as time inched its way towards monroe’s favorite holiday, the girl couldn't help but let her excitement out. she felt like she had been holding it back for at least a month now, but november was coming to a close and december was knocking the girl’s door down. it probably wasn't the smartest thing for the girl to go pick up her decorations and pick out her tree on the same day. her car was definitely not big enough for both and monroe was not strong enough to get the tree on top of her car. a huff left her lips as she finally gave up, leaning it against her car. “hey, um, excuse me? do you have any advice on how to load this sucker up?” she asked the figure nearby. monroe could only hope they hadn’t been standing there for too long watching her struggle.
“As you might have seen ... it’s past my office hours. Please come back another time or call before just entering..” Davina mumbled towards the person, who entered her office at the school. She was deep into paper work, not even taking a glimpse on who stood there, or what they needed from her.
WHEN: nov. 14, 2019 16.22
WHERE: outside the grocery store
WHO: open
kay crouched down on the pavement, placing a hand on each of his dogs’ heads. ❝ okay boys, you know the drill: no barking, no sniffing strangers, and no giving me the puppy eyes, alright? we have a cupboard full of treats at home, so there’s no point begging me to get more. and I know it’s exciting and snow is the weirdest thing ever––you know how much I love it too, but that doesn’t mean you have to bark. a little tail wagging and panting goes a long way. ❞ he scratched their chins and petted them for a few seconds. ❝ yes, you are so good! you are the best! I love you so much. am I going to break my rule and buy you more treats because, I'm a huge pushover? yes I am! you two should be ashamed of yourselves, for taking advantage of me like this. quit! being! so! cute! ❞ kay heard a noise behind him and quickly straightened up, a little embarrassed at being caught talking to his dogs.
WHEN: nov. 14, 2019 8:30
WHERE: the winter café
WHO: open
food tw
Valerie sighed heavily trying to balance her two cups of green tea, her muffin, and the two croissants that she bought. She wasn’t necessarily hungry or that thirsty but she knew she had lots to do at the lab today and she was gonna need all the extra energy. “Why am I like this? Why can’t I just come back later? How is this any worse than just leaving work and walking here to get some more food? Why is my brain like this?” She mumbled to herself, completely focused on her steaming cups and her two bags of food. She was so focused she didn’t notice she was about to run into someone until it was almost too late and she had almost spilled both her drinks on the poor person.
MONTY had always loved the town meetings, it was tradition and he’s never missed one. he loved this town and he loved how much other people did too. wrapped his coat tighter around his torso and pressed his shoulders up to his neck. he opened the door and scanned the room for seats. he had found one near the middle ( it was where he always sat for these things and was technically his spot by now ) however, monty being monty, when he sat down, he somehow incorrectly guessed the position of the chair and sat a litle too far forward, causing him too fall on the floor, a loud noise of scrambling and metal clanking rippled throughout the room. “but you see though. . .” monty began, he propped himself up to actually sit on the chair and gave an awkward chuckle as looked at the witness beside him. “the thing is. . .um . . .” his brain struggled to come up with an excuse to his clumsiness.
WHEN: november 17, 1:03 AM
WHERE: the winter bash
WHO: open
blue liked the way raspberry liquor tasted on their lips and made their chest warm. they liked how their body felt soft and tingly, as though they might float out of it at any moment. they also liked how alcohol helped ease the thoughts of their argument with their sister, which had opened only a few hours before the party and had prompted their decision to go out to the stupid bash. it wasn’t that they never went to it, in fact, they came to the bash almost every year, but mostly so they could witness the debauchery rather than take part in it. now, blue was edging closer to the fire, dancing to some classic rock song that had just come on. a boy they remembered from high school was dancing with them, doing some move that prompted a fit of laughter to escape their lips and making them back up, bumping into the person behind them. “ohp!” they exclaimed, turning around and inching back onto their heels, “sorry,” they said, tilting their chin downward and opening their eyes wide to try and make out the person they’d walked into.
WHEN: November 16th, 2019 @ 22:57.
WHERE: The Winter Bash.
WHO: Open.
“I got my parents to babysit Leo for this?” Talia frowned as she watched another partygoer getting sick not too far from where she was standing. Scowling in disgust, she grabbed the straps of her backpack tighter as she stood up from the tree stump she was sitting on, and started moving away from it. Walking a few paces before realizing she wasn’t being followed, she turned around, raised an eyebrow and grinned. “You coming? I’ve got an empty apartment for the night, and plenty of video games.”
evan had been back in town for an entire week and managed to avoid interacting with as few people as possible. aside from the manager of kinsey autobody repair, the only other person evan had spoken to was his concerned mother on the phone. she insisted there was no point in moving back home and trying to heal from the past if he didn’t actually make an effort. which is how he ended up at the winter café on a friday morning in november, surrounded by people, rehearsing his order in his head.
he had chosen the café because it was heavily frequented by townspeople, but still less busy than a café back in boston. his mother had told him to ease into being social again, but he figured, why dip your toes in the water when you can dive right in? it was already turning out to be more pleasant than any of his outings in the city, with the smell of freshly baked goods calming his nerves. the tea he was about to order would help, too, or at least he hoped. it was a new thing for him, the tea. he couldn’t stomach coffee any more; all he could taste was the black sludge he was forced to drink when he was in the army. now, he drank earl grey and chamomile and he felt human again. coffee made him feel like corporal evan woods, more machine than person, but tea made him feel like just evan, the sweet little kid whose entire world began and ended in ellingham.
he tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ear and stepped up to the counter. he managed to order his drink and pay for it with minimal fumbling, which he considered a win. he gave the cashier what he hoped was a friendly smile, but it felt more like a grimace, and walked over to the wall so he could lean against it and let it steady him. from his vantage point, he had a clear view of all the windows and doors and his eyes flitted over each of them. when his eyes landed on the door, someone pushed it open and walked into the café.
the someone had brown curly hair and warm brown eyes that would evan would know anywhere. he should have expected it, considering a quick google search had told him that he still lived in ellingham, even owned a bookstore here, but it still caught him by surprise. it felt surreal, to see him after all this time, and even though they were both so different now–in more ways than one–he still looked like JOE.
for a split second he considered ducking behind a table and hiding until joe left, but he waved away the thought. he was here to face his past, and that’s what he was going to do. he was going to walk up to his childhood friend and he was going to say... something. and if joe didn’t remember him, well, at least he would finally get some closure on their friendship, instead of always wondering what if ???
the took in a deep breath and pushed off the wall. he scrambled for something to say. ‘hi joe’ felt a little anticlimactic and anything meaningful felt too heavy for the first conversation they had in 10 years.
❝ i like your shirt. ❞
it was a safe choice. if joe didn’t recognize him, he would just be that random guy who gave him a generic compliment. if he did, then... maybe he would find it funny.
