desire be, desire go

Penelope, 23 year old smartypants. Barista at Ethae Cafe & Library. Human. "inside her pulses something huge, something full of longing, something unafraid."

[pennycopeland]

mxnday-blues:

She raised both eyebrows before shrugging, supposing she agreed with her statement. The only outlier was Friday, but then again, in that situation, she had ended up being the colossal bitch. So Penny was right nonetheless. Still, she refrained to comment on it at all, deciding instead that her nonchalance about the whole thing was answer enough. Besides, it was perfectly in line with Monday’s character to react in such a way, anyhow. She snorted as Penny filled her in on her years in secondary school, “That actually sounds exactly like how I would’ve imagined you. Loving the sound of your own voice sounds about right,” she said playfully. 

She nearly choked on the smoke she had been inhaling. “Matty?” A defensive streak she didn’t know she had towards him flared up, and as far as things went, she knew Matty far longer than she had known Penny. Matty was a sweet kid, with a warm heart. Exactly the type to get chewed up and spat out by the world, yet somehow he managed to carry on living. It was a wonder, stranger still that they maintained their quasi-friendship since Mona had chewed him out herself more often than not. “I’d sooner die than do the puppy-filter,” even the word puppy sounded odd coming out of her mouth. “Can we rewind for a hot sec? What are you doing with Matty?” 

Penny laughed at Desi’s vehemency as she distractedly flipped through the filters available, briefly wrinkling up her nose at the geotag that proudly stated ‘WEST HOLLOW’ and quickly swiping by it. “Hm?” she hummed questioningly, briefly glancing back over at Desi when she brought Matty up again before it dawned on her with a flare of annoyance: of course Desi knew him. Not only would that be in-line with her current run of luck, but it was the nature of small towns. Rolling her eyes good-naturedly, Penny quickly chose an exasperated emoji sticker to place in the corner of the photo, then sent it out to several people.

“Oookay, I see,” she started, pocketing her phone. “Are the two of you friends? Because I’m not like, bullying him here. It’s all in the name of good fun, which I’m totally sure he realizes. If he doesn’t, then I’d be a little worried.” She paused, then grinned to highlight that it was, in fact, harmless—or at least her version of it. “Not about hurting his feelings, necessarily, but about his chances of surviving in a world outside of this place. You gotta learn to let a joke roll off your back, you know?” Not that she often did when they were at her own expense, but that was neither here nor there for Penny when she wanted to make a point.

[obriy]

[onlytwitterpics]

[pennycopeland]

mxnday-blues:

“Listen. I had purple hair and I was about as friendly as I am now,” she inhaled again, rolling her eyes at the memory, “I had two friends, and one of them ended up being a colossal bitch and the other —,” she cut herself off. She had been so caught up in her rampage about high school, she’d nearly let the horrible wound she wore on her heart show. To a coworker, no less. “—well, it doesn’t matter. But it doesn’t surprise me that you had an easy time, ponytail. I bet you clawed your way up the social hierarchy and had the whole school wrapped around your little finger. Were you on the cheer squad, too?” she teased, skillfully covering up her near-slip by deflecting the attention from herself to Penny. “Oh? What kid?” 

Monday gave her a look of disdain but eventually relented to being photographed. She nudged Penny back, the ghost of a smirk on her lips, highlighting that though her overall look read pissed off, she was feeling playful nonetheless. With Monday, it was all in the details. If one looked hard enough, one could easily see her true feelings. She was like a magician, in this respect, throwing people off with a sleight of hand, so to speak. “God, don’t make me gag. If I sleep with a businessman, I want you to straight up cut me. I’m not even kidding. Seriously, cut me into pieces,” she was joking. Taking a second to bring her hair in front of her shoulders, she raised an eyebrow at Penny, “So, you mean my normal face, or what?” 

“In my experience, all of your high school friends are supposed to be colossal bitches. It’s somewhere in the bylines of teenage requirements, I’m pretty sure. What’s puberty without a heavy dose of drama?” Penny grinned. In the last couple months of her senior year of high school, Penny’s relationships with at least three of her friends from school rapidly deteriorated in a manner that she would later chalk up to them being unreasonable and bitchy. In retrospect, maybe a lot of it had to do with her hooking up with one of their crushes at some lame-o party, but she wasn’t gagging to get hung up on that small fact anytime soon. She mimed flicking her hair over her shoulder, lifting her chin in feigned pompousness. “The cheerleaders would’ve killed to have me on their squad, in fact, but I was actually too busy with speech and debate. I preferred arguing over doing the splits.”

Hesitating a moment, she answered: “It was just some kid who was a year below me, who I... requested buy me a coffee now and then.” After a pause, she smiled. “Actually, his name is Matty Caro and you should totally write ‘Marty’ or ‘Mickey’ on his to-go cup whenever he comes by. I promise it’s just like, a new, little harmless joke between the two of us.” Glancing over at Desi’s expression, Penny then placed a hand over her chest. “Oh, babe, your normal face is perfect for this,” she said, then quickly snapped the photo. Taking a small step back to give Desi her personal space again, Penny then looked down at her work with a little laugh. “Okay, listen, we look stupid cute,” she said, turning the screen for her coworker to get a look. “But how many weeks until I get you to do the puppy filter?”

[midsommars-deactivated20201109]

Zoey Deutch Styled by Bobby Eliot (3.16.18)

[pennycopeland]

matty-boy:

It was a rare that Matty ever wanted to escape a conversation but the longer that this went on, the more he felt uncomfortable and as if he was making Penny uncomfortable as well. It was never his intention but his mere presence seemed to set her off. At her question, he frowned at first, wondering if she meant that to be as judgmental as it sounded. He made the decision not to respond to it defensively or take offense and instead chuckled “No, I’ll eat one and the other one is for my mom. That third one though… I guess it just depends on who gets to it first.” Usually Matty left it alone so his mother could take it for breakfast but since neither of them ever wanted to be the one to take the last muffin, his mom would cut it down the middle so they could each have a bit.

If Matty were to learn any lesson from this, it should have been that he needed to buy four muffins. It was apparently a lesson to be learned another time as he pulled out a twenty dollar bill. He watched her write his name, although he couldn’t read it from the other side of the clear cup very well, Matty could make out the shape enough to know that Penny still did not know his name. In an effort to not make things awkward, he kept quiet on the issue and handed over the twenty as she said the total. “So are you here for long?” Matty asked, taking one last stab at having a conversation with Penny and ending on a good note. Even if he didn’t want to admit it, he was also wondering if he was going to have awkward and uncomfortable encounters at Ethae regularly now.

“I see. So you’re earning your do-gooder son points, then?” Penny asked jokingly. “What’ll be your reward when you finally rack up enough of ‘em, a trip to GameStop?” She quickly looked him up and down as she took the money, and the short assessment was more than enough time to confirm to herself that, yes, he did look a bit like a mamma’s boy. Maybe it was the dimples—or the tireless pleasantries he doled out, seemingly unending in nature, but his entire person screamed wholesome. It made sense that he had a close relationship with his mom and upon coming to that conclusion, she fleetingly wondered what it must be like. Handing him his change, she then side-stepped toward the display case filled with baked goods and retrieved a brown bag from a cubby beneath it. 

“Umm,” she started, her shoulders tense as she distracted herself with the task of opening the case and placing the muffins into the bag. She bit on the inside of her cheek for a moment, reminding herself not to react to his question in a knee-jerk manner. “It’s all a little...” she continued, folding over the top of the bag then gesturing vaguely toward the ceiling with a hand. “Up in the air, you could say, but hopefully my imprisonment doesn’t last longer than something like six months-ish. No offense, but—ah,” a breathy, humorless laugh bubbled out of her as she handed the bag over to Matty and shook her head, “this place has always had a weird kinda Twin Peaks vibe, but instead of being like, Golden Globe-worthy or whatever, it’s just suuuper boring. I’m shocked anyone sticks around.”

[pennycopeland]

followthenolan:

Nolan could blame some of his sexual appetite on liquor, some of it on being a man in a world that encouraged him to fuck, but most of it was loneliness + attractiveness. In High School it had been similar, and while he never cheated on a girlfriend (he at least had some standards), he had certainly been around. That wasn’t to say that he had planned it that way. Like with Penny in front of him, the two simply gravitated together. By the first wet of her lips, her words had begun to go through the Nolan Thirst Filter™ and were lost as he tried to focus on two things at once: his lust and listening.

When she began to touch him, his eyes grazed down, brows lifting gently as he tried to understand what she was doing. As he focused there, feeling the excitement buzz through his chest, he was dizzied when she swept away. His head bobbled as he tried to follow where she was going from the couch to standing. Nolan may be easily seduced, but he wasn’t a complete idiot. Joining her to stand, he finally felt comfortable enough after the small show she’d put on to make his real cravings known. Setting a hand delicately around her waist, although not pushing her towards him, he looked down at her with a knowing grin. “You’re thirsty, huh?” he let her figure out the joke for herself, “I could tell, but I don’t think I’m exactly looking for water…” Nolan leaned down then, kissing her softly.

Penny’s eyebrow quirked in interest as he placed a gentle hand on her waist. She pressed her lips together at his words, the corner of her mouth twitching as a smile threatened to show itself while she placed a hand on his bicep. Watching as he leaned in, she resolutely stayed put and her eyes briefly fluttered closed as he brushed his lips against hers. It did not last very long before she grinned, then let out a breathless laugh as she pulled back. Looking up at him, she shook her head lightly. “Wow, you’re so lame,” she joked, her voice airy and distant with amusement. “I mean, I do kinda dig it, but I’m also thinking you might need that water. I’m pretty sure dirty dad jokes are a symptom of dehydration.”

As she spoke, the hand resting on his bicep first slid up to his shoulder, where she gave it a gentle squeeze, before she moved it to cup the back of his neck. Her free hand grabbed a hold of his wrist, situating him so he had both hands on her waist. She liked that he seemed impatient, it made her own impatience seem more acceptable. Pressing her tongue against the inside of her cheek, she pulled him closer, then smiled again. “I’m sorry for ruining the moment,” she said, not sounding very sorry at all, and angled her head to press a kiss at the corner of his lips. “Take two?”

[pennycopeland]

mxnday-blues:

“Ugh, god. I hated high school enough as it is already, don’t need to be taking orders from the pricks I graduated with. I feel you on that. At least, do they recognize you? I can’t tell what’s worse sometimes. It’s like, do I want this dipshit to know I know him, or am I butthurt that I remember him but he doesn’t?” She inhaled again, sharply, feeling irritated as she usually did when she thought back on the four years she spent in hell. The only person who made it worthwhile was Friday. Jess, too, before she moved, but Monday wasn’t in the business of giving Jess any credit. 

Monday raised an eyebrow. The only selfies she ever took were drunken ones, and she was currently painfully sober. She preferred candid shots, mainly of other people. Before he died, her phone was filled with pictures of Friday when he didn’t think she was paying attention. That was when he looked the most like how she’d like to remember him: with his guard down, unafraid, lost in his own thought. While she loved every version of him, her heart hurt at the understanding that mostly, he was anxious and afraid. “You want to take a picture…in our uniforms? Jesus, ponytail, I think the drug that you are is suddenly giving me a comedown,” she said with a smirk, her tone playful as she reached over and nudged her shoulder. Finally relenting, “Fine, but I vote neither of us smile, just so that we’re realistic, here,” 

“To be honest? I didn’t hate high school, but I still find running into ex-classmates to be one of the most emotionally exhausting situations I could be subjected to,” Penny said, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. In fact, Penny sort of thrived in high school, or at least she did up until the very end of it but even then she was graduating before there was even time to really suffer. She was good at navigating the artificial hierarchy teenagers were wont to establish. “Like, a handful of people have definitely recognized me. Though one kid who, uh — could’ve found a lot of humor in seeing me as a barista was mostly like, shocked that I was here, which is actually kind of flattering in retrospect,” she noted, still feeling maybe a tad guilty about how she made a series of hasty assumptions about that interaction as it played out.

Laughing at Desi’s wariness about the photo, Penny sidled up beside her coworker and playfully bumped her shoulder against Desi’s. “Oh, come on, it’ll be great. We look a mess, but we’re an adorable mess,” she said, placing the backs of her fingers under her chin and widening her eyes in a show of said adorableness. “Do you know how many business cards I’ve found in our tip jar with little messages written on the back this week alone?” She looked back down at the phone in her hands, switching the camera to selfie mode, then grinned at Desi. “Double-digits, honey. We are workin’ these uniforms real good. Also, I want to prove to my cousin that I’m making friends.” When Desi acquiesced, Penny perked up and looped her arm through Desi’s, holding the phone up in front of them as she pressed their cheeks together. “Okay, look pissed,” she said, then rolled her eyes up in a show of extreme exasperation.

[rozaprior]

Zoey Deutch’s hair and makeup made by Gregory Russell and Kelsey Deenihan for The Late Late Show with James Corden 03/27/18

[pennycopeland]

grinlikecheshire:

“Exac-a-tac-aly,” he said, snapping his fingers in her direction. “I like wisdom in my relationships. If they aren’t at least three decades older than me, what could I possibly learn from them? How to best take a selfie? No thanks. I’m skilled on that enough on my own,” which wasn’t exactly true, considering the fact that Charlie’s cell-phone didn’t even have a camera, but it worked for the joke. It wasn’t lost on him, though he’d rather not think about it, that there was an unsettling amount of truth to what he was saying, at least when it came to Augustus who was more than three decades older than him. “I think…and correct me if I’m wrong here, but we might’ve just been stalking each other. Like the stalking version of that movie, Mr. & Mrs. Smith?” He hoped that wasn’t too obscure of a reference. 

Charlie was already pulling out his phone, dialing in the number of his boss and holding it up to his ear to call out. Coughing dramatically as he did so, naturally. When it was done, he held out his hand, “Charlie Atwood, I’d give you a middle name too, if I had one. But, you know, I could very well be lying. Expert pinkie-toe severers always lie about their names. Just as a general rule, really. How about you, oh stalk-ee and er of mine?” Then, stage whispering, but likewise deadpanning, “Although, obviously, I already know it,” 

“Um, I’ll totally take that. Angelina Jolie looked hot as hell in that movie. I still daydream about that little black latex outfit she had on in one scene. Remember, with the garters and the fishnet arm warmers? I’m pretty sure that outfit is one of the things I’d actually kill for.” Penny felt a laugh threaten to bubble out of her as she watched his little act on the phone, but she cleared her throat in an attempt to quell it so as not to blow his cover. As soon as his hung up, a short, breathy giggle escaped before she widened her eyes in playful faux-awe. “Wooow. Daniel Day-Lewis who?”

She hummed in response, filing the name away in her mind with the intention of maybe, possibly texting her cousin to let her know where she was at some point. “You know? I’m not super surprised by that fact. Your type have always been notoriously shady as hell. But don’t go thinking you’ve gotten out of me demanding to see some ID, though. I’m very thorough.” She hesitated a moment in response to his redirection of the question, a small, lingering smile curling at the corner of her mouth. She didn’t feel overly enthused at the prospect of revealing her full name. With her Uncle Peter being an important figure in West Hollow, it was easy for people to project anything they felt about him onto her as soon as they heard Copeland. And she wanted to be independent of that, to be wholly herself outside of those constraints. Starting in the direction of the bar, she answered: “Penelope Wilde — though just Penny’s preferred. Well, it’s actually enforced, but I’m sure you did already know that, huh? It’s gonna be hard to throw you through a loop.”

[sanellydicarmens]

#relatable

[richardmadens-archive]

[pennycopeland]

jaceofmystery:

Jace smiled when Penny agreed to the gift. It was the cheapest one available, which was nice of her to choose but he never paid much mind to money. Sure he wasn’t exactly rich, but Jace also wasn’t poor and with such a big family he was always spending money for others that made him feel better. His job paid well enough and the occasional odd hacking commission online paid even better. Money was rarely on his mind whether or not he had a lot of it.

Smile curled into a more amused grin when she mentioned Jess had already taken her. “Well, then, maybe Ethae’s. Or we can go back… Either way, I’m down to be treated fries or a coffee,” he said with a casual nod and a shrug. “Just make sure you actually use the case, because knowing you and Jess… you’re both bound to go traipsing around the forest and other unrecommended places. So… it’s probably a good idea to keep it protected. You’d be surprised how easy it is to get lost and in trouble here nowadays.” As the years went by, West Hollow had certainly gotten more and more dangerous.

Penny held the case between her two hands, tapping her nails against the back of the packaging in a quick, quiet rhythm as she watched Jace speak. He seemed so controlled in his words—or to her, at least, he was in that moment. She wondered what it would be like, to not only possess but exercise that unique air of restraint, of something hedging toward calmness if only it didn’t seem borne of a vague discomfort. Penny was effusive and dramatic and talkative and these were all things she knew about herself, but something about his quiet patience was appealing to her. If she ever needed a reminder of him being a good choice of boyfriend for Jess, their interaction in the middle of a electronic store where Jace didn’t even work—yet was more than willing to help Penny out—would have been enough of a reassurance. He was, she decided, a good egg and she quirked a grin as she discreetly looked him up and down on the tail-end of the thought. A cute egg, on top of that.

“Well, hey, you know how it is. I’ll take any excuse to whip out a cute pair of hiking boots and look all outdoorsy on instagram,” she replied, before her brow briefly furrowed at the message in his next words. It was similar to a few warnings she had already been on the receiving end of from her cousin, and even her uncle on some level, and it still boggled her. What, she leaves for five years and West Hollow, of all frigging places, becomes what—a drug den? The headquarters of a crime syndicate? Was there another stupid ‘Bigfoot sighting’ on the Coast Range that had everyone tweaking out? She let out a low whistle, then shook her head. “Jeez, you and Jess: two peas in an ominous as hell pod.” She leveled him with a look, half-serious but half-teasing. “But look, I feel comfortable in saying you’re a pretty smart, logical guy. What’s the actual deal here? Mention anything Goosebumps-y and I’ll know you can’t be trusted.”

[pennycopeland]

"Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. You had the world in the palm of your hand and you let it slip right through your fingers. You're a disgrace to this family." (Mother)

Penny felt the words as if they delivered a physical strike, slicing through the air and embedding themselves somewhere between her ribs like a fatal wound. She hated her own sharp inhale, the way the oxygen trapped itself in her lungs—expanding, expanding, then staying there, like she was afraid to allow her body to make another sound. She had spent so many moments in her childhood trying to remain as quiet as possible when she was with her mom, trying not to be underfoot or too much work. Because maybe if she lowered her voice as soon as she stepped through the door, made herself smaller than she ever wanted to be, she wouldn’t be a burden. She’d be worth having around.

‘Maybe—’ she cut the thought before it could complete itself. She had run circles around that line of consciousness a million times and it had never done her any good, only serving  to give her a dull, constant pain of a headache and a twinge in her chest. And she had grown sick of that feeling somewhere between sixteen and seventeen; she had grown sick of trying so hard for nothing, for something that should’ve been a given. Penny had dedicated her life since then to be as loud and demanding as she wanted, because there were things she deserved. She swallowed as she looked at her mom, her eyes always catching her attention first because they were the same as Penny’s own; the identical hazel staring back at her was nearly as jarring as her mother’s words. After a split second, she finally exhaled.

“You know, I worked… I worked really, stupidly hard. All I’ve ever done is work my ass off to get away from here, to get away from— this bullshit and actually do something with myself,” Penny started, her words a little stilted. It was infuriating, how young she must have sounded. “And you never even noticed. I wanted so badly for you to notice. Like, even just once.” As she spoke, she felt like something was rattling in her against her sternum, leaving her shaky and a little lightheaded. “But lo and freakin’ behold, this is what you decide to deliver your classic shitty commentary on, so— whatever, okay? I actually did something. Like, I tried for something and I’m still going to try, so you don’t get to tell me I’m the disgrace.” 

[misszoeydeutch]

zoey deutch via her instagram story march 21, 2018.

[pennycopeland]

matty-boy:

From a young age Matty seemed to do pretty well getting along with others. He could have a conversation with anyone on a park bench, strangers always seemed to smile back, and it was a rare day that he didn’t have a quick conversation with the person on the other side of the counter so this was an unprecedented level of things going poorly. From the moment he stepped up to the counter, it was one miscommunication and misstep after another. He hoped that he had caught her on an off day rather than his charisma was somehow fading.

Her response was one that Matty expected. It was unclear whether she truly thought the ways she took advantage of his kindness weren’t that bad or she was simply playing it off because they were in public. Maybe it was relative. Penny wasn’t that terrible to him as long as they were comparing it to the way that she treated other people that they went to school with. But as far as Matty was concerned, relative matters weren’t a factor when it came to the treatment of others. The poor treatment of other’s wasn’t lessened by someone being treated worse. It crossed Matty’s mind to make a comment about it but he already felt guilty for stressing her out this way when he could step away and do something to relax and she still had to work the rest of her shift. “Actually awful… right.” he pushed his thoughts on it to the side at the mention of food. “Right! Food. Coffee. What I came here for….” he glanced up at the menu, trying to jog his memory since his order had run away with his ability to hold a normal conversation upon seeing Penny again. “Medium caramel iced coffee and three chocolate chip muffins.” 

“Right,” Penny repeated back, as if she were emphasizing her previous comment to him. She immediately felt more at ease as soon as the conversation was carefully segued into an area less thorny and uncomfortable. She hadn’t entered the interaction with the intent of it going south; in fact, she wanted it to be quick and completely painless. But such as many things in her life had the habit of doing as of late, it took a turn for the unfavorably unexpected. She cleared her throat again, resolute in its finality; her teenage behavior as a topic of discussion officially put to rest for the time-being. She didn’t have much of a desire to ever unearth the subject again and she felt lucky in the fact that Matty didn’t seem keen push it. From what she remembered about him, she supposed he wouldn’t be the type to. Then again, she started to note that she didn’t really know him that well at all, plus there were five years between the last time she saw Matty and now. Who knew what might’ve changed on his end in the interim?

She pursed her lips as she waited for him to relay what he wanted, drumming her fingers silently against the counter to rid herself of the restless energy that still buzzed within her. As he spoke, she began to tap his order into the screen on the register but couldn’t quite tamp down the quick, breathy laugh that pushed its way out between her lips. “Yeah? All those muffins for you, big guy?” She asked without thinking. After a split second, the question caught up with her. Her training included being told the rule of never making a customer feel weird or judged for their order. Plenty of people had come through Ethae with far more bizarre and unhealthy requests than Matty’s, which was actually incredibly tame, yet for some reason the comment slipped out nonetheless—albeit it lacked any real maliciousness. It could almost have been called playful. She reached for a cup for his iced coffee to keep her hands busy, pulling the sharpie from behind her ear to scribble his order and a cheeky ‘Mikey’ on it, then placed it to the side for her coworker to fill. “That’s gonna be $9.50,” she announced quickly, meeting his eyes expectantly.

[pennycopeland]

jaceofmystery:

Jace couldn’t help laughing a little at her first comment on his offer. He shook his head. He hadn’t first thought of it that way, but now he realized it wasn’t such a bad idea. Maybe it would help her warm up to him more. He had to be on good terms with Jess’ favorite cousin, and not just because she was Jess’ family and he was now Jess’… boyfriend. But also because he would never want to be on her bad side. She was also a lot like Jess so he liked Penny despite how intimidating she might get. “No, it’s not a bribe.” He insisted with a small, sheepish grin. “It’s a welcome back present… like I said.” But now he was all flustered despite the genuine chuckle that escaped his lips.

He shrugged, still grinning. “Anyway, you can buy my fries if we ever go back to the diner with Jess.” He offered. “Remember Talbots? It’s still a thing but they definitely improved their junk food.” He started to wonder if she was looking forward to all those childhood throwbacks in West Hollow. Sometimes Jace wanted nothing more than to get out of the town and never see them again, but this was also his home. He couldn’t imagine leaving for so long and coming back to see all his old haunts and not feeling reminiscent and heavy-hearted. 

A muted part of Penny wanted to reject Jace’s offer, partially out of a politesse that she didn’t usually drag out for anyone other than professors and partially out of the sheer stubbornness that had previously reared its head. “A welcome back present...” she started, deliberately drawing the decision out. She took a moment to hum thoughtfully as she glanced back over at the neat display of phone cases, tapping a finger against her chin to round out the performance. Her gaze caught on a plain-looking one, clear with a black, rubbery strip around the edges, with a price mark of thirty-two dollars. It looked pretty sturdy, and it appeared to be the cheapest of the Otterbox brand Jace suggested. “Twist my arm, why don’t ya?” Snapping her fingers, she pointed toward it. “I’m gonna take that one.”

At the mention of Talbot’s, Penny huffed a short laugh. Unsurprisingly, it was the first place her cousin took her for her first meal back in West Hollow and it was exactly how she remembered it: absolutely permeated with the smell of greasy burgers and filled with the sounds of raucous patrons. The furthest stall in the bathroom still held the numbers of her high school ex-boyfriends etched into it and the food still made her feel bloated for hours afterward. All in all, it was a concentrated area of bittersweet teenage memories. “Jess actually dragged my sorry ass there as soon as I crash-landed.” She plucked the phone case from the hook its plastic wrapping hung from, sighing dramatically. “But I guess I can shell out the funds to provide you with your deep-fried potato tickets to the grave. Possibly several times, if we have plans of breaking even here.”