. But youāre there to comfort him, to show him that heās changed.
ā You understand that people arenāt perfect, that everyone makes mistakes. Some worse than others, but heās a better person now. And sometimes he needs reminding of that.
ā Easily jealous; does not like anyone looking at you and WILL cause a scene.
ā Has put you over his shoulder, on more than one occassion. But with the defence heās taught you - you can escape his grip. Other times you like it.
ā Heās actually very witty and you have great banter. His humour matches yours, but I do think sometimes he goes too far. (And you tell him why he shouldnāt say it.)
ā You also get jealous when someone is looking at Sandor with lust in their eyes. Then you usually pull him in for a passionate kiss or yell, āHey! What are you looking at?ā
ā You put your cold feet on his to be annoying
ā Heāll sit with you under the sun, basking in the heat.
warnings: NSFW/18+ ONLY, MINORS DNI. prostitution, mention of underage prostitution (part of the back story), euphoria warnings apply. this one is semi-tame despite the prostitution background. Some sexual content, not very descriptive for this one.
Considering making this a multi part series? Planning to have reader and Fez get together, but it might be a slow burn.
All mistakes are my own.
Please comment, reblog and like if you enjoyed/want to see more. Thanks!
Chapter 2 - SAVIOR COMPLEX II
Lean on Me - Fezco Series MASTERLIST
It's hard to make friends when you disappear for months at a time, but most people in this town didn't know you...or why you were always running away.
Around the time I started high school, my dad began looking at me differently. Then one night, one of his friends came by the house. My dad had me get all dressed up while they drank a few beers and watched some game on the TV. For some reason, his friend wanted to take me out to dinner and promised he'd take good care of me on the way out. Boy was that a lie.
We did go out for dinner. That part wasn't bad, but what came after...well...that's too horrible of a story to tell.
From there the whole scheme snowballed. I don't know where my dad was finding all of these people, but every weekend my days were filled 'friend-dates'. Fucking pedos. After each encounter my dad would give me money, and I started stashing it hoping I could save up enough and one day, never come back.
The older I got, the harder it was to save the money. Because the older I got, the more I wanted out, and I would dip into the stash over and over again just to have a few days away from the gazes of older men.
I did save up enough to buy a piece of shit car. But, this car has saved my life. Once I had the car and enough money saved again to runaway, I ran away every chance I got.
My dad's yells echoing in my mind, āYou'll be back you stupid whore. You'll run out of money and then you'll be back.ā
What hurts the most...he wasn't wrong. I could make it a week or two at a time, especially when I could couch surf between Rue, Lexi/Cassie, Maddy, and Kat's, but that would always fizzle out after a couple days at each place.
Then I'd spend my nights in my car, finding rest stops or secluded places to park and sleep for the night. Though, I haven't slept much in years...the fear of being kidnapped out of my car and murdered never leaves my mind. In an attempt to protect myself, I have pepper spray, a bat, and a tire iron in the cars back seat. Gives me a small piece of mind.
So, thanks to my lack of money I find myself getting ready in a gas station bathroom to go meet one of my dad's clients, when a text from Rue comes in.
Rue: yo can I get a ride to daniels nye party
I roll my eyes. Sorry Rue, not tonight.
Rue: pretty please
I sigh.
Y/N: where are you
Rue: my place, couple friends with me
Y/N: how many rue...
Rue: just me, fez and ash. they need a ride to the party too, car broke down
I spend some time thinking it over and check the time. Daniel's is maybe 20 minutes from Rue's house.
Rue: i'll love you 4ever y/n pleasseeeee
I shake my head as I type,
Y/N: alright. be there in 10.
Rue: YES THANK YOU!!!!!
-
I pull up to Rue's to find her, Fez, and Ash sitting on the steps. Everyone knows about Fez and his brother, Ash. They run a convenience store, but much more known for their drug deals.
Beyond the surface level knowledge, I don't know much about them. They keep to themselves and I would see them at parties, but I'm not one to actually party. My attendance is always to make sure someone gets home alright. I don't do drugs and sip on the same drink all night, while everyone around me is high or drunk out of their minds. That's why I like finding a spot against a wall or on a couch and just staying there until it's time to go.
On the drive to Daniel's, Rue introduces the three of us.
āFezco, Ash ā this Y/N, our lord and savior this evening.ā She leans into me from the passenger seat and grabs my face.
āAlright, alright, let me go.ā And I gently push her back to her side of the car. Ash nods a hello, and Fez lights up a joint.
āOh, actuallyā Rue situates herself to face Fez in the backseat, āYou can't smoke that here. This is her home.ā
āShit, sorry.ā Fez mumbles as he puts it out on the sole of his shoe, getting ash on the floor of the car. āFuck.ā He looks at me in the rearview mirror, āSorry.ā
My eyes find his in the reflection. He looks genuinely remorseful. āDon't worry about it.ā
An awkward silence fills the car.
āSo, why do you live in your car?ā Ash asks.
I shrug, not sure what to say. But not to worry, Rue cannot shut up and spills it all to them.
āAh, well you see little man, Y/N here has been living out of this car for what....4, maybe 5 years now, ever since she bought it her junior year of high school. She runs away every chance she gets.ā
Now I'm getting uncomfortable, trying to hold in the embarrassed tears threatening to come up. I look into the rear view again and notice Fez is still looking directly at my reflection.
āWell why do you runaway? Don't you have a house or somethin?ā Ash asks.
āCool it, Ash.ā Fez says breaking his gaze. āThat's none of our business.ā His face lifts back up, eyes settling on mine in the rearview. I manage a small smile. At least someone can read the room.
But Rue, Rue continues on as I press my foot harder on the gas, hoping to get this drive over with much sooner.
āHer dad has a house in town. But he's a dick.ā
āRue, stop.ā I say under my breath.
She looks at me and for the first time realizes that I'm all dressed up.
Rue brings her hand in front of her mouth, āHoly shit, no. You have one of those tonight?ā She shakes her head. āDamn.ā
I'm actively avoiding looking in the rearview mirror anymore, but that doesn't stop the dreaded feeling that Fez has not looked away.
Rue continues on, thinking Ash and Fez need to be filled in on why I'm not sticking around at the party they're going to.
āY/N, can't hang with us tonight because one of her daddy's fucked up friends is taking her out.ā
I see Fez's figure straighten up in the backseat.
āThe fuck does that mean?ā Ash adds.
āIt means...ā Rue says, āThat her daddy, auctions her off to his friends for some āadult time ā evenings, in exchange for money.ā She flops down in her seat. āAnd has been since high school. I didn't know you were still doing that shit.ā
āJesus, Rue.ā I can't take it anymore. āNo one wants to hear about this shit.ā I adjust myself in the drivers seat. I can feel Fez and Ash's eyes boring into the back of my head. āPlus, I'm almost out of money...it's not like I want to do it. But it pays better than the two other jobs I'm working, and I'll have warm place to sleep tonight. So, what else am I supposed to do, Rue...all the rest stops on the freeway know my car and immediately call the cops and I can only sleep parked in some creepy secluded space a few times before it's guaranteed I get murdered...ā I trail off.
āY/N you know you can always stay with me.ā
āNo Rue, I can't. I know your mom will always give me a place to stay, but I've stayed at your place 8 times this month. I can tell it's a bit much. So, I need a place to stay at least for the night...and if that means forced conversation with one of my dads clients, maybe more, than that's what I have to do.ā I swallow my words, my emotions overtaking the strong facade I was putting on.
āRue, knock it off.ā Fez softly says.
āWhat?ā Rue scrunches her face. āAt least she gets to come to the party first.ā I make no response and Rue picks up on it. āYou do get to chill with us at the party right?ā
I'm chewing the inside of my cheek, afraid to speak because my voice might falter.
āFuck man.ā Rue breathes out. The remainder of the car ride is in silence, thankfully.
-
Once the car is in park, Rue launches at me for a hug before getting out of the car.
Ash mutters a, āThanks.ā before disappearing into the group of people walking into the party.
But Fez doesn't move, his hands in his lap, eyes still trained on the rearview mirror.
He says, āYa dads kinda fucked up.ā
I let out a confirmatory laugh, āYeah...ā I gather myself. āYeah, he is.ā My bottom lip tugged between my teeth, an anxious tick I've never been able to kick.
āWould you leave for good...you know, if you didn't have to worry 'bout money and shit?ā Fez asks.
āLet me think....would I stop being, whatever you want to call it, a prostitute, an escort, a whore....if I didn't have to worry about money or where I'm going to sleep every night...ā I find the courage to turn my body towards him and look him in the eye. āYeah...in a heartbeat.ā
Fez nods silently, a hand reaches up to scratch the back of his head.
Sensing the conversations over, I add, āBut, nothing I can do about it tonight, so if you don't mind...ā I point to the door, signaling for him to please get out.
Fez slowly gets out of the car, thinking. Before taking his post somewhere in the house, he watches you pull out of the driveway and drive off into the night. His last thoughts before going inside is that he hopes you make it home okay and that he should have given you his number incase you ever needed help.
Fez finds Ash sitting outside by the pool.
āYou gotta get rid of your savior complex, bro.ā Ash declares, not looking up from the money he's counting in his hands.
āThe fuck you talking 'bout, Ash?ā
āYou can't save everyone just because you want to. Including that chick who's dad prostitutes her out.ā
āYo, who said anything about saving people, damn.ā Fez asserts, embarrased.
āYour face says it for you, dawg. Quit playin'. You couldn't take your eyes off her.ā
āWhatever man.ā Fez throws his hand in the air. āLet's sell some shit and get outta here.ā They knuckle bump before going their separate ways.
Fez finds his way to a couch inside and sets up for the night by lighting a joint.
A few hours later, Rue dances over and plops herself next to him on the couch.
āYo, Rue. What did you mean earlier when you said Y/N's dad like auctions her off and shit?ā
Rue takes a joint from Fez, āWell, uh her dad lends her out to his creepy friends for money. She goes out with them and does god knows what. Her dad gets paid, she gets a cut and a night in her old bedroom. She still does it because her other jobs can't keep her afloat. She stretches it out as long as possible, but every few months she has one of these get togethers. Then she disappears for a while before coming back. Simple as that.ā
Fez simply nods his head.
Then Rue continues her word vomit. āI guess prostitution is money maker though. She's shown me the money after a visit and DAMN. Maybe I should do it.ā She jokes.
Fez is stone cold serious, āDon't fucking joke about that, Rue. It's not fucking funny.ā
Rue holds her hands up in defense before leaving the couch in search of her new friend Elliot, a fellow drug addict she met this evening.
Fez is left alone with his thoughts, only interrupted by others looking to score off of him. Between sales all he's thinking about is the girl who picked them up. She seems nice enough, a little jaded, but she gave them a ride with little fuss. She doesn't seem like a bad person, just dealt a bad lot in life, like him. Rue's talked about Y/N before, but he's never actually met her. Before Rue started running her mouth and dishing out about Y/N's personal life, Y/N was sweet, and kind, and full on singing along with Rue to the music blasting from the stereo. But, Rue wouldn't stop talking and he saw the shine leave Y/N's eyes, leaving them glossed over. Fez wondered what she was thinking about, or if she was just pretending she was anywhere else at that moment. Fez wondered how often she felt the need to escape that way.
-
Thankfully, the escort date I have tonight is with a familiar client. He's one of the nicer ones, who usually just wants someone to talk to and if he wants an overnight stay, it's usually just to have a warm body next to him. This particular client is weirdly consent heavy ā despite the nature of our interaction...and the fact that many of our interactions were before I turned 18, which wasn't that long ago. But, he's always asked if it was okay to touch her before doing so. Compared to the others, he's a godsend ā well, you know considering the circumstances.
Tonight he needs a date to show off at a New Years Party. Why he couldn't get a more age appropriate one, or at the very least a non-escort date who knows. I'm not one to judge. He guides me around the party by the small of my back, showing me off and gloating at each person's head to toe scan of me. He is basking in the attention.
I stay quiet by his side, slowly sipping my glass of champagne as my thoughts drift to the deep blue eyes starring at me through the rear view mirror. He didn't say much of anything. But his eyes...his eyes felt like they could see right through me. Maybe if I had stayed at the party I'd be going home with him instead. No that's silly. Rue straight up said I get sold to men by my dad. If that doesn't scream train wreck and run away, then I don't know what does. He did look put off by it. Straightening himself up after Rues revelation, a hardened look overtaking his eyes.
As expected, the rest of the night with my dad's client goes smoothly.
He was so ecstatic thinking about people's faces as he walked around the party with me, he couldn't wait to get down to it. He whispers to you, āLet's fuck in the car, I can't wait.ā
Not like I can say no.
I nod enthusiastically as he takes my hand in his and we run to the car. Our mouths mashing together in the backseat before I shimmy out of my panties and hike up my dress. The client eagerly undoes his belt, and I mockingly make big eyes as he pops out.
āCondom?ā I ask.
āOh shit wasn't even thinking of that.ā, he says.
Of course you weren't. āI've got one.ā I say, āIn my bag.ā
He reaches around to the front seat and digs it out of my bag, quickly ripping it opening and sheathing himself into with a few quick pumps.
āReady?ā he asks. Mhm I nod. And he presses into me, softly swearing as he lowers down on top of me.
I turn my head to the side and focus on a piece of lint clinging to the passenger chair in front of me. I've done this so many times, it's become easy to zone out mentally, but still give them the moaning girl they desire. None of them seem to mind the lack of eye contact or minimal touching on my part. Their one goal is to cum, and by god they always get there one way or another. He stutters on top of me as he finishes. He's panting, sweat dripping down his face, singing my pussy sweet praises before getting off of me and righting his pants. I tug my dress back down and smooth my hair, placing my customer friendly smile back on my face.
I took advantage of border closure and built two years of peaceful life. Got myself jobs, paid my own rent and excelled academically. Now my parents are visiting me and theyāve managed to create such a toxic environment, I had to take unpaid leave to deal with their bs and I canāt even focus on my thesis (something Iāve spent 8 months working on).
You know what, I can see the point of all the āFez is a Facebook dadā jokes because Angus still uses hashtag in his captions like itās 2012. Both Fez and Angus are old men when it comes to tech and I love them for it
Called my mom to let her know that I am getting a tattoo. Kid you not, the woman began wailing about how Iāll never getting married or getting a job now. š
OH MY GOD whyyyy did no one tell me youāre supposed to send thank-yous after interviews?? Why would I do that???
āThank you for this incredibly stressful 30 minutes that I have had to re-structure my entire day around and which will give me anxiety poos for the next 24 hours.ā
I HATE ETIQUETTE ITāS THE MOST IMPOSSIBLE THING FOR ME TO LEARN WITHOUT SOMEONE DIRECTLY TELLING ME THIS SHIT
NO ONE TOLD YOU???? WTF! I HAVE FAILED YOU. Also: Dear ______: Thank you so much for the opportunity to sit down with you (&________) to discuss the [insert job position]. I am grateful to be considered for the position. I think I will be a great fit at [company name], especially given my experience in __________. [insert possible reference to something you talked about, something that excited you.] I look forward to hearing from you [and if you are feeling super confident: and working together in the future]. Sincerely, @mellivorinae
My brother got a really great paid internship one summer. The guy who hired him said the deciding factor was the professional thank you letter my brother sent after the interview.
Confirmed! I interviewed for a job right after arriving in NY. The interview went incredibly well, and I went home and immediately wrote a thank you letter and put it in the mail. I had a super good feeling about this interview.
I didnāt get the job.
However, a few weeks later, I was called in to interview with another editor in the same company, and I did get that job. I found out later from the initial editor (the one who didnāt hire me) that he had planned to offer me the job, but since I didnāt follow up with a thank you letter, he assumed I didnāt really want it. He offered the job to another contenderābut when he got my letter in the mail shortly after the offer had already been made, he went to HR and gave me a glowing recommendation. It was based on that recommendation that I got called in for the second interview.
So: send an email thank you immediately (same day!) after the interview. If youāre feeling extra, go ahead and send a written one too. OR go immediately to a coffee shop, write the letter, and return to the office and give it to the secretary.
Pro tip: If you really want HR to develop a personal interest in your application, publicly thank them on linkedin. Just make a short post telling your network about how X recruiter really went above and beyond to make you feel welcome, or about how be accommodating and professional they were, or whatever. Make sure to use the mention feature so theyāll get a notification and see it.Ā
Flattery will get you everywhere⦠and public flattery that might make its way back to their manager, doubly so.
Obligatory plug for one of FreePrintable.netās sites: ThankYouLetter.ws. They have a whole section with interview thank you letter templates, and a page with specific tips for interview thank you letters. (There are also tons of other letter templates if you browse around a bit.)
As a former professional recruiter and recruiting manager, I confirm, especially for entry-level positions, where you are competing with oodles of people. This little thing can make a difference. Also the fact that, maybe, you took time to google the āinterview etiquetteā.
The post-interview thank you notes can be a good way to recover in case you got asked a question whose answer you either didnāt know or felt was super weak. So if you follow the above given template, jump in with something likeĀ āupon further thought to your question, hereās my revised answer.āĀ
But yeah always send a thank you note after an interview. Itās a small thing but it makes a hell of a difference. And def send thank you messages to any recruiters who may have helped. And also after you get the job. Small things like that really go a long long way.
AAM is an AMAZING resource for all work-related questions. This is a good starting placeābasically the Big Questions people tend to have. (And some weirdness.) Job searching, negotiating for raises, performance issues, living through toxicity, recognizingĀ toxic situations,Ā dealing with coworkers, managing people, helpful starting-point scripts for all of the above⦠Do yourself a favor and check it out!