Weird People

Me: YES PLEASE

Mom: ok

*the next day*

Me: I can't wait till we can buy tickets

Mom: we don't have the money for those kinds of things

Me: ...

Mom: ...

With Star Wars: The Force Awakens, director J.J. Abrams sought to prop up and revitalize the most popular film franchise in movie history, to preserve its qualities in amber for a new generation. The Force Awakens was very concerned about what you, the moviegoer and fan, thinks about Star Wars. It wants to please you. It wants to be comfort food. And it’s very, very good at that.

But with Star Wars: The Last Jedi, director Rian Johnson wants to burn Star Wars to the ground. Not because he harbors ill will toward it, but because he loves it. He loves it so much that he wants to cleanse the garden and allow something fresh and new to grow. The Last Jedi is not concerned about what you, the moviegoer and fan, thinks about Star Wars. It wants to challenge you and make you question what Star Wars is and what it can be.

(This post contains major spoilers for Star Wars: The Last Jedi.)

An Answer to the Ellipsis

Star Wars: The Force Awakens concludes with one helluva cliffhanger. The Force-sensitive Rey arrives on the planet Ahch-To, tracks down the elusive Jedi master Luke Skywalker, and offers him his long-lost lightsaber. Luke’s face flashes with a dozen different emotions. You can practically feel the words crawling up his throat. And then the film ends, to be continued in two years. It’s a grand moment. An epic moment. A perfect finale for a film built out of questions and mysteries, a film about legacies and the shadows they leave behind.

And when we return to that scene in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Luke Skwalker accepts the lightsaber from Rey, examines it for a hot second, and casually tosses it over his shoulder. From its opening scenes, The Last Jedi makes it very clear where it stands – everything you thought this movie was going to be is incorrect. The symbols you hold dear, the symbols that J.J. Abrams held so dear in your stead, are being deliberately stripped of their power. If that shakes you, if that upsets you…well, that’s just Rian Johnson preparing you for what’s next. Abrams left him with an ellipsis, a “to be continued” that felt like a specific path. And Johnson takes a hard left turn in his land speeder, breaks through a fence, and goes off track into the wilderness.

Star Wars has gone off the rails. Either you’re going to be on board for the bumpy ride to a new place or you’re not. But the intentions are made early and they’re made perfectly clear.

Legends Bleed

Mark Hamill famously disagreed with Johnson on the direction of Luke Skywalker when he first read the screenplay for The Last Jedi, and it’s clear why. Luke, the farm boy who became a war hero who became a warrior knight who became his father’s savior, has fallen into disgrace. While The Force Awakens featured a Han Solo falling back into his old scoundrel ways (a position of comfort for those worried about a watered-down take on a character who was at his best when he wasn’t playing nice), The Last Jedi features a Luke Skywalker that is unlike anything we’ve seen before – a broken shell of a man who believes that everything he fought for and achieved was for naught. By telling young Rey that none of this matters, he’s also telling the audience the same thing. The stuff you love? The details that have reshaped pop culture and created a geek language that everyone speaks? Yeah, they’re wonky. Or rather, they’re broken. Your faith was flawed.

Luke’s hopelessness is especially affecting because the film is clearly on his side. This is not a movie where a plucky young Jedi-to-be shows up at the old master’s doorstep and teaches him how to hope again. This is a movie where a flawed old man with a lifetime of victories and regrets informs the decisions of a new generation of young heroes who need to find a new way to hope. Clearly, the old ways didn’t work because darkness rises again and there are still tyrannical man-babies trying to be the next Darth Vader. There’s a flaw in the system, buried too deep for most to see, and the only solution is to burn it all down.

The Last Jedi chooses to make this literal, as Luke Skywalker, wild and enraged, moves to burn down the ancient tree housing the ancient Jedi texts. But he doesn’t get to do it. Instead, the ghost of Yoda, the wizened master who trained him decades earlier, arrives, summons a lightning bolt, and does the job for him. This Yoda (once again depicted with a physical puppet after years of being a CGI creation) is very much the character we first met in The Empire Strikes Back – eccentric and wise and silly and profound in equal measure, the kind of old weirdo who has found grace and power in just letting go.

Johnson is clearly not a fan of the militarized, commanding Yoda of the prequels and the animated Clone Wars TV show. This Yoda cackles as he burns down what remains of the Jedi religion, the court jester whose mischief always carries greater meaning. This Yoda knows what Luke knows – the order to which he dedicated his long life is gone, and trying to recapture it is a fool’s errand. Why resurrect an archaic institution that cannot serve a new generation when you can let that new generation build something new for itself? Even Luke, a noble man who believed in the hidden goodness of Darth Vader, gave into his darkest feelings and considered murdering young Ben Solo in his sleep. The old ways failed Luke. They failed Ben. They will fail the Resistance. Luke knows this through anger and regret. Yoda knows this through wisdom and perspective.

It’s important that Johnson lets Yoda burn it all down and not Luke – the passing of the torch is not just the result of the failure of an old man who learned things the hard way, but it comes with the blessing of the wisest character in Star Wars canon. Luke knows that the Jedi must end, that they do not monopolize the Force, and that evil has flourished on their watch. But where Luke saw despair, Yoda sees a chance for renewal. Where J.J. Abrams saw a warm and comforting blanket that makes you feel really good, Rian Johnson sees that stagnation is the death of all things. Stagnation leads to Empires and First Orders. Hitting the reset button, breaking the machine, leads to revolutions. And after 40 years of circling similar ideas, Star Wars could use a revolution.

That revolution feels especially well-timed, as fans discuss whether or not “Luke would have done that.” Geeky debates will always exist (they’re the reason Star Wars thrives today), but maybe we should hone in on what The Last Jedi is telling us. Maybe it’s dangerous to worship our heroes to the point of idolatry, to convince ourselves that they can never do wrong, never make mistakes, and never let their hubris create monsters that threaten a new generation. Johnson sends Luke out on a high note, allowing him one more showdown with his former pupil in a fight that is pacifistic resistance at its most grand and extreme, but it’s the final gasp of the hero we once knew. Long live Luke Skywalker…but never forget that he erred. That he done fucked up.

Breaking Expectations

It’s easy to imagine Rian Johnson watching The Force Awakens and being thrilled. It’s a thrilling movie. It does that. It’s also easy to imagine Rian Johnson watching The Force Awakens and noting, “This Supreme Leader Snoke guy kinda sucks. I should do something about that.”

Despite being positioned as the Big Bad of the new trilogy, the overlord pulling the strings, Supreme Leader Snoke barely leaves an impression during his appearances in both Star Wars movies. His generic flavor of Almighty Galaxy-Destroying Jerk is something we’ve seen several times in Star Wars and countless times elsewhere. He’s dull. He’s especially dull when compared to the angsty, flawed, and powerfully human Ben Solo/Kylo Ren, played with such intensity and raw pain by Adam Driver.

But The Last Jedi knows our expectations. It knows that we think Snoke will remain a threat through the next movie and that Ben will find redemption. It focuses on Ben’s internal conflict as it showcases Snoke’s incredible power. As the son of Han Solo grows more sympathetic, his leader grows more godlike, revealing a command of the Force that allows him to flick enemies and allies alike around his throne room like gnats. The Last Jedi makes Kylo Ren more vulnerable as it makes Supreme Leader Snoke more unstoppable.

So yes, the death of Snoke is a disarming twist and a beautifully staged one – Snoke’s command of the Force bites him in the ass when he reads Ben’s feelings and intentions but cannot understand where they’re pointed. One little Force push from Ben Solo and Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber is activated, cutting the Supreme Leader in half and ending his reign of terror an entire movie earlier than anyone expected. It’s shocking. It’s hilarious. It’s bound to anger fans who have spent the past two years attempting to discern the identity of Snoke. Quite frankly, The Last Jedi doesn’t care about Snoke and it reacts accordingly – your Snoke theory never mattered because Snoke never mattered.

Part of this reflects Johnson’s interest in Ben Solo and his lack of interest in Snoke (can you blame him?), but it’s also a perfect reflection of the grander ideas at work in The Last Jedi. Luke Skywalker loomed large, but in the end, he was just a bitter old man with a chip on his shoulder. Snoke loomed large, but in the end, he was just an vicious old bastard whose backstory is unimportant and who gets stabbed in the back by his angsty student. In a universe where everything is connected, where we’ve been trained to expect greater meanings and profound truths, this is a punch to the gut. Not everything is connected. The mightiest can fall. And at some point, they probably should.

Snoke probably mattered once upon a time, to someone. But he’s gone now. Luke Skywalker mattered to the galaxy, but his time is over. The future has been yanked from the hands of past masters and the universe will be reshaped by Kylo Ren and Rey, who are both fighting for the same thing from opposite directions: the chance to build a future beyond the command of a generation that failed. Johnson’s decision to bring us even closer to Ben Solo, even allowing him to fight alongside Rey in an incredible lightsaber fight, before doubling down on him being irredeemable may be the best choice in a movie filled with audacious choices. Just because Darth Vader was redeemed doesn’t mean his nephew is going down the same path. And yeah, the motivations of this new villain make a certain amount of sense, don’t they? That should trouble you as much as it troubles Rey.

(As a side note, the sudden demise of Snoke feels akin to General Hux’s transformation into bumbling comedic relief. Some may take issue with him being reduced to a punching bag, but it once again feels like Johnson taking an ill-defined character from The Force Awakens and running wild with him, giving him something to do. The same goes for Maz Kanata, who is funnier and wilder in her brief cameo here than she was in The Force Awakens.)

Save the Things You Love

If the death of Snoke was The Last Jedi bursting a bubble, the revelation about Rey’s parents is…an even bigger bursting of an even bigger bubble. The Last Jedi is a movie about disappointment – your heroes are broken, your allies failed you, and your mystery parents, whose identity has been driving your entire existence so far, aren’t Skywalkers or Solos or Kenobis. They’re just some schmoes who sold you off and left you to rot on a backwater planet. If your last name is Skywalker, you’re destined for greatness. It’s a given. But what does it mean if your name is Rey? Just Rey?

The Last Jedi is full of nobodies brushing shoulders with somebodies. Rey discovers that her parents were drunks, simple traders who didn’t care about her, even as she trains under the legendary Luke Skywalker. Poe Dameron must grapple with the fact that he’s taking orders from General Leia Organa, a woman who has suffered and bled and fought for the Galaxy for 30 years, and therefore knows what’s right more often than him. And poor Rose must come to terms with the fact that Finn, a “hero” of the Resistance, is prepared to desert the moment things get tough. The new men and women of Star Wars (with the notable exception of Kylo Ren) are profoundly ordinary. Or rather, they’re profoundly ordinary people forced to live up to the extraordinary people around them, even as those extraordinary people often let them down.

I imagine we’ll see Star Wars fans upset about Rey not being a secret Skywalker or a Kenobi or a clone of Emperor Palpatine or the reincarnated Anakin Skywalker (the internet is a bad place), but Rey’s origin as just a person is more powerful than even the most shocking twist. Luke Skywalker and Anakin Skywalker emerged from a nothing planet as nobodies and rose to the occasion, stumbling into destinies they could never have imagined. To tie every character of significance to them and their circle of allies and enemies would be to rob them of their power. The beauty of Star Wars, since its earliest days, has been the depiction of heroes coming from every corner and every walk of life. A farm boy. A princess. A smuggler. They have no business saving the galaxy, but damn it, they have to! Who else will?

And now we have an orphaned scavenger abandoned by her completely un-noteworthy parents, a conflicted deserter from a vicious military regime, and a skilled pilot with a lot to learn about leadership. The next generation of Star Warsheroes are born from disappointment, the disappointment of having to live in the shadow of heroes and the disappointment of having to fight the war that those heroes failed to actually win all those years ago. No one should have to do this. No young person should have to go to war. Why should these kids, with no connection to the previous generation beyond being unfortunate enough to exist in the same galaxy as Luke, Han, and Leia, suffer for the sins of the Skywalker family?

They shouldn’t, but this is the hand that was dealt to them. And they’re going to fight because that’s what heroes do, no matter where they come from. Secret parentage that supplies an easily digestible explanation for your superpowers is for chumps…and Jedi masters who spend their final days in self-imposed exile.

A Long Time Ago…

Think back to the original Star Wars, the 1977 film, back before it was subtitled “A New Hope” and before it inspired an entire multimedia franchise. Look at the man who made it: George Lucas, a young hotshot, a proper artist, whose previous brush with science fiction resulted in the grim THX 1138. That film wears its politics, and its anger and frustration, on its sleeve. And while Star Wars is an infinitely more accessible film, it’s still the work of the same man and he’s still speaking the same language. A “fun” movie about a team of freedom fighters battling an oppressive, fascist regime is inherently political. Lucas knew this more than anyone and he even kept it alive in the much-derided prequels, which ended up being an entire trilogy of films about the failure of democracy in the face of a tyrannical despot.

When Lucas conceived Star Wars, it was as fresh and radical as anything else made in the American New Wave of the ’70s. But by Return of the Jedi, the ragtag Rebel alliance felt safer and the Force more of a superpower than a mystical way of life. An already simple premise was made simpler, an undesirable turn after The Empire Strikes Back doubled down on Lucas’ original concepts. It’s telling that The Force Awakens feels like a cinematic adaptation of our nostalgic feelings about Star Wars instead of a Star Wars movie as conceived by George Lucas.

Perhaps that’s why The Last Jedi is such a jarring experience, one that feels specifically built to make audiences work through their feelings about this universe. Rian Johnson is unabashedly political and unafraid to slaughter the sacred cows. The First Order isn’t just a group of guys whose costumes provide cool cosplay opportunities – they are fascists, evil and cold and frightening. The Resistance isn’t a team of plucky heroes – they are a band of fighters who are specifically cast with diverse men and women to reflect the fears and frustrations of millennials who feel trapped and afraid in a world where resistance often feels futile (and who really wouldn’t mind tearing apart a casino city operated by the 1%). The Force isn’t just a cool excuse for heroes to lift rocks – it is something mystical and mysterious that cannot be easily explained and comprehended, something that even Luke Skywalker has a complex relationship with at this point.

Even the Lando surrogate, the unnamed codebreaker played by Benicio del Toro, offers no easy answers as he betrays our heroes and doesn’t even reach for apology or redemption. Even the goofy humor that arrives early and often is a departure from the norm, a case of Johnson making the movie his own rather than following a style guide. The Last Jedifeels like a movie young George Lucas, passionate and bold, would have made. It feels like a proper Star Wars movie by refusing to feel like a Star Wars movie.

The Force Awakens and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story want to please you. They want to hit familiar beats and remind you why you love Star Wars. They are so much fun. But The Last Jedi doesn’t want to remind you of anything. It doesn’t care about your relationship with Star Wars. The only relationship that matters here is Rian Johnson’s relationship with Star Wars, and for the first time in a long time, here is a Star Wars movie with a proper point of view, one delivered by a storyteller who is unafraid to shatter a universe he loves, to break down the heroes that mean so much to him. A wise and noble Luke is easy. A Luke with regrets? That’s hard. That’s tough to swallow. That’s what elevates The Last Jedi beyond a simple retread – it asks you to take these characters seriously in a way that other Star Wars films have not, to acknowledge them as something beyond a vessel for escapism. Star Wars can only matter in the long run if it’s given the room to grow. And right now, it feels like the sky is the limit. Right now, Star Wars feels…unsafe.

And that feels great.

###

At its core, the The Last Jedi is a film learning to move on from the past, and accepting that you can’t go back to the way things were. It’s not even particularly subtle about it. It’s not even subtext, the message is literally stated by at least two different characters in the film.

ALRIGHT YOU FUCKERS

We’re gonna talk about THIS shit right here.

Women get so upset when men do THIS SHIT to them. I have gone through these tags and it’s all about putting men down. Are you guys serious?!!! Stop being children. All you ‘feminists’ talk about equality but most of them put men down in the process.

NOW IMA SAY IT LOUD AND CLEAR

Men are great Boys are beautiful Boys are smart Men are strong Boys are amazing Boys are cool as heck Men are wonderful MASCULINE ALLIED PEOPLE ARE ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL AND DON’T DESERVE THIS SHIT

You shouldn’t be put down for your gender. Masculine OR feminine. Does not matter. I don’t care if you aren’t attracted to males. I don’t care if a boy has hurt you. DO NOT PUT DOWN EACH OTHER BASED ON THEIR GENDER.

Now stop being childish and just hug/hand shake it out.

Ok, so…I need more blogs to follow but I don’t know how to start, can we make a thing? like this if you like some of the next things so we can be mutuals.

Little Mix

Emblem3

5 Seconds of Summer

Kpop (but mostly Twice, Seventeen, Monsta X and A.C.E) 

Teen Wolf

Scorpion

The Infernal Devices/The Mortal Instruments

Percy Jackson/Magnus Chase

Supergirl, Arrow, The Flash

The Walking Dead

Harry Potter

Stranger Things

iZombie

Supernatural 

Reign

*credit to gif owner. I was sent this

A/N: Also thank you to @iknowyoufeelme for helping me brainstorm a few ideas for this imagine.

   Calum was walking an appropriate distance in front of you as you discreetly trailed behind him. Your mood at the moment was not the happiest and you were trying to keep up with the tall boy as you two made your way to class. You knew the rules of being a side chick. Never interact in public especially when Calum’s girlfriend was around, never fall for the guy you’re sleeping with, and always keep things on the down low. You’ve heard of stories where things had gone wrong and you wanted to avoid that at all costs. Though you had a safety net. Being in the same class as Calum allowed you to talk to him in public, using class work as an excuse to talk with him outside of your hook up time. “Calum,” you timidly said, trying to get his attention and weaving through the crowd as you came up close behind him. “Calum,” you repeated, reaching out to pinch at his arm only for him to pay attention to your next words. “Are we going to the frat party tonight?” you asked. The words came out loud and Calum’s head whipped around, his eyebrow rose, and he gave you a once over. Then he turned back around and continued his trek to the 1pm class. It was the action he gave when he shrugged someone off which is what he had just done to you.

Your pace quickened and soon you were walking beside him. “It was a yes or no question so don’t shrug me off,” you said in a strong voice. Entering inside the building for the Psych 102 class. Calum glanced around at his surroundings before quickly pulling you under the staircase.

“I am going to the party, but not with you…look, Y/N don’t overstep your role. I have a girlfriend and this-” he gestured between the two of you, “This does not see the daylight. Only the darkness of your bedroom or the backseat of my car. Got it?” His words came out cold and you felt a chill run down your spine at the dark stare he was giving you. Calum’s eyebrows rose in question. You swallowed hard and nodded. 

“Got it,” you whispered, almost feeling your breath being sucked out of you as Calum left. Rule number three: don’t catch feelings. That was hard not to do. Sure you enjoyed the sex, but after hooking up with Calum so many times how could you not fall for him? His girlfriend was getting everything you wanted. Calum was emotionally and sexually available for her, but of course there had to be something wrong with his relationship if he was seeking sex from you. You waited a couple of minutes before walking out from under the staircase. Minutes later you entered the classroom and sat two rows and one spot away in front of Calum. No contact whatsoever. 

You chin rested in the palm of your hand as you scribbled down some notes that were written up on the slide. You felt yourself begin to doze off and your eyes landed on the clock rested above the whiteboard. A small groan left your lips as you realized there was still fifteen minutes left of class. Throughout the whole lesson your instructor had been rambling on about dreams connection to memory. You had gone into your own thoughts. Thinking mostly of Calum and how you felt about being in the situation that you were in. Your head tilted to the side and you took a glance at the Kiwi boy. Calum looked bored with the lesson. He was leaning back in his seat with crossed arms and an expression you couldn’t quite read. You felt a tap on your shoulder and your attention was brought to the person sitting next to you. You stared at the guy and your mind raced to place a name to the face. “Hey are you going to the Alpha Omega frat party tonight?” he asked. Eric Knight, you thought to yourself. The two of you had often talked, but it had never gone more then at least five sentences to one another.

“Uh maybe not. I have a ten page paper to write for English,” you lied. Truth was you had finished that paper three days ago, but you remembered Calum saying that he was going to be at the party with his girlfriend. Him being at the party with her meant that you couldn’t attend. Rule number six: never be in the same location as the main chick.

“Awe come on! You’re the life of the party without you there it’d just be bleh,” Eric smiled, playfully nudging you in the side. You chuckled at his words and shrugged your shoulders. 

“I’ll think about it,” you told him, “Not making any promises though.” Eric’s smile grew into a grin and he nodded at your words. His smile only made you smile.

“Well I hope you do come,” he last said, starting to pack his stuff up. You looked around and realized everyone else was also doing the same. Eric gave you a wave goodbye and left out the room. You smiled to yourself and began to pack up your stuff. Your teeth sunk into your bottom lip and you shook your head to stop the thoughts that were running through your mind. Your conversations with Eric usually ended in that way. His charm rubbing off on you in a good way. He was always flirting with you and often times wanted to hang out. Though your small banters only stayed behind the classroom and at parties. 

Calum was leaning against the wall next to the door when you left the classroom. He’d never wait on you unless he was in the mood, but as you looked at him quizzically you could tell that wasn’t the case now. You didn’t allow him to say a word only brushing past him at a quick pace. Calum had told you to stay in your place and so that’s what you were going to do. “Don’t ignore me,” Calum said, his voice sounding raspy. His chest was pressed up against your back and for some reason the action made your core throb. Luckily for the both of you the hallway was packed as everyone was leaving the building or traveling to their next class. You kept quiet and waited for him to say something else. “What did Eric want?” Calum questioned, pinching at your hip. 

“He was asking if I was going to the party,” you told Calum. He let out a low chuckle at your words and without turning around you could already see him shaking his head. 

“You’re not going. I’m gonna be there with Ria remember,” he said, “I don’t want you anywhere near her.” You frowned at Calum’s words and let out a huff. Your social life basically didn’t exist anymore because Calum was always going to be at some party or event with his girlfriend. It irked you to the core and you knew your friends were starting to worry.

“I told him I wasn’t going, so cool yourself alright,” you snapped. Calum smirked at the reaction he got from you. His eyes scanning over your backside for a second. His hand reached out to grab your elbow and to make you stop walking. You let out a deep sigh and you turned to look at him. 

“Why don’t we sneak away to our little spot,” Calum suggested, wanting to take your mind off the party. “I can do that thing you wanted,” he smirked. You rolled your eyes and pulled away from his touch. 

“You have to meet Ria in five minutes and I’m hungry, so I think I’ll pass.” With that said you walked from him and headed towards the Dining Hall. As much as you wanted to feel Calum inside of you, you were also pissed off at him. In spite you had decided on going to the party. Just for one night you didn’t want to be Calum’s side chick. You wanted to enjoy yourself and who was he to tell you not to.

     Your friends hooted in happiness as you walked out your room dressed up for the party. “YOU LOOK HOT!” your best friend, Deandra, shouted. “Give me a twirl girl,” she said spinning her finger around. You laughed in delight and turned around to show them the back of your outfit. They cheered even more which only made you laugh harder. It had been a long time since you had gone out with the girls. Calum was the main reason for that. The only person that knew you were a side chick was Deandra. Though she didn’t approve of it you were still her best friend and she wasn’t going to love you any less. 

“Alright, alright let’s go before I completely back out of this idea,” you said, grabbing your phone from off the charger. Everyone began to leave your shared apartment and made their way out to the car. Deandra stayed behind with you and waited till the room was clear before speaking.

“Have fun tonight and please don’t let that ass-hat stop you from having a good time,” she said. You smiled at her words and nodded. The two of you left to catch up with the rest of the group. You were about to break rule number six. As long as you stayed a safe distance away from Calum and his girl you should be fine.

Music was blasting loud in your ears and the smell of alcohol instantly hit you as you entered the frat house. You smiled at the sight in front of you; a crowd of diverse people all having fun, drinking, and dancing. You had missed the party scene it almost felt like you were home and a warm feeling of comfort slid down your spine. You followed your group of friends, weaving through everyone until you made it into the kitchen. One of your friends grabbed a cup from off the counter and picked up a bottle of alcohol. “Ladies let’s toast to commemorate Y/N for finally leaving her damn apartment and joining us once again on a party night!” she said, raising the bottle high in the air. You rolled your eyes at her words and raised your empty cup in the air with everyone else. 

“Well let’s party then!” you shouted, earning cheers from everyone that was in close proximity of your group. You laughed loudly and grabbed the bottle of alcohol from your friend, pouring it in your cup, and mixing it with some soda. Everyone dispersed and you found yourself joining a group of people watching a game of beer pong. You sipped on your drink and turned away from the game to scan over the room. Not too far away you spotted Calum with his own group of friends. His arm was draped around Ria and whispering in her ear about something. He hadn’t noticed you yet which was good. 

“You came!” a familiar voice yelled. You turned around to see Eric. He had changed into a button down shirt and jeans. His light brown hair hidden underneath a snapback just a few strands of it poking out. Your eyes lit up and you embraced him in a hug.

“Yeah I thought why not have some fun ya know,” you said, pulling away from him. “Who did you come with?” you asked, feeling Eric’s hand grab yours and pull you away from the game. 

“I came with a few of the guys. They’re somewhere around probably out back,” Eric said loud enough for you to hear. “What about you?” he asked, pulling you into a corner of the living room.

“I came with my friends too,” you told him, back pressed against the wall as you leaned against it. “It’s been a while since I last came to one of these,” you admitted raising the cup up to your lips. Eric nodded at your words and his arm draped over your shoulder. He pointed over to a crowd of people and brought your attention to it.

“Well one thing you’ve missed is that now there are bets placed on how long some of the guys can stay up on the beer keg,” he explained, “My bets on Cooper over there. So far he’s won by ten minutes.” You laughed at the news and then scrunched your face up. 

“Uh I’m not one for gambling,” you chuckled, looking over to him. Eric nodded at your words and instead pulled you towards the center where everyone was dancing. Eric began to shimmy around in his spot and rocked his hips to the music.

“I know you can dance beautiful, so show me what you got!” he yelled making everyone’s attention land on the two of you. You began to laugh and started to dance to the music. Your favorite song came on and Eric pulled you into him. You turned around and began to grind into him, feeling his hands land on your hips. It had been such a long time since you had let loose and the alcohol running through your veins only elevated your experience. It all seemed to end quickly when you caught Calum’s eye. He was in the middle of kissing Ria, but his eyes were trained on you. Your shook your head and tried to focus on the hot guy you were dancing with. Calum’s stare was making you uncomfortable and you turned around to face Eric. “Are you okay?” he asked, noticing your smile had faded. 

“Yeah. Hey do you want to go somewhere?” you questioned, jutting your thumb over your shoulder towards the exit. You were both swaying to the music now and Eric nodded. You could still feel Calum’s stare and you shifted in your spot. “I’m kinda craving some Mickey D’s fries and I believe I saw one down the street,” you explained, “So I was thinking maybe we could leave the party for a bit and do a quick food run.” Eric looked down at his feet and a small smile embraced his face. 

“That actually sounds like a great idea,” he said, his hand sliding down your arm and interlocking your fingers together. He pulled you towards the door and you both made your way to the McDonald’s that was down the street. It was a bit chilly out as the both of you walked and continued to talk some more. “Can I admit something though?” Eric asked after a while as your laughter died down. You nodded and went quiet as you waited for what he had to say. Instead he held the door open for you and you walked into the fast food restaurant. You were still a bit on edge from Calum’s staring and the fact that Eric hasn’t told you what he wanted only increased it. “Two large fries and two sweet teas,” he said, pulling out his wallet to pay. Once you got your order, you both went to find a seat. 

“So what did you want to admit?” you giggled in a teasing tone, sliding into a booth that was in the back corner. Eric slid in next to you, his arm resting over your shoulder. You began to munch on the salty treat and turned in your spot to give him your undivided attention.

“I’m glad you came tonight because it gives me the opportu-”

Carrie Fisher (October 21, 1956)