I made a logo for a woman and she ran it through an ai generator and that makes me nauseous as hell.
I still have to make a book cover for her
And I dont want to, but Im poor and cant even afford to refund her AND I see her all the time and I dont want to deal with all the awkward of all that.
I could be over-analyzing but it seems like in the games Kyle likes to be the support/ranged opponent and that’s somehow just so precious to think about because he just wants to be supportive? Calculate the action and help from afar? Cheer others on? And that totally speaks to something very smart and compassionate in him. I think, anyways......lol
Listen yall by time I finished there’s not going to be any eyesagao left for anyone else to fucking write i s w ea r
The afternoon left a weird taste her mouth, like something that was supposed to be good, and yet.. yet something lingered afterwards, pulling her emotions into a soured look. It was unpleasant in almost every shape and form, but she accepted it as yet another thing she simply just needed to ‘fix’ between her and Jack.
Ellie paced back and forward, crossing the few feet of her dorm in just a few steps, but was completely focused on the object in her hands, turning it over again and again, studying its features, almost as if she could find all of her answers just by doing this.
Had she ever stolen from Jack before? Not that she could recall- or, not that she had a reason to, or had even meant to this time around.
But like, obviously, he was texting Traci, how else did the two meet up with each other, away from her prying eyes?
Ellie cleared the surface of the smartphone, making the shape she had seen Jack make a hundred times. The phone’s screen had brightened, and soon after, unlocked.
Yes, it had to be so. This was how it was happening, all behind her back. It wasn’t Jack’s fault, certainly. He was amazing and funny and great, and Traci, well, Traci was just jealous of what was here- of what, and who she couldn’t have. That certainly wasn’t Jack’s fault, and Ellie was sure, she was so sure that he just didn’t understand that he had everything he’d ever need in her.
He saw the good in her that she couldn’t see in herself. She was good, and good enough for him. Why see anyone else?
She formally realized his background screen was a picture of the both of them, each of them in the middle of an action that had caused both of them to appear slightly blurry, and with wild expressions to boot. Jack was reaching for the camera of whoever had clicked it, and was half grinning, but probably opening his mouth to say something, and Ellie had her eyes wide as she remained seated besides him, but reached wildly to try and catch her boyfriend’s milk-drink that seemed to ascend from the table (mostly because Jack had elbowed it). Her hand was blurred into a completely different dimension, but she recalled missing the milk completely, and (for the second time this year) slam dunking into the mash potatoes.
She barely remembered this happening, but found herself studying the picture, and begging her memory not to tell her that Traci had been one to take it, for no other reason in particular than assuring her that Traci was making him smile. That Traci had the time of her life, and this resulted in potato-hands part 2, and that something that Traci had done was now on her boyfriend’s phone.
Her anger returned. She went into the gallery of the phone, deleting it in a fit of jealousy and leaving his background bare before returning to the main menu, and flipping through his contacts.
Traci wasn’t here.
Ellie had checked, double checked, triple checked the list. Her name, or nothing that could be it, was here. She backed out into the main menu again, and stared into the nothingness behind his apps. Was it possible that she was… wrong?
No. Not a chance.
She moved on into his messages where… of course, she had been the most current message with the multiple times she had texted him up until they had met again this morning. Below that was a few familiar names- Luke, Caddy, some guy named Mark, but underneath her message and right above theirs was a blank space.
Curiously, she tapped it, and an empty message log opened for her. There was no number, no name, and no messages, but the text box curser blinked, waiting for her. Ellie wasn’t sure what to do next.
[Jack- 15:48]- Traci?
[ - 15:48]- !! Jack!!
Her chest was cold. This was her. It was her, it was Traci, here, texting Jack on his phone. His phone with Traci’s picture. Texting him. Texting him like he was hers.
There wasn’t quite a feeling that could describe the hatred that seemed to add to the frost that refused to melt over her heart. Her fingers tapped at the keyboard with renewed purpose.
[Jack- 15:50] Traci, we’ve got to talk.
[ -15:50] didn’t you say we couldn’t meet during the day?
[Jack- 15:50] never again
It was showing that someone was typing, but Traci’s typing quickly stopped.
[ -15:51] What do you mean
[Jack- 15:51] never talk to me again. I never want to see you again.
[ -15:51] Jack?
[ -15:51] Jack? What did I do?
[ -15:53] I’m sorry, I can fix it just tell me what to do
[Jack- 15:57] you’ve come between us for the last time. There’s nothing you can do but to leave me and Ellie alone. And let us be together. And leave us alone. There’s nothing else.
[Jack- 15:57] leave us alone
[Jack- 15:57] leave us alone
[Jack- 15:58] leave us alone
[ -15:58] Please, I cant go on without you!
[ -15:58] I did everything you asked
[ -15:58] im sorry, what can I do?? What can I do to show you how much I love you?
[ -15:59] I need you dont go!
[ -15:59] pl e
[ -15:59] I cn t go
[ -15:59] ill d e
[ -15:59]
[ -15:59]
[ -15:59]
[ -16:00]
There was a sick satisfaction to see the desperation fizzle out. It felt like victory, if victory came with a sickening guilt, but the guilt was muted, and so far away. This was how it was supposed to be. Jack would be safe from Traci, now.
Tears dripped down Ellie’s face as she chuckled a bit to herself, pulling the phone to her chest. Maybe it would be over… Maybe there’d be peace at last. With a sigh, Ellie pulled on the door, expecting anything but Ian standing there, his hand up like he was supposed to knock.
“Ah.” Ian blinked vaguely. “What kind of telepathy-“
“What are you doing here?” Ellie asked breathlessly. Her brain screamed at her that she had been caught. Everyone in the school must have known what she’d done, and they’d hate her, even though She was right and Traci was wrong. They would… they would-
“Uh, Are you alright?” Ian said, pointing at the object she was clutching possessively. “Is that… Jack’s phone?”
“No?” She answered with a question, and to which question was just as much as a mystery.
“You took his damn phone. Like, took it. And it’s on, what did you do?”
“You’re not supposed to be in the girl’s dorm.” Her voice shook. “And Jack left his phone and I’m going to give it to him.”
“I told you two hours ago I was coming to pick up my text book and Jack didn’t fucking leave his phone, he’s been in the library all day. You told me that, Ellie.”
More gaps in her memory. She had no clue what she had done since she’d seen Jack that morning. She didn’t recall even seeing Ian let alone telling him to show up to her dorm.
She scrubbed at her eyes to clear the tears, but stumbled back as Ian held his hand out for the phone.
“I said I would give it to him.” She assured him. “So… it’s fine.”
“Show me you didn’t do anything to his phone and you can have it.”
“Do anything?” She asked. “He’s my boyfriend, what the hell would I do?” her voice was challenging, but Ian shot back.
“I don’t fucking know that’s what I’m trying out. You’ve been all sort of doing all batshit stuff, so prove to me that you didn’t do anything, and I’ll let it go. I’ll just leave right now- even without my textbook.” He still had his hand out.
Well, no, she didn’t do anything crazy or wrong, but Ian wouldn’t believe that. He never would. She continued to clutch the phone close to her, and refused to move. “N… No.” She whispered.
“What?”
“I said no. It’s… its none of your business.”
“Okay, well, it’s Jack’s business.” Ian said sharply. “So lets go tell him, yea?”
“No!” The demand emerged from her mouth as a shriek. This was supposed to be her happy ending. This was supposed to be the start of the good part. Ian would ruin that if he told Jack.
She reached for… she wasn’t even sure at that point- probably his shoulder if not his shirt collar, but she had startled him to turning back in her direction, and she instead let her hand strike him right across the cheek. Both of their positions in relation to each other was odd and askew- And- her hand was supposed to be open, but she just-
Ian hissed, bringing his hand up to the cut that began to well on his cheek. He turned back towards Ellie, both of their eyes open in shock.
“Oh- I didn’t-“ She trembled slightly, and the phone forgotten, dropped to the floor. She took a step back into her room. “No, I didn’t mean to—I’m—“
Ian’s glare was set on her and was for the moment was completely unforgiving. The cut wasn’t too bad, maybe half an inch in length, but it was there, and was definitely something that now existed.
“No, Ian, I didn’t mean-“
He ignored her, and picked up the phone, turning it over in his face.
“What in the hecklord was that? Who’s yelling like they’re being mur—” Elsa asked, poking her head out the stairwell down the hallway. Her joking, casual expression spiked into panic, and she stepped out to hurried over. “What happened- Ian your face! Ellie?”
“Elsa, where’s Traci’s dorm?” He asked, looking up from the phone
“Huh?”
“Her dorm, we need to check on her right now.”
“It’s downstairs-“ but Elsa knew not to ask anymore questions. She turned back around and ran back for the stairs. Ian didn’t even give Ellie another look before he took off running after Elsa and disappeared into the stairwell as well.
Ellie carefully followed suit- not exactly sneaking, but her mind was so focused on the phone that she had to follow. All that was in her brain is that Jack wouldn’t understand, if Ian explained it. Jack didn’t even have to know. If Ian opened his mouth, people will be upset with her because they wouldn’t understand. She had to get the phone back. She had to delete those texts.
She entered the stairwell, mere echoes of thoughts all around her of what could happen now. Some part of her felt… bad? She certainly. She felt something, but she couldn’t describe it. She couldn’t… put her finger on it, but something about this was wrong. Something about this… something about what she had done.
Before her now was the open, and noticeably empty dorm room of Traci’s. Elsa and Ian stood off to the side, just inside the room, worriedly talking amongst themselves.
Nothing had meaning to her anymore, Ellie realized. Not the photos of Jack on the wall, not the abandoned phone of Traci’s on the floor. It didn’t mean anything. She didn’t feel anything. Something seemed to be wrong, but there was no indication of what it might have been.
She was doing this to protect Jack. If nothing else, absolutely nothing else, she had to protect her beloved.
“She could be anywhere.” Elsa murmured, looking around the room.
“I know.” Ian said grimly. “Do you think she stayed on school grounds?”
“I have no clue. I hope she did.” Elsa glanced up, staring at Ellie worriedly. “Ellie, shes your friend, believe it or not. You have to at least care about her. At least a bit. She could get hurt.”
But it was talking like a blank wall. Ellie put her hand out, and said nothing else, her face neutrally super focused on the phone Ian was waving around.
He only sighed in annoyance, and put the phone in her hand. “I don’t know what you’re trying to prove, but you’re getting on my god damn nerves.”
“Prove…” Elsa said slowly as Ellie clutched the phone, then turned to quickly head away to where she had been heading in the first place- back to Jack. She had to make sure he was safe, of course… and to put the phone back.
“Traci would want to prove herself.” Elsa said suddenly. “Ian, we have to check the school roof.”
“The roof-“
“Remember what I told you about what she told me? Ian, we gotta get to the roof. Right now.”
The words of irrelevant conversation faded from her forethought. Ellie walked calmly as her friends (a questionable term) ran past her towards the main building.
But that they didn’t matter, whoever or whatever they would find. It definitely didn’t matter- not to Ellie. All that mattered was Jack.
