CLOSER

call the heavens and tell them here is a new I AM, a new HOLY. SOFIA PLAZA, 27. book store clerk by day, singer by night, a mess all the time.

[tessagracerichards]

The emission of laughter that came from the blonde caused Tessa’s pale lips to pull further upwards, a small feeling of joy sparking inside her in knowing that she had eased the other girl’s anxiety, even if it was amusement at Tessa’s own mishap. “I did.” She verified with a simple nod, having mistaken a stranger for a friend on more than one occasion, but none quite as embarrassing as the one in mention. “They were shocked and a little confused but luckily they seemed pretty understanding. In fact they themselves had quite the laugh over it; not that I can blame them or you.” A slender hand lifted, waving off her words as if to brush them away. “No apology necessary.”

[scfiaplaza]

Sofia did try to contain herself, really. She tried --- but that did not mean anything. As the woman shared her story, Sofia only laughed some more, though her laugh was much quieter. She couldn’t help but put a hand to her chest as she laughed. “Oh! Oh, good that they laughed over it instead of --- I don’t know --- elbowing you in the face? I mean, that could totally happen. I think you got the good way out.” Sofia shook her head with another laugh. “Good thing I didn’t do that to you too, though. I think we would’ve toppled over together. Not a good thing. But thank you? For this story? Really made my day, um---” Sofia extended a hand toward the woman. “I’m Sofia. You?”

[bestiialfool]

“Shenanigans are fun though, mostly. I can’t think of anything that I, myself, have gotten into lately..,” Lydia laughed. “Bo’s? I’ve heard of that place but never been. I should let you go, though. Certainly wouldn’t want you being late.”

[scfiaplaza]

Sofia nodded her head at the woman. “Hey, if you ever need a shenanigan buddy,” she pointed to herself, “I’m right here. You’ll find me singing at Bo’s on evenings. Or working the cashiers at Grimm’s on mornings.” Sofia gave a kind smile at the woman. “Thanks! Just look for Sofia! You’ll find me, if you want!”

With that, she turned around and walked away. It was a good day, if any day was good at all.

END.

[tessagracerichards]

Making her way down the sidewalk, heading home, her mind was on little but her own thoughts and the beautiful Nashville weather. At least that was up until the moment someone’s arm slid around her, the sensation causing Tessa’s body to stiffen. It was still light out and she knew well enough how to defend herself, but being in an unfamiliar place and by herself, the feeling still made her uncomfortable. She turned to the side, prepared to call out anyone who was attempting to be a creep, but as her hazel eyes met the other female’s own, shock seemed to register onto her features just as much as she assumed it was upon her own, the disappearance of the arms and apologetic words immediately making Tessa feel better. Discomfort dispersed and she smiled, the incident one she herself had landed into on more than one occasion. “Totally okay.” She reassured her, stopping in order to turn and face her properly, lips quirking with amusement. “Believe it or not I’ve done it before. -And at least you didn’t pull a me and leap onto someone’s back because that requires an even higher level of apology and explanation.”

[scfiaplaza]

The stranger’s reassurance went a long way, considering Sofia almost tripped before she caught herself.  If she had offended somebody in the process, everything would have been a hundred times worse; to hear that she hadn’t done so made her glad. And there was more reason to be glad as the stranger spoke about her own experiences. Sofia burst out laughing at the scenario painted before her. “You did that?” Her words came in between laughter. “What did they say? Did they totally throw you off their back? Or scream? Or---” Sofia laughed again. “What kind of apology did you give? And I’m so sorry, OMG. I totally did not mean for this to be an interview.”

[aintycurdad-deactivated20161030]

Karina nodded at her question, an amused expression on her face. “Yeah, you just said that. It was pretty great, though. It might now become my favorite way to describe someone, as some sort of potato.” She ran her fingers through her hair and then half-shrugged. “At least you aren’t a human potato that does eat shit, right? That’s probably the worst thing that you could be. That reminds me of that one movie though. Human Centipede, I think it was called.”

She was genuinely glad that it wasn’t some random stranger that meant her harm, but she was also glad that she wasn’t upset by the situation. All-in-all, not a bad time. “Nope, nope. You’re fine, don’t even worry about it.” She tried to reassure her. “I think they’re having sign-ups at the city hall.” She told her, but she wasn’t actually that sure where the city hall was. If that was actually what the building would be named. “I’m Karina, it’s nice to meet you, Sofia.” She introduced herself. “Well, at least now, we’re not strangers. If you throw an arm around me next time, I’ll play along.”

[scfiaplaza]

The title of the movie given put a graphic revolted look on Sofia’s face. It lasted for a few seconds before laughter came from her again --- this time not as loud as her laughs had been prior, though still as whole. “How dare you mention that movie in front of me!” she exclaimed, feigning offence. “That movie is so gross! I couldn’t  sit through thirty minutes of it!” Sofia put a hand on her chest as she gave a look of offence, though the smile that tugged on her lips could not be helped.

It wasn’t very often that someone joked along with her, so the fact that this woman did made Sofia glad. She smiled at Karina and nodded once, in recognition of the joke she made before giving a small laugh. “We better run if we want to get a buddy,” Sofia said. “It’s not every day they have those sign-ups.” She flashed another smile. “And it’s nice to meet you, too! We just might run into one another again. I’m known for throwing my arm around people, so you’ll see me around.”

[lesliegentile]

          Brows raised as she waited for the other to finish with their amused laughter. She appeared almost stuck up, arms crossed with her brows raised. Rude, perhaps — but she never meant to come off that way. “Yes,” she said pensively, lips pursed. “Like I said,” she almost let out a sigh at this point, “I’m not good with people sneaking up on me. But, you’re fine.” Ashlynn didn’t like to let her composure seep away often. It was ever since being injured so severely in the line of duty that she had been a little off kilter. Yet she tried her best to brush it off, a thick reassuring smile jumping brightly onto her lips.

[scfiaplaza]

The woman was not friendly. If anything, in the last few minutes Sofia had been interacting with her, Sofia thought she was anything but. With her arms crossed and her brows raised, she looked like the kind of woman who liked to scare people away. Nonetheless, there was a smile on Sofia’s lips as the woman spoke, albeit an uncomfortable one now that she saw the woman past her own laughter. “Okay, I --- um,” she paused for a moment in search of her words, “better get going then.”

With that, Sofia gave a final smile at the woman and walked away backwards. She might have been a mess, but she was not one to stay when people did not want her to.

END.

[beaufordgallagher]

          Things always changed. People always changed. For better or for worse, such stagnant changes were impossible to stop. Molded by experiences, by love, by heartache. Yet there was no erasure of the wounds —– the figurative wounds one suffered in the trust of another. Perhaps things were not broken in Beauford. Just molded, different. He was not a broken boy. He still had the sun in his eyes and gold illuminating in his heart. He was good. But his own beliefs in good were the only pure ounce of happiness left in the curvatures and veins of his heart. Beauford wasn’t broken but he was mended. Twisted. Different. His own infrastructure damaged by years of swallowing the collateral. Of holding onto the viscous anger that a golden boy like him should not have. He swallowed it all. If only to let others feel pure joy in their upbringing. 

          Yet there was always that mild tension. That thick monotonous layer of life that made one want to claw out of the life they so pigeonholed themselves in. He was just stuck. Riddled with mediocrity and the near incessant need of bordering on the line of fine. Beauford was not happy, but he was not broken either. Perhaps though, that was the true tragedy of it all. Abandonment was  a word all too tangled in one’s conscious vocabulary. Abandoned by a drunkard father, who chose the thrill of greed and booze over his family. Abandoned by siblings who fought to get away from the life of swallowing bullets to keep their tangled family together. And abandoned by one who craved of following their dreams. And who was Beau to ever stop them? Maybe that was the problem. Too stuck in the mediocrity, in the monotonous drawl of swallowing his own wants to keep others shining. To keep them happy. To care for others before caring for ones self. 

          Yes. That  was the problem. A harsh need to be entirely selfless. For his own life was filled with the humdrum of disappointment and he could not disappoint others. He wouldn’t. Those feelings bubbled over on him daily. Flooded his own conscious till he couldn’t bear the thoughts of it. Home was a person. Home was the happiness one felt when curled on another’s lap or laughing till you couldn’t breath and your chest heaved from the laughter that curled in the lines of your cheeks. But Beau was stuck. Lost in the unwarranted need of being selfless or selfish. Yet the former always won. It won over too many times, his brain warranting to mush. For this was the worst part of it all. Is one disappointing for expression ones want and fight to make you stay? Or is it worse to watch them swallow their words like glass and smile through the pain? What if he had asked her not to go? There were days when Beauford could wonder if it would have changed a thing. 

          It hurt. To want to forget the outline of her form, or the honeydew tendrils that seemed thicker in the lingering summer heat. Despite the change of ten years. Despite the overhaul of life and adulthood that claimed the both of him, he still couldn’t forget. A twisted smile – perhaps one of confusion jumped thickly onto his lips. If only to prevent the thick sense of word vomit that wet his tongue. 

          There was a strange bland feeling that erupted in him. That corroded clusterfuck of emotions that made you feel everything and nothing at all. Perhaps, bland was the wrong term. Emptiness — that would be a better word of replacement. Like a wound being knocked into once more, the fresh wave of a scouring burn being relived. Everything with Sofia was good. Even her departure, for she was not to blame. He had done nothing to stop her, not a damn thing. And so if one were to feel scorned, if one needed to place blame on another. He couldn’t do that to her. For she had done nothing but be a dreamer stuck in time. She had wanted happiness and looking at her now, he could only hope her will to obtain it had succeeded. For through it all, Beauford could never wish a damn thing wrong to happen to her. All he wanted was her to be happy. 

         Yet there was that same twisted feeling in his gut that felt wrong. That all his hopes for her own happiness were wasted. It showed in the curvature of her laugh lines and the gloom in her own cerulean-green hues. Something was wrong. Something almost permanent. She wasn’t happy and it stung the more he wondered on it. 

          It was comical, in a sullen way. In how feelings so desperately lingered. Clung to you like some wet blanket. It was pathetic in a way. How ten years could pass and those feelings could still be rattled. People had come and gone since Sofia, people that could compare. And maybe comparison was the problem. The weak link in his own fight to forget. But he couldn’t help it. Especially the damned smile that came next. A natural response, despite all the hurt one could feel suddenly burdened with. It had just crept all too naturally to his cheekbones, shaking his head almost sheepishly. And yet his joyous expression betrayed the words that left his lips, the tone almost sad —- “Why?”

[scfiaplaza]

Sofia had put her foot forward, only to pull it back again like clockwork. She’d come back to Beau in the hopes of an embrace, or perhaps, in the hopes of anger, but instead she received a smile --- twisted in confusion and in pain. She looked at him then, in the mask that he wore, in the sheepishness of his smile, in the natural curve of his lips. She looked at him, and she saw beyond the happiness he put on. Beau had always been a golden boy, a boy with aspirations far bigger than himself; he searched for happiness in the darkness of times, in the darkness that others handed him. And Sofia knew this. She knew this too well, perhaps. But, to see it now, and to hear it evident in the sadness of his word, made her heart ache with a heaviness she had not allowed herself to feel in a long time.

Anger would have been better. If Beau had screamed at her or called her every bad name in the book, Sofia would have gone home in shame and in embarrassment. But, in the end, she would have deserved it. The names would have been true, and the screams would have been valid --- in the very least, she would have had this. And then, maybe, when she looked back at the meeting with him again, she would have cried --- but for all the right reasons because she’d left the love of her life and he didn’t want her back. She would have seen him angry with her, and that would have been for the best because she deserved it. It would have hurt, but it would have hurt in the proper way.

But Beau would not have been Beau if he gave her any of this.

So, Sofia took the sadness. She embraced it whole. In truth, she wanted to walk up to him and embrace him, as if that would somehow absorb the pain she knew she had caused. But something in the air told her she was not welcome to do that just yet --- or, perhaps, ever ---, so she stayed where she was and fidgeted with her fingers. Her gaze did not leave Beau’s, for this was the only way she would get close enough to seeing all of him --- and, in that moment, she did want to see. Sofia wanted to see what sadness he hid, what anger he kept, what emotion he did not allow to rise. She wanted to see and to say that she saw, to say that she was here, to say that she wasn’t going anywhere.

A person ten years too late could not do any of that, though. Despite everything she was, and everything she would later claim, this was what Sofia was: a person ten years too late.

What could she say, then? How could she reply to the question he posed? She knew the why was an encompassing thing: a question for why she left, instead of simply for why she had come back; a question for why she hurt him, instead of simply for why she was here. A heavy form of silence came between them as she thought of her answer, and in it tears began to dwell in her eyes as she thought of the only things she could say: the truth. “Because--- Because I--- I was young, and I didnt know what I wanted. I was young, so I left. I thought, you know, maybe I might make something out of myself. Maybe life had more in store. You know?” Her words quivered with her bottom lip. “I didn’t know. I didn’t know it was here all along. I didn’t know. I---”

Sofia paused only to look away and wipe the tears in her eyes before they fell. If she was going to be somebody, she would be somebody strong. Ten years did a lot to a person, and she hoped it would have made her stronger than she was before.

“And now I’m--- I’m back because I’ve--- I’ve realized all this. I--- I know I hurt you. I know I didn’t--- didn’t make it easy. I’ve realized that now. I’ve been out there, and there was nothing. All there was was the thought of you. And you”---Sofia fidgeted further with her fingers, just as she always had when she was nervous---”you don’t need to feel the same way. I--- I don’t expect you to, really.” A soft, self-deprecating laughter escaped her lips. “I just… needed you to know. You kept me going. You deserve to know that. You--- I--- I needed you to know.”

[bestiialfool]

Short jokes had never been offensive, at least not since her childhood. Lydia had embarrassed her height, all five feet and two inches of it. “I’ve never heard that one before,” she teased. “I’m still glad that you didn’t hurt yourself.”

[scfiaplaza]

Sofia shook her head with a small laugh on her lips. It didn’t bother her her joke wasn’t that funny; all she cared about was that her joke had never been heard before. “Well,” she began, “I like to think I am an instigator for all things new --- a pioneer, if you may, for jokes and other, um,  shenanigans.” She said these with a self-important tone, though ended her words with a laugh and a nod. “I’m magic, you know? I never get hurt.” Sofia smiled. “Either way, I should really get going. Headed to Bo’s, and my boss does not like it when I’m late.”

[priimafacie-blog]

          There were weird mornings, then there were weird mornings of the really fucking bizarro kind. This morning, unfortunately, belonged to the latter category.

         Showered and dressed in fresh clothes, Dylan had strolled into the living room with a piece of toast in hand, checking his phone for any new messages. There was an e-mail from the department head, and a text from Hannah—eh. Letting out a noncommittal noise, he put the phone back inside his pocket. Where had he put his keys last night? His bag? The coffee table? His gaze glanced over at the living room area.

         Only then did he notice someone was on his couch. Someone. A stranger. A girl was sleeping on his couch, completely conked out and even drooling a little. His pre-coffee brain struggled to connect the dots. Then came panic, and confusion, bemusement, and some more panic. Who was she? How the hell did she get in here? What was happening? What? He had to call the cops! Like right fucking now! He was going to call the cops, and then he’d be—running even more late for his shift. Fuck. Okay. How was it that he was quick on his feet in life-and-death situations, but completely blanking out at this? (In his defense, though, it was a pretty baffling scenario.)

          There wasn’t much of a choice. Dylan couldn’t stay long enough to call the cops and see things through; there were appointments and a surgery he couldn’t miss. He had to just… leave her here and get going. So he did, but not without putting a sticky note on the stranger’s forehead, which read as follows: ????????? WHO R U???? LOCK THE DOOR WHEN U LEAVE!! (Coherency was the least of his concerns here.)

          Work was work: same shit, different day, hectic enough to make him forget the peculiarities from earlier. It was around ten when he arrived home, a cold six pack of Heineken in one hand, ready to drink and relax and fall asleep like a newborn. Humming a song he’d heard on the radio, Dylan walked into the living room.

          Without warning, a blonde head rose from the couch.

          He yelped, AHHH! written in large block letters popping out above his head, the yell shifting into a string of Korean curses. What the fuck! What the fuck was she still doing here? She should’ve left by now! Or, better yet, he’d hoped she would have been a mere hallucination conjured up by his exhausted morning brain. Good news was that he wasn’t so far gone as to start seeing things —- bad news was, well, everything except that.

         “Jesus fuck, why are you still here?” he asked, his voice more high-pitched than usual. His grip tightened on the strap of his bag. His wallet was in it, along with his cell phone, car keys, his hospital ID—she didn’t have a gun, did she? Did she? (He really needed to get that lock properly fixed. Or replaced with something more expensive. Safe neighborhood his ass.)

[scfiaplaza]

It was only natural to yelp back, only natural to scream when one screamed and startled another. Even in her state between awake and asleep, Sofia could function towards what was natural. That was why she screamed in return when the man screamed first; that was why she stood up and grabbed the closest thing on the coffee table --- as it were, a heavy medical book she’d been skimming through earlier --- and used it as a shield. For a kidnapper, this man had not the swiftest of moves. For a kidnapper, he was not the most terrifying. But, most of all, he was not very knowledgable about his victims.

For one, he was asking his victim why she was where she was. As though he hadn’t taken her to begin with! As though he hadn’t stolen her in the middle of the night and brought her into this little home with too many books and too little color on the walls! As far as Sofia knew, kidnappers asked no such thing. In movies, they came prepared with their weapons and their furrowed eyebrows; and, more often than not, they were working for somebody else.

So, when the words came out of his mouth, a look of confusion rippled through Sofia’s features in that quick-mannered way only adrenaline could bring about. There was not much rationality to come with her adrenaline, though, as she did not understand the connotations of his words. Just as she hadn’t read the sticky note that had been stuck to her forehead, and just as she’d concluded on her own the events that did not take place, Sofia assumed --- once more --- a situation that was not.

Her gaze danced from the man to his bag to the man to his bag. From the way he gripped its strap, she assumed that he was hiding something inside it. When she concluded this, her gaze finally stopped to meet his, and her grip tightened on the makeshift shield she was using. “Who are you?!” she asked, in a tone so loud one might think she was talking to someone from outside the window instead of a few steps in front of her. “Why did you take me? What do you want?!” Sofia paused only to take a step back. “What do you want?”

It was silly: she, as well as the situation, as well as the words that came out of her mouth. But, as she looked at the man and assumed what she did, Sofia did not see the silliness of all these. She only felt only the fear in her body, the curiosity that bounced off her and towards the man and what was inside the bag that he so tightly held onto. “What’s in the bag?” she gripped the textbook harder as she spoke. “What are you going to do to me? Are you going to experiment, because I’ll have you know that experiments on people are against the law! The fuckin’ law, I tell you!”

[svnkenplace-blog]

“Cat… Cat!” Shiloh let out as he rushed out of the door of his office, still dressed in his scrubs as he rushed out the door after a cat that had forced it’s way out. He bent down and tried to scoop it up to no avail, watching as it scurried off towards the road. “Hey!” He yelled to anyone who could hear. “Can you help me catch this cat?”

[scfiaplaza]

Sofia Plaza was not a person to be tested by loud sounds and instructions. As soon as the man in scrubs yelled for help, this proved to be true in the way that she turned to face him, then the cat, before she lunged. It was the rush of the moment, really, that made her lunge; it was the volume of his voice, too. But the cat was quick --- much quicker than Sofia was -- and so she was unable to catch it. Instead, she fell to the ground.

A loud yelp escaped her --- and yet, after it, came laughter.

[scfiaplaza]

STRANGER DANGER / SOFIA & DYLAN --- @dylanahn

This was it. This was how Sofia Plaza was going to end: someone had kidnapped her, and they had trapped her in this tiny home filled with too many medical books before they would send her to the slaughterhouse. They would probably take her insides there, probably make a mess out of her. They would chop her up and throw her to the wolves --- metaphorically. Or literally. Who knew, at the end of the day? Here Sofia was, trapped inside a home that was not her own, taken despite her will --- of course she didn’t know what kind of wolves her kidnappers were going to throw her to! Or if they were going to throw her out at all! Maybe they’d keep her insides! Maybe they were science freaks who liked to experiment on humans!

If all these things were true, Sofia should have been afraid enough to try and find a way out. Any other person would surely have, wouldn’t they? Any other person would have tried the door, or in the very least, would have reread the Post-It note stuck to their forehead now that their head hurt less than it originally did when they awoke. A rational, logical person would have gone back to the Post-It note and then realized that they weren’t kidnapped at all, just in the wrong place at the wrong time. If Sofia had been just a tiny bit more afraid, she would have done so.

As it were, she was more curious than she was afraid. When Sofia awoke this morning to a home that was not her own or her friend’s, she wondered --- for a split moment --- who she was and what she was doing before she came to the conclusion that she must have been kidnapped. And now, now that she’d fully internalized this conclusion, she wanted to know who her kidnapper was. She wanted to know if this were like the movies! She wanted to fight the big tough guys, to make a hero out of herself and save her own day! Or, really, she wanted to have an experience greater than herself, even if it meant danger.

Thanks to curiosity, then, instead of trying the door and bolting out the moment it opened, Sofia went through her kidnapper’s refrigerator, ate the most wonderful bulgogi she’d ever tasted in her life, and then stuffed herself some more with the rest of the food that was in there. If she was going to die, she would die with a full stomach. That was how anybody deserved to die, after all.

Once the fridge was emptied, Sofia laid down and fell into a food coma. It was time to wait. Time to wait. Time to wait.

Some time around the evening --- a time unknown to her exactly ---, Sofia felt something move in the little home she’d been trapped in. She heard the door creak. She heard it open. At once, she stood up from where she laid. Her kidnapper was home.

[ilyria87]

GifSet Ana de Armas for GQ Magazine. (2)

[aintycurdad-deactivated20161030]

“Spaghetti does sound nice.” Karina agreed. She hadn’t met a lot of people like this yet, but it was amusing, so say the least. So she grinned at her as she spoke to Karina, rambling a little bit as she did. “A human potato that doesn’t eat shit. That is a really new description, I’ve never heard that one before.” She claimed. Karina then waved off the rest of what she said, realizing she ought to at least reassure her a little bit. “No, it’s okay. You aren’t creepy, I just didn’t expect someone to grab me. At least it was you, though and not someone terrifying. I’d rather have a nice, human potato than what could have happened. You’re fine. We should probably both start using a buddy system though, yeah?”

[scfiaplaza]

Sofia hadn’t heard the words that came out of her mouth, but when the woman mirrored them back to her, she couldn’t help but react with a loud laugh. “Did that--- Did that just come out of my mouth? You know, actually, I wish I could say I didn’t believe it. Or that I can’t believe it. But, that totally sounds like something I would say. Human potato that doesn’t eat shit. What more could you ask for in a person, right?”

A small laugh escaped her at this, though it dwindled to a stop as the woman spoke again. The sigh of relief that came from Sofia was a genuine one. “Oh, thank Jesus. I’m --- I never want to be creepy, so I’m glad I didn’t come off tht way? Hopefully.” She nodded. “And ah, yes, the faithful buddy system. Definitely. Where do I sign up? I’m Sofia, by the way. Even though you’re not actually the person I thought you were, you are pretty cool.”

[bestiialfool]

Lydia found herself following in suit, laughing at the woman’s words. Tiny certainly was a word often used to describe the petite nurse, but she wasn’t offended by the word in the slightest. She liked her height, but she had come from a generally average sized family, so it was rather funny how she had literally gotten the short end of the stick. “No, it’s totally fine. I’m just glad you didn’t hurt yourself. I’m a nurse, so I was ready to whip out the supplies I keep in my purse, if you had.”

[scfiaplaza]

“Oh, darn!” Sofia said these words with a snap of her fingers, obviously in the way of a joke. “You could’ve dished out your nurse skills on me! And I missed the opportunity? God damn it, me!” She shook her head with her words, and attempted to look serious as she did. However, it did not take very long for Sofia to burst out laughing again. “I kid, I kid,” she said. “I mean, you’re a kid. Ha! Get it?”

It wasn’t that funny, but Sofia laughed all the same. It did not come to crosss her mind that she and this woman were not friends, and that she might have been offended by the joke. These things did not occur to Sofia, after all. One might wish it did, but it didn’t.

[abelkinsella-blog]

The moment the words police officer were heard by her, Abel easily noticed the not so subtle change in her. She stood up straighter and easily took another step back, this one was probably at least a good foot away it seemed like. And maybe he was just exhausted that her actions came to him in a rude way. She was exactly being rude but he could just see that she could possibly be judging him. And maybe he needed to be judged, he sure as hell did things he didn’t like back when he was overseas. But he didn’t need to be judged by someone who didn’t know any of that. Someone who just took in the words officer and ran for the hills. 

Of course, he knew why she was like that. He watched the news – he knew about the dirty cops getting away with things they shouldn’t. But he wasn’t like them. He wasn’t trigger happy and he knew how to handle a gun like it should be. The Marines made sure of that the moment he wanted to be a sniper for them. It took a moment for him to shrug off the annoyance he felt. The slight tinge of anger at her being scared. There was the thought in the back of his head that she should be scared of him. Those thoughts always came out every now and then but he quickly pushed it away like the times before. 

“I’m off the clock so Abel is fine. Just be careful, okay? Nothing’s really safe nowadays.” He forced a smile, pretending was never his strong suit, and made the decision that he should just go home after this. He’d do no good wandering around while exhausted. Even more so if he had the same effect on other people because she clearly didn’t want to be around him. “You have a nice day, now.”  

[scfiaplaza]

The exact details of the officer’s feelings were unknown to Sofia, but it did not take much for her to guess the gist of it. By the look on his face, there was annoyance. Perhaps, there was anger, too; but there was definitely annoyance. He was annoyed at her, she realized. In the same breath, she wondered if he would take his gun out now. Kill her. Right here. Right now. In front of everybody. Without care. Without remorse.

Did the fear show on her features? Did it seep through? Probably. Probably. Sofia was good at pretending she was all right, but she was not good at hiding fear. There was a difference between the two: one threatened her safety; the other did not. As her gaze danced from the man’s and onto his body language, Sofia could feel herself retreating within. All she wanted to do was be gone.

And so was the sigh of relief that left her when the man greeted her away. His words were kind enough, and so she brought herself to smile. “Thank you, Si---,” she caught herself just before the word came out, “--- thank you.” Then, without turning her back, she began to step away. If she was going to die, she would die with her face forward.

END.

[aintycurdad-deactivated20161030]

Karina locked the doors to the lingerie shop after the alarm had beeped to notify her that it was armed. She shoved the keys into her purse and had begun to walk back towards her home, since she didn’t have a car of her own. She’d never learned to drive and if she were honest, she really didn’t want to. If it was a particularly bad day, she would just beg Izzy or Gas to drive her. Maybe even James. Still, it wasn’t particularly cold out, she zipped up her jacket and then checked her phone mindlessly as she walked.

It wasn’t until someone wrapped an arm around her that she jumped, though really wasn’t all that sure what to do after she’d moved away from the sudden touch. Her eyes were wide as she glanced over at the person, though her expression softened two-fold as she watched the woman nearly fall over. “Are you – “ She was going to ask if the blonde was alright, but ended up laughing with her.

“It’s fine. Really. You okay though? I thought you were going to eat shit.”

[scfiaplaza]

If Sofia’s reaction was bad, then one should have seen the woman’s. Her face had turned into something of confusion: eyes wide, eyebrows raised, the works. And, if anything, the little jump she’d made was the icing on top of a big cake; it made Sofia laugh more than she really should have. Then came the woman’s words, the woman’s laughter, the woman’s response, and Sofia, being that she was already laughing, laughed some more. She shook her head, though; she put her arms to her stomach.

“Eat shit? No, no. I’m not in the mood for that right now. Right now, I’m craving for spaghetti.” Sofia flashed a smile at the woman. “But---er---really, though. I thought you were someone I knew from the back. Didn’t mean to startle you, especially not when you’re closing up your shop. I must be a creep to you now! I swear though, I’m not! I’m just--- a regular human potato who doesn’t eat shit is all. And I’m okay, thank you for asking.” The smile on Sofia’s lips once more became a laugh.

[bestiialfool]

To say that being in a new city was hard on Lydia would have been an understatement. She had lived all of her life in St. Louis and was only two weeks into living in Nashville. Things were not as she would have expected, as she didn’t know much about where she lived now. She got lost on her way to her apartment at least once a week and rather than getting calls from her mother about not being able to make it to dinner, she got calls about how much she missed her. The same was to be said for Lydia. She missed home, she missed her parents and her older sister – but she wanted a fresh start after serving her husband with divorce papers and after learning her cousin was in Nashville, she figured what the hell? In retrospect, she probably should have did her research. She was lost, again, and found herself staring at the GPS on her phone when she’d turned, realizing she’d gone the wrong way, just in time to see someone nearly tripping in front of her. Thankfully, she’d caught herself. Lydia, all of 5′2″, would have gone down like a domino had they collided.

“Oh,” she found herself saying, offering up a slight laugh. “I’m sorry. I hope you weren’t mistaking me for a little kid. Believe it or not, I get that a lot.”

[scfiaplaza]

Sofia Plaza had always been easy to laugh, easy to be. Despite everything, she’d kept a tough smile on her face and made sure others were there to see it. Martyr was what she called herself, and such a name was no use when others weren’t around. There were times, however, that Sofia really did enjoy herself. The simple joke, the simple slip of a tongue, the simple attempt at making her laugh, could go a long way. This woman now was not trying to make her laugh, perhaps, but Sofia laughed all the same at her words. The laughter came with a shake of her head, and her hands to her stomach.

“Oh! Oh, def--definitely not”---Sofia was speaking in between laughter---”but I can see how someone would make the mistake. You’re so tiny! And cute! My friend is just around your height, and I make fun of her all the time. She’s--- She’s great, really.” Sofia shook her head again. “Either way, I’m sorry I ran into you like this. You probably weren’t expecting to be greeted the way I greeted you.”

[abelkinsella-blog]

Abel had just finished his shift – thank God. He was about to hit someone if he didn’t get out of there soon. Maybe that was just his sleepy state talking but he swore it was the truth. He wasn’t a very fun person to be around when he was tired and somehow that didn’t give him enough motivation to get into his car and go home. More importantly go home to go sleep. He had been up for the last twelve hours, something his boss loved to remind him every chance today that he whined about it that it was his own choice to be working this shift. 

Someone couldn’t make it in, he didn’t remember who and easily signed up on taking their shift. Anything so he wouldn’t have to go home to an empty house. He seemed to be doing that a lot – one of the reasons he was here walking the streets instead of going home. It didn’t feel right going home without her and Lillian there. He was even tempted to go to a hotel or some shit like that while him and her tried to figure out whatever they needed to figure out. 

Abel was too lost in his thoughts on what he wanted to do – go home or see just how long he could go until he passed out – when something collided with him. He turned his head slightly to see that the something was actual a someone. A someone he didn’t know and honestly, he probably should’ve been more concerned about that. Who the hell knows what kinds of gossip would be started up now. Is this mystery woman the one he met at the bar? The one he so called slept with? Are they going out on a date? The headlines running through his head caused him to back away the moment she let go of him. But then she started apologizing and he really didn’t want anything else to be get started from this encounter. “You’re okay, really. It’s fine. Hell, I bet you the people around us are more shocked you hugged a police officer randomly.”

[scfiaplaza]

As soon as the words police officer came out of the man’s mouth, Sofia began to gather herself. Her laugh dwindled to a stop as a means to compose herself, and she straightened herself, as what was proper. All these, however, were more out of fear than of respect. She didn’t know any cops personally — and no, her roommate who dressed up as a cop every other night did not count —, but she’d heard enough about police officers on the news to be afraid. She knew what they could do, what they had done. This man might not have been a killer, but he was a cop. That was enough for Sofia.

(To add to all things, he was a white cop. And a man. That was more than enough.)

Thus, Sofia did what any rational person would do: she stepped back. When she did, she almost slipped across the pavement once again, but she was lucky enough to catch herself right before she fell. A distasteful smile came across her lips. It was a very rare occasion when Sofia was uncomfortable, but here she was. As the man looked at her, she couldn’t helped but squirm within herself. Perhaps she was lucky she’d mastered the art of not showing such an action outwardly.

“Er, um,” she began, “I’m sorry. Sir. I’m — I didn’t mean to— to y’know.” Sofia furrowed her eyebrows at herself. “I didn’t mean to disturb you, either. I just thought you were— you were someone I know. Sorry.” With this, Sofia put both her hands behind her back and gave the officer a queasy smile.