#sc:ls

[maclliar]

y'all peep my pomodoro spirit city setup LMAO

i know typically folks do longer work periods than breaks but uhh. i will simply not do anything then. i fucking love this game though i have gotten SO MUCH done today while sick without pressuring myself or feeling bad at all

[millierosalie]

Original Writing: Leo Stratford

“So why did you throw someone through a door exactly?”

“They were bullshitting about me.”

“Bullsh—So you let that get you expelled? You didn’t just ignore it?”

“I had reasons.”

“Tell me, then.”

***

I didn’t care when they spoke about me. I was strong and athletic and I’d already accidentally proven to them that I could’ve won them several tennis matches if I wanted to—but I wasn’t interested in that stuff. They literally begged for me to come help them because I was their only shot. They wanted me to come in everyday and teach them stuff. They wanted me to give up my time after school for practise and then at weekends for matches. They were so sure I was the golden ticket to the top.

I didn’t want that. I couldn’t. And they got jealous.

They thought I was arrogant, and that I felt like I was above school sports teams. It started off as just looks of annoyance and exasperation as I’d walk through the halls. They’d still sort of smile at me, but you could see a ticking time bomb in their heads as they did so. It was like they hadn’t given up.

And they hadn’t in a way. It was so trivial; like, if they couldn’t have me, no one else could and they wanted to make sure no one felt the need to.

I mostly kept to myself at that school. But one guy was different.

Josh was on the team and he originally asked me about it, but after I declined, he never pushed me. He simply said fine, if it’s not your thing, don’t bother. We started hanging around and I guess along the way, we made friends. He was cool, and we usually spent time around his house because he had an awesome games collection in the cellar, although it was more like a den. If we couldn’t go to his, we’d usually hit the park as I was sort of teaching him how to skateboard.

He kept asking to come round to mine and I’d always put him off. I knew if he did, he’d probably fuck off like everyone else did.

One time when I was sure my dad wasn’t home, I let him round. My house in itself is fine, so we got some food and just flopped down on the sofa and played a few games, watched movies and stuff. It was... cool not having to worry about the clink of a glass, or the slam of the fridge door every few seconds.

So it became more regular and I guess I lost my footing and my frame of mind along the way. I was becoming lazier, letting Josh leave later and later and not thinking about 7pm until it was fifteen minutes to it. Then ten. Five...

Dad came home in the middle of it. He’d been drinking all day at work—he associates with people. He basically takes them to a bar, gets them drunk enough to sign a deal, then drinks until his train arrives—and he sort of just stumbled through the living room, muttering about a mess. I tried to make Josh leave but he said it was fine, he’d text his mum and get picked up in ten minutes.

Dad couldn’t even hold off for ten fucking minutes. I knew that as soon as I heard the slam of a bottle on the table and the unscrewing of a cap.

And—well—

I guess Josh let it slip what happened. By accident or not, I don’t know, but the tennis guys lapped it up. Started shoving me around, making motions as if I were drinking, or walking past me pretending to be drunk. I tried to stop myself responding, tried to ignore it, but then they—they brought in my mother and—

I told Josh that in privacy and he—well, he told—accident or not, I don’t know but—

He looked horrified as soon as one of the guys joked about her.

I couldn’t take it lying down.

So I... I punched him. And he punched me. So I shoved him and I’m so much stronger and he just like, flew through the doors and into the stupid lockers that jut out and are place all wrong and he caught his head or something, I don’t know, and—

I had to be moved. I was expelled straight away, there were so many witnesses. But because of my grades, they transferred me.

And I reacted just like my dad.

***

“Maybe you’ll find out one day.”

“Oh, but—”

“No, come on, leave him be.”