Description: It started small, somewhere between homework and borrowed hoodies, and somehow never stopped being them even when everything else changed.
The hallway after practice always feels heavier than it should
like the air itself is tired
like everything is just a little too loud and a little too warm at the same time
Kayleigh sits on the floor with her back against the lockers, legs stretched out in front of her, one knee bent slightly so her notebook doesnât slide away
she hasnât written anything new in a while
the same sentence sits there half finished like her thoughts got interrupted and never came back to it
her pen moves sometimes
then stops again
she doesnât really notice sheâs doing it anymore
the sleeves of the hoodie are pulled over her hands, swallowing her fingers completely
itâs soft
worn in
familiar in a way she doesnât question anymore
she hears her before she sees her
not footsteps exactly
more like the shift in space
the drop of a bag
the sound of someone deciding theyâre done rushing for the day
then KK is there
dropping down beside her like itâs the most normal thing in the world
shoulder pressing into hers immediately
no hesitation
no space left
Kayleigh doesnât look up right away
ââŠyouâre late,â she says, eyes still on the page
KK leans back against the lockers, head tilted slightly, breathing still a little uneven like she walked faster than she needed to
ââŠIâm hereâ
Kayleigh finally glances at her
just enough to see her face
calm
unbothered
like time doesnât matter to her the same way it does to everyone else
ââŠpractice ended like ten minutes agoâ
ââŠand Iâm here nowâ
Kayleigh presses her lips together like sheâs trying not to react too much
she taps her pen once against the paper
ââŠdid you do the assignmentâ
KK doesnât even think about it
ââŠnoâ
Kayleigh lets out a quiet breath through her nose
ââŠyouâre actually impossibleâ
thereâs a small shift beside her
closer
their knees bump lightly
neither of them moves away
ââŠlet me see yours,â KK says already leaning in
Kayleigh should say no
she knows she should
sheâs said it before
it never sticks
her hand moves anyway, sliding the notebook a little closer into the space between them
KKâs fingers brush hers when she takes it
light
quick
but Kayleigh feels it anyway
their heads tilt toward the same page
shoulders pressed fully now
no space left
Kayleigh can feel the warmth of her through the fabric, the subtle movement of her breathing, the way KK leans in just slightly too much like she doesnât know what personal space is supposed to feel like
KK starts writing
fast
confident
a little messy but like she knows exactly what sheâs doing anyway
Kayleigh watches for a second longer than she means to
then looks away like she wasnât just doing that
ââŠdonât mess it up,â she mutters
ââŠI wonâtâ
KKâs voice is quieter now
closer
Kayleigh keeps her eyes on the page but sheâs aware of everything else
the way KKâs arm stays pressed against hers
the way their knees are still touching
the way neither of them moves even though they easily could
it doesnât feel like something they chose
it feels like something that just became true over time
Kayleigh taps the edge of the notebook lightly
ââŠyou owe meâ
ââŠI always owe youâ
ââŠyeah you doâ
KK glances at her for a second
ââŠyou like itâ
Kayleigh rolls her eyes but thereâs a small smile she doesnât hide properly
ââŠshut upâ
they donât move apart
not even when the hallway starts to empty
not even when everything around them gets quieter
they just stay there
like theyâre supposed to
âž»
The hoodie is still on her when she gets back to her room
she doesnât even think about taking it off
just drops onto her bed and pulls her knees up, the fabric settling around her like it belongs there more than anything else she owns
it smells like KK in a way she doesnât fully acknowledge out loud
clean laundry
something warm underneath it
something familiar enough that it slows her down without her realizing it
her phone lights up
KK
she answers before it can ring again
ââŠyou took too longâ
Kayleigh shifts onto her side, pressing her cheek into her pillow
ââŠit was literally one secondâ
ââŠfelt longerâ
the silence after that is easy
not empty
just there
like sitting beside each other without needing to fill anything in
ââŠyou were supposed to call me earlier,â Kayleigh says
ââŠI had weightsâ
ââŠyou always have somethingâ
ââŠyou still answeredâ
Kayleigh exhales softly
ââŠyeahâ
she pulls the sleeve over her hand again, thumb pressing into the fabric without thinking
ââŠdid you eat,â KK asks
Kayleigh pauses just a little too long
ââŠyeahâ
ââŠyouâre lyingâ
Kayleigh closes her eyes for a second
ââŠI had somethingâ
ââŠwhatâ
ââŠI donât know just something smallâ
thereâs a shift on the other end
like KK thinking about saying more
then stopping herself
ââŠKayleighâ
ââŠIâll eat laterâ
KK doesnât push
she never does
just lets it sit there
ââŠokayâ
pause
ââŠyou betterâ
Kayleigh hums softly
ââŠyouâre annoyingâ
ââŠyou like itâ
the words come out exactly the same as always
like neither of them ever forgets the script they built without trying
Kayleigh presses her face into the pillow, smiling into it
ââŠyeahâ
âž»
Some nights they talk for hours
some nights they barely say anything at all
just breathing
just presence
just the feeling of not being alone even when they are in completely different places
Kayleigh falls asleep like that more often than she admits
phone warm in her hand or resting against her pillow
KK notices every time
ââŠgo to sleep,â she says quietly
ââŠonly if you stay,â Kayleigh murmurs already fading
ââŠIâm hereâ
and she always is
âž»
Game night feels different
everything louder
everything sharper
lights too bright and time moving too fast
Kayleigh sits on the bench for a second longer than she should, towel around her neck, chest still rising a little too quickly
her hand is already on her phone before she even realizes it
she unlocks it
nothing new
she locks it again
presses it against her thigh
Across the country KK stands in a timeout, hands on her hips, barely hearing the coach
her eyes flick toward the sideline where her phone is
she looks away
then back again
like sheâs trying not to
but she does anyway
âž»
Kayleigh runs back onto the court
everything becomes movement
noise
focus
for a while she forgets everything else
then she doesnât
timeout again
she sits, grabbing her water, fingers brushing her phone without thinking
she picks it up
doesnât open anything
just holds it
like thatâs enough
âž»
KKâs game ends first
locker room loud and messy with sound and movement
she sits longer than everyone else
phone already in her hand
she searches
Kayleigh
highlights
she watches
quiet
focused
like nothing else exists for those few seconds
then again
just to be sure she saw it right
âž»
Halftime
Kayleigh leans forward, elbows on knees, phone in her hand
she refreshes the page
again
again
stats update
she finds KKâs name
scans it quickly
then slower
like she needs to make sure she doesnât miss anything
something in her chest loosens just slightly
she locks her phone
puts it down
like it didnât matter
even though it did
âž»
After the game her body feels heavy
like everything finally caught up to her
she sits in the locker room staring at her phone for a second too long
then she calls
before she can think about it
âž»
ââŠhiâ
KK answers immediately
Kayleigh leans back against the locker, eyes closing for a moment
ââŠhiâ
the silence between them isnât awkward
itâs full
like it always is
ââŠyou played good,â KK says
Kayleigh exhales slowly
ââŠyou watchedâ
ââŠof course I didâ
Kayleighâs fingers tighten around her phone slightly
ââŠI wish you were hereâ
the words sit there longer than she expects them to
KK doesnât laugh
doesnât soften it into something easier
just
ââŠI knowâ
âž»
Later Kayleigh is back in bed
lights off
room dim except for the glow of her phone
the hoodie is still on her
sleeves pulled over her hands again like second nature now
she presses her nose into the fabric for half a second without thinking
then pulls back like she didnât
KK is still there on the screen
watching her
quiet
steady
present
ââŠdonât hang up,â Kayleigh murmurs already slipping into sleep
ââŠI wonâtâ
she shifts slightly, getting comfortable
phone propped beside her pillow
ââŠpromiseâ
KKâs voice softens even more
ââŠpromiseâ
Kayleighâs eyes close slowly
breathing evening out
the phone stays where it is
the call stays connected
and KK stays
watching her through the screen
listening to her breathe
like she always has
like nothing about them ever really changed
like distance never broke what they never stopped being
these people always think theyâre coming from a moral high ground but they donât realize how insane it is to go and tell people what they can and canât THINK about or do and say about fictional people, they are not REAL.
fandom etiquette as a whole died when people who didnât grow up on fandoms became stans during lockdown, yes, but why am i seeing people openly mocking fics on twitter. why am i seeing screenshots of fics with captions like âbro what is this đ.â why am i seeing people mock fic writers for not knowing how sports or theater or college or any other organization operates in the real world.
âcollege is absolutely nothing like thisâ âwhy are we writing four people on the team scoring a hat trick in one gameâ âso tech work is nothing like this, hope that helps!â
if you donât like a fic, and if you canât suspend your belief enough to enjoy a fic that exaggerates or ignores real-world orgs, you donât have to read it. you donât have to screenshot it and put it on blast for twitter. you donât have to post a link to it in the replies. the back button is literally there on your phone. itâs not giving babyâs first fandom anymore, itâs giving entitled asshole and it isnât as cute as you think it is.
everyone's heard of this, right? per ap article of apr 8, 2026:
Jacobs went on to record more than 10,000 concerts, with increasingly sophisticated equipment, over four decades in Chicago and other cities. Now a group of devoted volunteers in the U.S. and Europe is methodically cataloging, digitizing and uploading them one by one.
The growing Aadam Jacobs Collection [link to internet archive] is an internet treasure trove for music lovers, especially for fans of indie and punk rock during the 1980s through the early 2000s, when the scene blossomed and became mainstream. The collection features early-in-their-career performances from alternative and experimental artists like R.E.M., The Cure, The Pixies, The Replacements, Depeche Mode, Stereolab, Sonic Youth and Björk.
titsay
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yousharknotpass
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