Hi! I Recently Came Across Your Posts And Wanted To Make A Request If Thats Okay. Id Like A Tutorial

Hi! I recently came across your posts and wanted to make a request if that’s okay. I’d like a tutorial on how I use this app, as well as notifications on when you add more stories. I’d also like to request some sleep and constant affirmation that your boyfriend is a hotty, specifically that he is very smart and his ff14 character ship of Au Ra and Miqote relationships are very Pog.

I’m very exhausted, but hey I somehow managed this shit lol see you soon love

Hello my love! Everybody, this is my boyfriend Luka. He's the co-writer for my story "Not What It Seems" over on @jwritesstuff4!

Now, assuming you're on mobile (I know you are old man <3), the home button takes you to your home screen. There you'll see posts from people and specific tags you follow. The magnifying glass button allows you to search, and Tumblr will give you some suggestions underneath the search bar.

The video camera button is Tumblr LIVE. No idea what it is, so don't concern yourself with it. The smiley face icon is where you can see notifications of people who liked your comments, reblog/like your posts, or when someone mentions you, answers your ask (request), or when someone you have notifications on for posts. Finally, the little person icon is where you can see your Tumblr account and change things about your blog.

As for turning notifications on, go to my blog(s) and in the upper right corner, you'll see some icons. Click the little person icon and it will prompt you with a few things. Click "get notifications" and voila! You'll get notifications every time I post.

Lol hun, I already know you're a hotty. And yes our ff14 characters relaitionship is very pog. I've been thinking about introducing ff14 to this blog, you think I should?

Yes you did somehow manage this. I'm proud of chu. See you soon my love <3

Happy Birthday Seto Kaiba!

He'd get a Blue Eyes sheet cake for sure lol

Nothing Builds a Friendship Like a Crisis (part 4)

Co-written with multifandoms27

Summary: Mokuba has been kidnapped as the two of you performed his monthly inspection of Kaiba Land. Reginald O'Malley, the president of rival gaming company Knightly Rook, is responsible for the kidnapping, and has challenged Kaiba to a tag duel in order to win back Mokuba. To your surprise, Kaiba asked you to be his partner for the duel, since Yugi was out of town. As you head to the rooftop helipad, you hope you're not getting in over your head. Dub canon plus a version of DSOD. Female Reader. Set maybe two years post DSOD. (This chapter does not contain playing the card game...) Fun fact: I always write my Reader character with personality and specific description. Each reader character also has a specific place in the Yu-Gi-Oh world, and is basically an OC with set connections and feelings about the various canon characters and other reader characters. This is reader B, who is immune to the siren song of romance, cheap, eccentric, logical, and hands-on. Word count: 1,647 You can read part 1 here. You can read part 2 here. You can read part 3 here. You stood inside the elevator which had roof access, feeling the floor press against your feet as you and Kaiba shot upwards. The doors slid open to reveal a helipad. Stepping out onto the roof, you squinted in the blinding summer sunlight as heat radiated up from underfoot and down from above. After ditching your hat, abandoning your sunglasses, and replacing your t-shirt with a fitted black shirt and a short white vest, you had run after Kaiba, barely catching the elevator in time. Now, staring at your shadow, you smiled at your silhouette; it was angular, with your capris falling to your midcalf, and the vest cutting off halfway down your torso, with a high collar and flaring out shoulders. It was a good image, a strong outline, and it sort of reminded you of something… Team Rocket. You groaned. 

Kaiba strode past you towards the helicopter, his hair ruffling in the wind created by the rotors. He moved without hesitation. This was your last chance to back out, but your mind discarded the suggestion. When you jumped into a project, you didn’t look back. This was no different. As the artificial wind and engine noise increased, you followed Kaiba inside the helicopter, feeling the sudden lack of blustering air as you pulled the door shut behind you. It was surprisingly quiet inside.   

You almost planted your face against the window during takeoff. For a few minutes, the excitement of being in a helicopter drowned out everything else. Settling down on the bench opposite Kaiba, you tried to focus on your deck and prepare for the upcoming duel. “You look nervous.” Kaiba commented. “I am nervous. We’re about to duel for your brother. What if I’m not up to the task? What if we lose?” You regretted sharing your worries as soon as you said them.

“I don’t lose.”

“Oh, we both know that’s not true.”

Kaiba scowled at you. “I don’t lose to two-bit schemers like O’Malley.”

Fair point. Kaiba was an excellent duelist, one of the best in the world. “I might. I’m a decent duelist, but my deck is hardly top notch, and—”

“You won’t hold me back. I’ll win on my own if I need to.” Kaiba’s voice was ice. His eyes softened a smidge. “But you’re a competent duel partner.”

Kaiba believed in your ability? You gave a faint smile, he wouldn’t have asked you otherwise. “I try.”

“You better.”

After a few minutes of silence, Kaiba spoke up again. “Let me see your deck.”

Switching to the bench Kaiba was sitting on, you pulled your deck out of your belt box and spread the cards between you. Working at a game shop brought advantages; you had managed to get some decent cards, and were using one of the new ‘archetypes.’ When you first found out about the Kozmo cards, you knew you wanted to try and build a deck with them. But even with an employee discount, and Yugi’s Grandpa helping track down cards, you had barely managed to build the simplest form of the deck. 

“Hm.” Kaiba grabbed his silver briefcase from the floor and opened it. His laptop was strapped into the lid, and the base of the case held thousands of dollars worth of cards. Your eyes widened. “Borrow a few for your deck.” It sounded more like an order than an offer.

“I can’t start swapping my cards right before a duel! It could mess up my strategies.” It was stupid, but you didn’t want to feel like you owed him anything.

Kaiba planted his fingers on a few of your cards and slid them across the bench towards you, “I’m offering you a chance to replace your weak staples with stronger options. Take it.”

“Fine, but I’m giving them back after we win. I don’t need your charity.” You took the briefcase from Kaiba and perused the contents. This would require thought. After selecting a few cards like Ice Dragon’s Prison and Pot of Greed, you showed Kaiba the chosen cards and slipped them into your deck. He nodded approvingly.   

Kaiba pulled out his own deck, rifling through the cards idly until he found one of his favorites. 

“Can I look at one of your Blue-Eyes?” You were surprised at your own audacity, but if you wanted Kaiba to treat you like an equal, you would need to act like one.

“Sure.” Extending two fingers, he held the card out.                    

Up till now, you had only held the ripped Blue-Eyes at the game shop. This one was beautiful. You could imagine its roar. Feel its presence. Holding the card was an honor—you felt like Kaiba had handed you part of his soul. 

“Do you know what that card represents?” Kaiba asked.  

“You?”

Kaiba almost smiled. “You spend too much time with Yugi.”

You realized your mistake. “Your power.” It wasn’t a guess anymore, you knew you were right.

The corner of his mouth twitched upwards for a moment, before seriousness won out again. 

You knew the card text without needing to look at it, “This legendary dragon is a powerful engine of destruction. Virtually invincible, very few have faced this awesome creature and lived to tell the tale.” 

“Listen,” Kaiba stared at you intently, “We’re about to step into enemy territory. You can’t show weakness or fear, because our adversaries will pounce on any opening you provide.”

You nodded. “I’ll try, but I don’t feel overly confident right now.”

“Your feelings don’t matter.” Kaiba slammed his deck down on the bench between you. “Do you trust me?”

“Yes.” It was the truth.

“Then remember my power is behind you now, and act like it.”  

“Kaiba…” You saw no deception in his eyes, only trust, and determination. “Thank you.” You handed back his card, realizing he was letting you into his world because he wanted you at his side. Taking a deep breath, you asked, “How long until we arrive?”

“Less than an hour.”

You leaned back against the wall, which vibrated as the copter beelined for your destination. Closing your eyes, running over everything your deck could do, you tried to focus, until the events of the day caught up to you, and you dozed off. Some time later, your head jerked up as your eyes flew open. It was too quiet. The helicopter had landed on another roof, this one in rolling mountains, surrounded by forests. Standing near the front, Kaiba held a muttered conversation with the pilot. You stretched and rubbed your neck. “This is our destination?” Outside the helicopter, men in suits and sunglasses gathered—a security team. Closing your eyes, you rolled them to slightly reposition your contacts; it was almost time for action.

Kaiba strode to the door. “Remember what I told you.” 

You cracked your knuckles, nodding. “Let’s do this.” Nerves settled themselves; playing a game was easier than waiting for it to begin.

Throwing open the door, Kaiba jumped down. Inhaling deeply, you drew yourself up to your full height; you had always been comfortable with yourself—it was time to stop worrying about manners and act more like Kaiba. You grinned, casually stepping out the doorway and landing beside him. It was cooler here than in Domino City, the air filled with the buzz of cicadas and birdsong.

“What are you doing here?”

Hearing the quiet murmur, you turned to Bishop, who shifted slightly under your gaze. “Surprised to see me?”

“I went to considerable expense to keep you out of this mess, Ms. l/n.”

“Why’s that?” You asked, remembering Kaiba’s words about the high cost of the drugs in your slushy.

“I didn’t want to see a naive little girl get caught up in this game.”

“I’m four years older than Kaiba.” You weren’t angry, you had always looked younger than your age, and you certainly lacked experience in these high stakes games. “But I appreciate your concern.”

“Your boss is using you.” “Hnh.” Kaiba crossed his arms. “I like being useful. Besides,” you slid your hands into your pockets and leaned back against the helicopter, “I make my own choices, Bishop.”

“Suit yourself. But I wash my hands of your fate.”

Before you could reply, the nearby elevator entrance dinged. As the doors slid apart, Mr. O’Malley strolled out before they finished opening. He grinned. “Ah, Mr. Kaiba, I’m so glad you could join us!” The security men parted to allow their employer through. “And you’ve brought a woman with you. I’m impressed. Perhaps even the intolerable Seto Kaiba can attract a pretty face.”

“Don’t waste my time with your ludicrous assumptions, O’Malley.”

“Darling, the girl is obviously a gold digger.” From the elevator emerged a woman with bottle blond hair and flashy jewelry, her makeup and clothes trying desperately to hide her status as a middle aged woman in her forties. She wore a sleek black dress with brown fur accents perfectly matching O’Malley’s tie. 

“Allow me to introduce the missus.” Holding out a hand to his wife, who took it with a regal air, O’Malley presented her as though royalty. “My dear queen Sasha—bright as fireworks in a summer sky, ambitious as Caesar, and lovely as the Ring of Kerry.”

“Am I supposed to be impressed?”

“Now now, Mr. Kaiba, no need to be rude. I’m sure your own queen has many lovely qualities as well. While her devotion to the white king shows a certain lack of wisdom, I’m sure she possesses other charms.”

He was still using chess metaphors, you noted. 

“Get to the point, O’Malley, we’re here for Mokuba.” 

“Ah yes, your poor little brother. The lad’s been quite adamant you would come for him.”

“Where’s Mokuba?” Kaiba’s tone dropped lower, bristling with hostility. 

“I’m not a cruel man. I shan't keep such devoted brothers apart for long.” Turning gracefully, O’Malley looked back over his shoulder at them. “Please, follow me.”

Chapter 4

Synopsis: A girl going through college wanting to make friends, but is faced with two problems in doing so - her hermit lifestyle and social anxiety. However, as she navigates through college she meets a boy and they become fast friends. But...is that everything?

Warnings: stalker-ish behavior

previous chapter | next chapter | masterlist

• ───────────────── •

Redd munched on the delicious bread Sam had given her in almost every class. People gave her weird looks for munching on a whole loaf of bread, but she was too excited to care anymore. After her last class, she whipped out her phone, leaning against the wall as people walked by her.

Redd: Hey Sam! It’s Redd. You in the cafeteria?

Sam: Yep, waiting on you :)

Grinning, she pushed herself off the wall and made her way to the stairs, jogging down them and searching for Sam. She was a little nervous, hoping she wouldn’t screw this up and potentially lose a friend. As she was trying to look for Sam, a pair of familiar blue eyes locked onto hers from the back of the cafeteria. Why…why was Maelstrom here?

Redd was about to start walking towards Maelstrom to confront her, but before she could, a hand landed on her shoulder.

“Hey! Let’s get going.” Sam smiled.

Redd looked at him, then back to where Maelstrom was, but she was gone.

“You okay?” Sam asked.

“Yeah…yeah I’m alright.” Redd nods before turning to look at him. “Just thought I saw something. Let’s get goin’!”

Sam hesitated for a moment but nodded. A smile returned to his face as he walked out of the building with Redd, and towards his car. Redd snickered. “Taking me in your car this time, huh?”

“Yeah, figured you could use a break from driving.” Sam motions to his car, then opens the door for her.

“Such a gentleman.” Redd comments, getting in and thanking him.

“Always.” Sam then shuts the door when she’s settled, and gets in the driver's seat. “Alright, where’s this place again?”

• ───────────────── •

Both of them sat down with their orders, sitting across from each other. Suddenly Redd grew very shy, not wanting to screw this up. She stuffed her face with her fries to not be able to speak, but then realized she probably looked like a fool. Sam was eating normally across from her, keeping his eyes averted. He was nervous too, but most likely not nearly as much as Redd was. For a moment, neither of them said anything and it was awkward.

Finally, Sam spoke up. “How is it?”

“Good.” Redd spoke, mouth full of food. Her face grew bright red in embarrassment.

Sam laughed a little. “That’s good. Are you nervous?”

Redd stopped for a moment. Did she really want to expose herself like that? “Yeah. You’re the first friend I’ve made in college, I don’t want to screw this up…”

Sam felt a little sad at that. “Hey it’s okay, if it helps I’m a little nervous too.”

“You are? But you seem so calm.” Redd gave him a once-over.

“Looks can be deceiving.” Sam reminded her.

Redd stopped at that. Yes, looks could be deceiving, but was this code for something? Did he know? She stopped herself. Of course he didn’t know…right?

“You okay?” Sam asked.

“Hm? Oh, yeah. Sorry.” She grinned sheepishly. “Just a lot on my mind.”

“Oh, like what?” Sam’s brows furrowed slightly, seeming concerned.

Redd panicked. “Oh just- my uncle, he’s uh…”

Sam was looking at her expectantly. Redd was trying to find anything to say other than what she would have said.

“Got a new girlfriend.” Fuck, she thought. “Yeah, and it’s been an adjustment because it’s just been the two of us for God knows how long.”

“Oh, yeah. I’m sure that’s tough, I’m sorry. If you don’t mind me asking, what happened to your parents?”

“Lance told me they died in a fire when I was a baby, so I don’t really know anything about them other than that.” Redd scratched at her neck lightly, then took another bite of her food.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry about that!” Sam’s eyes widened, his tone gushing with sympathy.

“It’s alright, I didn’t really know them. But it’s hard for Lance to talk about, so if you ever meet him don’t bring it up.” Redd warned.

“Why would I bring that up in a casual conversation?” Sam asked, waving a fry in her face.

Redd chuckled a little. “True, I guess.”

The two of them continued to ease into casual conversation, enjoying each other's presence. Now making a friend suddenly didn’t seem so scary to Redd. The two laughed and chatted the evening away, long after they had finished their food. It wasn’t until Redd checked her phone for the time did she realize how late it was.

“Oh geez, it’s almost eight. We should get out of here.” She looked back up at Sam.

Sam nods. “Yeah, I think the employees are giving us dirty looks.”

The two of them get up and throw away their trash and finally exit the fast food place. They had been there for a good couple of hours. The drive back to campus was slightly more quiet, but enjoyable nonetheless. When Redd finally got to her car, she turned to Sam.

“Thank you for tonight. I enjoyed it.” She smiled.

Sam seemed a bit caught off guard by that. “I enjoyed it too…! We should do this again soon.”

“Sure, but I’ll make you a meal.” Redd offered.

“Are you sure?”

“Hey, you make me bread and I make you dinner.” Redd grinned.

Sam smiled. “Okay, next time at your place then. It’s a date.”

“What?” Redd cocked a brow.

“Nothing, have a good night!” Sam went to his car and quickly drove off.

Redd chuckled as she watched him drive off before getting into her own car and began to head back home. However, as she was driving, something in her back seat shifted. Alarmed, she looked in her mirror to see what it was, and a pair of ice blue eyes stared right back at her. Redd screamed and slammed on the breaks. When it was stopped, she turned to yell at the woman.

“What the hell are you doing here?!”

“What?”

“Don’t play stupid! Why are you following me?!” Redd gripped her steering wheel tightly.

“Just go back home, talk to Lance. He’ll know what to do, I promise.” Maelstrom explained before she was suddenly gone.

Redd stayed there for a moment before the car behind her laid on the horn and she began to move once more. Rolling the window back up, she tried to forget about what happened as she drove back home. Lance better have a good explanation for this.

Mael watched Redd’s car drive away, a black blob limp on the ground behind her. Once the car was out of sight she turned around to leave, picking up the corpse on the way.. What she took with her definitely wasn’t a deer.

• ───────────────── •

Had my boyfriend proofread part of this to make sure it was okay. Hope you all enjoy, thank you!

I tend to never be satisfied with my potrayal of Jeff. I'm going to try to nail it down today though.

Content: Jeff the killer HC's

Warnings: Bullying behavior (cyberbullying), toxic behavior, psychotic episodes, impulsivity, aggression, obsessive behavior

Notes: Inspired by my Toby list and my EJ list, and the song Tear You Apart by She Wants Revenge. This one is probably my longest one.

• ───────────────── •

(Art by kawacy on DeviantArt)

❥General

Okay, we should all know the drill by now. Jeff is psychotic, often hurting and humiliating others for his own entertainment. He's the biggest bully in the mansion.

When you join, he will immediately target you. He'll make fun of your appearance, try to cut you or burn you so he can get a sick laugh (normally when he's in an episode)

Why would you ever want to be anything more than acquaintances with him? He doesn't seem trustworthy at all, and he'll likely spill you secrets to BEN, who will then tell everybody online.

He's constantly getting into fights to prove to the others that he's "top dog," and that he isn't scared of anybody. Ironically enough, the only one he doesn't really try is Eyeless Jack. Motherfucker could eat him in like, two bites, so I understand.

Honestly, as much as he bullies you, you will never be as much of a target as Jane is for him. Which is good, that's a good thing.

When he isn't in his psychotic episodes, he'll still be very snarky, but he won't be going around and getting into people's faces anymore. It's during his calmer moments when you'll be able to start befriending him.

• ───────────────── •

❥Romantic

Jeff won't really be receptive to you trying to befriend him for a while. He knows how he treated you, he knows who you are. He doesn't care about you, but he'll stick around while you talk to him about whatever. He's just kinda shocked that you've decided to try to get close to him of all creeps. But he'll come off as indifferent.

Don't trust him with your secrets right away. Even if he's not in an episode, he's still going to tell BEN everything.

Just making an effort to talk to him though, not really attempting to get to know him, will start to make him interested. You know who he is, yet you're not...interested in him? His past or why he looks like this? At all?

That was new for him, considering Jane, Liu, Nina, BEN and Slenderman. In fact, he thinks about it so much that he'll begin to obsess about you when he goes back into a violent episode. He'll rip you away from anyone you're with - if it's not a creep, he's killing them on the spot - and will try to force you into his room.

He'll want to talk to you for hours on end, about you. He wants to know you. Why aren't you interested in his past? What was your past? Why are you here?

He goes from not caring about you, to caring about you way too much. Anything negative he's told BEN, he'll go to him and threaten him to take it off the internet, completely scrub it. BEN is confused, but he does it.

Jeff will use that as evidence to him being good to you. He won't admit that he wants your approval, but its pretty obvious.

He begins to spend less time with BEN and more time with you. He wakes up before you? He's pounding on your bedroom door until you open it so you can be up with him. You want to play a game with another creep? He's either watching or forcing his way into the game.

This guy will eventually try to spend every waking moment with you

He goes from not wanting to be around you to becoming OBSESSED

He wants to know everything about you, but he wants you to tell him when you're alone with him. Others don't deserve to know things about you, especially BEN.

This would be around the time he begins to develop feelings. Now, he's still in an episode, so he'll be impulsive with it. It doesn't matter how long you guys have been friends, he wants you and he's going to have you.

He'll pound on your door and when you open it, he'll kiss you on the lips. No prior notice as to how he feels about you, no warning about the kiss, nothing.

You think he's messing with you and you shut the door in his face. He angrily pounds on your door again until someone else comes to take him away.

He thought that was you rejecting him and he went back to hating you. He told BEN a shit ton of things you told him in confidence and you sobbed as you saw gossip about yourself online, along with rumors that weren't true.

Jeff made you out to be the mansion whore, sleeping with anyone for anything - benefits, food, clothes, whatever. It didn't have to make sense for it to spread.

Your other creepypasta friends came to your aid, which irked Jeff even more. Especially your guy friends

It wasn't until he heard you tell Toby about your feelings for him that he realized how much damage he had caused

This whole time he thought you didn't like him...oh, he fucked up

He takes to the internet to debunk the rumors and fight anyone who kept up with them. He once again told BEN to scrub any evidence, leaving the boy confused.

Jeff will come to your aid, but his heart clenches when he realizes that you don't trust him anymore.

He begs and begs for forgiveness, and finally you give it to him so he'll shut up

He's back to following you around like a puppy, and his feelings resurface. He's not in an episode now, and he wants to handle this delicately

His way of doing it delicately is by...giving you one-liners. Yep.

He'll stalk you on your social medias and check out every account you follow, and get jealous if you follow another guy. He's not even in a relationship with you yet!

Finally, he asks you out while you two were playing a game. You had to pause it to look at him and see if he was even serious

So, the two of you start going out. He goes full blown crazy boyfriend

He forces you to move into his room pretty soon, and he keeps tabs on everything you do

He's super paranoid you'll cheat on him, so he's always hanging around in the mansion. You'll never be alone with your friends again now that you're with him.

You don't dare fight him on it, he's the most unstable one and can be super aggressive at the drop of a hat

Probably installs a tracker on your phone so he can monitor where you go and when you leave the mansion if he can't be there for whatever reason

Knife fights anyone who brings up his past behavior or the rumors from before about you, and always wins. He uses this to get praise from you

He wouldn't trade you for the world - you are his world, and he'll make sure everybody knows it. You will never know peace again, even if you manage to run away from him, leaving a breakup letter behind.

You're stuck with him.

• ───────────────── •

Here is my Masterlist in case you want to request, or look for more of your favorite character!

Chapter 1

Synopsis: A girl going through college wanting to make friends, but is faced with two problems in doing so - her hermit lifestyle and social anxiety. However, as she navigates through college she meets a boy and they become fast friends. But...is that everything?

Warnings: none

previous chapter | next chapter | full masterlist

• ───────────────── •

Redd Nichols moved through the campus ways into the cafeteria. Many people were crowded there, laughing and talking, but some were doing homework or sitting alone. She was one of those people. Making friends wasn’t her strong suit, and certainly not on a college campus where she knew next to nobody. She sat at one of the tables which already had a man there, but she made sure to sit on the opposite side of him.

She opened her computer and got to work on a homework assignment. She didn’t have anywhere she needed to be, she could sit in that chair until the campus closed for all she cared. However, the urge to make friends kept nagging at the back of her mind. She just started here, but it seemed like everybody had their cliques. She stole looks at the man from over her computer.

Like her, he had brown hair. It was short and slightly curly, and he had blue eyes. That was all Redd managed to see before he looked up at her. Quickly, she looked back at her computer and hoped he hadn’t caught her.

“Can I help you with something?” The man asked.

“Oh no, no sorry I was just staring off into space.” Redd spoke nervously. Why was this so hard for her to do?

“It’s okay. I’m Sam. Sam Reed.”

“Redd.” She finally looked back up at him.

His eyes were a dark blue, but he had the kindest smile. She gave him a smile back. “What’re you working on if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Oh just stuff for programming.”

“Ew.” She grimaced, remembering her high school coding class.

“I know.” Sam rolled his eyes. “But it’s what I have to do.”

“Is it your major?” Redd asked.

“Sort of.” Sam typed more on his computer and sighed dejectedly. “I’m a computer science major but this isn’t what I want to do with my life.”

“What do you want to do?”

“Build computers.” Sam’s smile was brought back a little bit. “I’ve always loved building stuff. Computers, Lego’s, Gundam kits, you name it.”

Redd nods. “That’s cool! I’ve built a couple Gundam’s myself, but never a computer. You must be pretty smart.”

“Eh, I don’t think so. It’s just something that comes with instructions and you follow it, just like Lego’s, or IKEA furniture.” Sam clicked his mouse twice before typing more into his computer. “What about you? What’s your major?”

“Oh, General Education for now, at least until I can figure out what I want to do.” She sheepishly looked away. Sometimes Gen Ed majors got some bad reputation, and she didn’t want this potential friend to be put off by her major.

“That’s cool. Any idea of the major you want to declare?”

“No idea yet, but I’m hoping to get there soon.” Redd put her gaze back on her computer.

“I’m sure you’ll get it soon. Hey, I have to run to class, but it was lovely chatting with you.” Sam closed his laptop and Redd could see his broad shoulders. “I’ll see you around?”

“Yeah! For sure!” She smiled and waved as he left the table.

If she saw him again, she would want to strike up another conversation, which means this is possibly her first college friend! She couldn’t wait to tell her uncle.

• ───────────────── •

Getting home around an hour later, she could smell cigarette smoke. Her uncle Lance was home. “Lance? Why are you home? I thought you were working tonight.”

She dropped her bag at the front door and moved through the house, ending up at the back of the house. Lance was standing at the back door, half in and half out. He had a cigarette between his fingers as he turned to look at his niece coming through the house. As he turned however, he revealed a woman with bright blue eyes that seemed to glow. Redd stopped and shifted uncomfortably.

“Hey kid, how was school today?” Lance asked, flicking his cigarette.

“Fine…who is this?” Redd pointed to the woman she’d never seen before.

“Oh her? This is a girl I work with, Maelstrom.” Lance pointed to her with his thumb.

Redd sensed something wrong with her. She noticed Maelstrom had her hood up, but it seemed like something underneath it was jutting up under the hood. Aside from that, something was just…off.

“Nice to meet you.” Redd noticed the air was stiff.

“You too. Lance, I should probably take my leave.” Maelstrom spoke with urgency.

“Alright, I understand.” Lance and Maelstrom seemed to share a knowing glance, one that made Redd uncomfortable.

Maelstrom shouldered past Lance and past Redd before leaving out of their front door. She blinks a little before looking at her uncle. “New girlfriend?”

“No, I work with her.” Lance took a drag from his cigarette.

“Uh huh, and what was that look at the end?”

“She’s married.” He avoided the subject. “Besides, she’s not my type.”

“What kind of name is Maelstrom?” Redd asked.

“The kind of name you shouldn’t utter so casually.” Lance threw his cigarette down and stomped it out. “So, spaghetti for dinner?”

“Sure. Wait, hold on, you can’t say the first part and not elaborate. Is she one of us?” Redd asked after Lance closed the door.

“No. She’s just someone I work with sometimes. A boss of a boss of a boss of my boss.”

“You never tell me what you do.”

“And for good reason. What happened at school today?”

Redd decided to drop it. Lance was normally dodgy about his work life. “Fine. I met a man today.”

“Man or boy?”

“He seemed like a man to me. His name is Sam.” She smiles at the memory.

“What did I tell you about men?”

“I know, I’m going to get to know him more before I trust him. I got it.” She put her hands up. “You really think I’d reveal everything to him on the first day?”

Lance chuckled and ruffled her hair. “Atta girl. Now come help with the spaghetti. You want garlic bread?”

“Oh do I!”

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First chapter wohoo! I know its probably a slow and weird start, but I promise this will pick up soon. Thank you for reading this far, and I hope you enjoyed!