i had faith in what the stories told

[writethecosmos]

Perrie & Britta

The first thing he heard when he finally awoke was the soft and steady beeping of a heart monitor. Perrie shut his eyes tighter when he realized where he was from that noise alone, hoping it was a bad dream, hoping he could wake up in his bed and just have a normal argument with Dixon about where he was all night. It would have been easier to stomach last night that way, at least, if it had all been in his head. The drugs. Damon. The fire. The vision of his parents. All of it would have been so much easier if opening his eyes meant it had never been reality, but instead, he knew that opening his eyes to see the white-tiled ceiling of a hospital would only make it unbearably real. 

But Perrie couldn’t just ignore the feeling that coursed through his body, and not just the dread and fear and upset and regret that sat in the pit in his stomach. Though the fire had been put out, his nerves still burned beneath blistered skin, punishing him for what he had been stupid enough to do, who he had been stupid enough to trust. A choked groan of pain escaped his incredibly dry throat, and it was the sound that followed that finally made him open his eyes. The shifting of a chair was enough to tell him that someone else was in the room with him, that he wasn’t alone. He’d expected to see Dixon, staring at him disapprovingly. He’d maybe expected to see Scott. He hadn’t expected to see his best friend staring back at him when he finally, slowly opened his eyes. “Britta?” Perrie croaked.

[writethecosmos]

Sage & Daniel

The shower was in less than a few hours, and already Daniel had found something to stress over. He’d tried to plan everything perfectly, making sure it all ran smoothly so the glowing mother-to-be wouldn’t have to worry about anything other than enjoying her day. He didn’t exactly know the first thing about babies or baby showers, but he knew his best friends deserved an amazing day, and as the best man, he’d gladly extend his wedding duties to include planning this shower, as well. Besides, he was sure his methodical and meticulous ways wouldn’t be too hard to lend themselves to setting up a party of this nature. If only it were that easy.

Being paired with Sage was the major wrench in the plans. He didn’t know her all that well, only that she was also the maid of honor at the upcoming wedding, and was super close with the bride. But already, it seemed like they were clashing. Even as he worked to set up tables and establish a place for presents and books and diaper cakes, he couldn’t help but look over at Sage in frustration. “What are you doing?”

[writethecosmos]

Willa & Jude

Jude hadn’t been working at the Gold Bean Cafe for very long, and honestly, it showed. He’d been a bit frazzled since he started a few weeks ago, trying to learn the ropes through busy hours and demanding orders. That wasn’t to say he didn’t like the job - he very much did, already having made friends with some of his coworkers and appreciating the nicer customers that walked in and encouraged Jude to take his time. The tips were decent and the free food was a bonus, and the extra boost of income really seemed to be helping lift a load off his mom’s shoulders already. So, needless to say, it was easy for Jude to get distracted with everything his mind was juggling.

The post-lunch rush was almost as bad as the lunch rush itself, with people hoping to get another cup of coffee before their breaks ended and they had to return to work. He’d already juggled more coffees than he thought his arms could handle, and yet he still wasn’t getting everything out to the customers fast enough. With his head filled with the next order he had to bring out, he wasn’t entirely focusing on what he was doing. In fact, he hadn’t even noticed the chair in his way until his ankle had already caught on it, sending him stumbling forward and the iced coffee out of his hand and onto the incredibly cute girl in front of him. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” Jude exclaimed, his face rapidly turning red as he scrambled to save what was left of the drink from getting anywhere else and making it worse. “Are you okay? I’m so sorry.”

[writethecosmos]

Nora & Collin

Collin rarely took breaks from his math work, but now he had an excuse to take a break from math that just involved doing more math. He’d been working at the tutoring center for nearly a year, now, and had been in his graduate program for about the same length of time. It was a nice break from complex problems, and he found that practicing the basics with other students often helped him when it came time to sit back down and do his own work. He hadn’t gotten a student to like math as much as he did (or even remotely close) just yet, but Collin foolishly had hope. Then again, he couldn’t be surprised with the reputations some of the teachers in the math department had, but he figured he was doing his job right if he could at least help these students pass.

Another semester meant another student, and Collin would be lying if he said he wasn’t looking forward to it. Sure, he could become jaded to the students who detested his tutoring about as much as they hated their math classes, or the students who made it obvious they were simply here to pass and nothing more, but it was always nice to meet a new student and learn just where their head was at. Collin never saw himself as much of a teacher before coming here, in fact. But any of his wonderings were pushed aside when he saw the girl approaching his table. “You must be Nora,” he greeted with a smile. “I’m Collin. I’m gonna be your tutor.”

[writethecosmos]

8:07PM vastfieldss:

Hey! How was your day today? Hoping it was better than mine... I definitely need an escape soon, just not sure where.

[writethecosmos]

soleilaulune:

Every time that her parents weren’t home, Harley’s life ended up being pretty uneventful. It was the same thing she did every time: Sit on the couch, watch netflix, and eat the last of the potato chips that were in the house. This was the dilemma she was facing now. She knew she didn’t look put together, and she definitely shouldn’t be walking on the street this late at night, but it didn’t mean that she wasn’t going to do it.

This was an internal dialogue she had almost every time she decided to walk from her nice, gated neighborhood to the few blocks down the road, where town definitely got sketchier. Though, it was the only gas station in town that carried the odd brand potato chips that she loved. Sure, she had gotten in trouble one or two times there. Once for littering, which didn’t make any sense after she had picked up (most) of what she had dropped on the ground, and once for spray painting.

Being the rebellious teenager was hard, but when you were looking for your parents love, that was all that seemed to get them to stay home when she was still in high school. Having two travelling authors as parents had always been weird, though. Kids had always looked at her strangely because they could recall her parents names from the children’s books they wrote together. In a way, Harley had built resentment for the both of them over time. It seemed like they were better parents to the kids that they toured to rather than their own child.

In the end, it wasn’t unusual for her to be wandering around. The loneliness caught up to her fairly easy almost every time, and her parents would regularly check in when she was home. It didn’t help. It still didn’t make them present.

Walking with her hood up and her hands in her pockets, she kept her eyes trained forward, making sure she didn’t meet eyes with anyone too unfortunate. She had made that same mistake before, and she sorely regretted it when she talked to Homeless Pete for over an hour.

Hearing the sirens approaching beside her, she let out a deep sigh. There was only one officer that had it out for her - Officer Munroe had been the one to catch her red-handed in an act of seventeen-year-old rebellion - and he never seemed to want to give her a break. Hearing his voice from the window of the police car, she let out a deep sigh as she turned toward the window. “Officer (name!)” she greets a little too friendly, “what are you doing in this part of town, huh? Cruiser run out of gas?”

Ryan’s dad wasn’t a fan of Harley, and the cop was sure she knew that. He’d been there multiple times to drag her home to her parents, warning them to keep her out of trouble before she gets dropped off at the jail instead of on her doorstep. Of course, they didn’t seem to listen, and he would always run into her tagging a wall or hopping a fence or something she obviously wasn’t supposed to be doing. While she wasn’t a menace to society from her barely criminal actions, Ryan’s dad believed that it was his job to nip that in the bud before small crimes turned into larger, more dangerous ones. 

He didn’t think she got the message, however, especially not when he noticed her out tonight. He knew she was from a nice neighborhood - what was she doing in a place like this? Obviously, getting chips wasn’t the answer he would have expected. Instead, Ryan’s dad believed she could have been up to more dangerous things as he approached her. “My job, Harley. What are you doing here?” he asked, not really looking for an answer. “To me, it looks like some suspicious, late night loitering... or some trespassing,” he mused, pointing to one of the signs. “Why don’t I take you home where you can’t get into trouble?” he asked, his voice not posing much of a question. 

All the while, Ryan tried to peer out the windows to get a better view of the situation. His dad blocked his view until he offered to take Harley home, when he shifted and the streetlight illuminated the face of a girl - no, a beautiful girl. A girl seemingly his age, so long as the light wasn’t playing tricks on him. What was someone like her doing somewhere like this? It didn’t seem to match up, but if he got the chance, he would love to find out.

[writethecosmos]

Tonight had been uneventful, much to Ryan’s dismay. He knew being a police officer wasn’t always excitement, no matter what the movies claimed, but he still expected to see something other than a traffic violation or two while he was out late with his dad. It was Friday night, surely someone was intoxicated in public or smoking weed or something, anything more than the few tickets they’d given and loiterers they’d dispersed. Hell, Ryan would have been happy with a noise complaint - it was at least a change of pace from the slow night.

His dad could tell he was bored, too, judging by the way Ryan’s head slumped against the window, his eyes glazed as he stared out the window. It was times like this he hated that he couldn’t bring his phone on the ride-alongs. If he wasn’t supposed to have his phone, he should have at least been guaranteed something worth riding along for. “It’s not all action movies and CSI, bud,” his dad commented, noticing his son’s boredom before he spouted the same line he did a thousand times.

“I know, I know,” sighed Ryan. “Doesn’t mean I can’t be bored.”

“I know, it can get boring sometimes, but you always have to stay alert,” his dad advised. Okay, that was a good piece of advice, Ryan had to admit, but it was hard not to feel like dozing when the scanners were quiet. Though, as if it was on cue, the scanners spoke of suspicious activity, and right near where Ryan and his dad were driving, as well. Ryan immediately perked up, wondering what or who they might find, hoping it was at least more interesting than someone calling about what would turn out to be their neighbor locked out of their own house. However, to his disappointment, as they pulled up, his dad instructed him to stay in the car. Crossing his arms over his chest, Ryan complied, staring out the window once more, hoping to catch a glimpse of what his dad was up to, or who his dad was taking in.

[writethecosmos]

soleilaulune:

She had made a mistake.

There was no way that the writing assignment they had to tackle were supposed to get this personal, but Sofia had chose poetry. She should have known better to take something close to her heart and make it about her. It wasn’t her heart that her classmates cared about anyway. It was about the rumors that plagued her name in darkness. It was about more than her. It was about the dirtiness that was associated with her name. It made her feel filthy - shamed in every way. When she read that poem, it felt like she was standing naked in front of the class.

Even worse, the whispers continued during and after the poem. She could hear her two former friends whispering about her at the next desk over as her cheeks progressively tinted scarlet. The only thing she continued to repeat in her head was that she only had a few more minutes in class. She was a moment away from freedom, and escaping the whispers at least for a few more hours. Right after this, she could escape for lunch. If they wanted to talk about her poem then… well, they were more than welcome to. She just didn’t want her dreams crushed in front of her. 

Waiting for the bell to ring with bated breath, she jumped out of her desk as soon as the sound trilled, making sure she had everything with her before she ran off to the choir room for lunch. Her head turning as she tucked her sweater under her arm, she looked to the boy with furrowed eyebrows, checking behind her to make sure he wasn’t looking at someone else. “…Hi?”

Sam didn’t realize she was in such a rush when he first approached her. He didn’t even want to take up too much of her time, just a little bit to compliment her poetry. He knew their classmates wouldn’t have given her the same kindness, which frustrated him. The poem, in Sam’s eyes, was objectively good, and she obviously had a talent for it. However, they only saw what they wanted to see, and that was a girl whose rumors grew bigger than her actual physical stature. They saw a gossip source, rather than a person, and that was the only reason in Sam’s mind that they could so easily say such mean things without considering her feelings - that didn’t excuse their actions in the slightest, though.

Sam saw a girl exhausted by the rumors as she read that poem. He saw a girl affected by the words others spoke - and how could anyone not be affected by words that mean spoken about them? He could only imagine how much it hurt, especially when one’s humanity was disregarded over something that may not have even been true (at least,completely). Sam was never one for rumors - he was a boy who valued facts, and was always more interested in the truth and reality than fiction.

He figured she had the right to be confused as she stared back at him - after all, they’d never spoken before, and she just finished a class where people were obviously judging her, whether it was with their stares or their words. “Hi,” he repeated with a small smile. “I just wanted to tell you that your poem was really good... you’re very talented.”

[writethecosmos]

Mrs. Hawthorn recited the homework to the twenty students sitting in room 205, but it went in one of Sam’s ears and out the other. His mind was still present in English class, but not on the assignment being presented to them, however. It was fixated on one of the poems recited earlier, a product of a project meant for students to show what they’d learned from the various poets they studied in the weeks prior. His mind still lingered on the emotional tone and powerful lines that all seemed to flow effortlessly - it was all way better than the boring essay he’d written for his project. 

More than that, his thoughts wandered to the person whose lips recited those words, whose hand wrote those lines: Sofia Randall. The words held a stronger emotion and meaning, knowing they came from her heart, and they were stronger than most people might have assumed, especially as they were spoken to a crowd of mostly judging gazes as a few students whispered about her. It disheartened Sam, hearing that judgement. He’d been hearing it for a while now, and it still didn’t make things any better. He just didn’t think t was fair, calling her names without knowing her, spreading rumors and treating her like she had some ridiculous case of cooties. Sam preferred to make those decisions for himself, and that’s what he planned to do as the bell rang.

After shoving a notebook in his bag, Sam slowly wandered to where Sofia was packing her own things, his hands swinging at his sides as he spoke up softly. “Um, hi,” he greeted, thinking it would be weird to just spout about her poetry without properly greeting her, first.