not your baby

LEN: hello????

LEN: WHAT is going on w you and ambrose

LEN: are you okay??

CEE: if only i knew

DIANNA: hey, i thought you and ambrose were just... being yourselves, but i'm sorry if i didn't stand up for you

DIANNA: you okay? call me if you need me. i love you

CEE: yeah, i thought so too. but no apologies necessary, babe

AUGUST: hey, hope today has been less hectic for you than last night. though that shouldn't be too hard.

AUGUST: anyway, just wanted to say thanks again.

AUGUST: glad we buried the hatchet.

CJ: i think last night's drama will tide us over for a few weeks without another incident. i hope so, at least.

CJ: me too. still kind of feels like a fever dream tbh.

owen: oh well, my personal life is a disaster but at least i’m thriving professionally :)

owen: didn’t you say you’re skating again? i don’t want to get yelled at if you break something!!!!!

cj: i know. my dad is actually singing around the house because he's so proud. do i have to beat someone up?

miles. 

there’s a framed photo in miles’s childhood bedroom - from a christmas tree lighting when he was about four years old. red and green hues dye smooth skin with luminescent light. big smiles on young faces, both arms around cara jones. it sits nestled on his desk, in the corner, long forgotten through years of being away. but this morning, when he woke up, before coming to the safety of their shared treehouse, it caught miles’s eye. the way she had been so integral in his life prior to theo’s adoption was something he missed greatly. to have someone on his side and, while he knows that theo should be the one to tell her, he can’t seem to hold back. can’t seem to do this without the one person who was there before everything changed. when she tells him to come close, he slips arms tightly around cara’s waist, holding her as close as he can. there is a long span of silence as, for the first time since initially finding out about his mother, he lets out tears. body shaking gently with sobs, miles buries his face into his lifelong friend’s neck. “i’m so sorry,” he whispers. “i should’ve told you sooner.”

AUGUST: it has a surprisingly good selection for a town this size.

AUGUST: what can i say? i enjoy hitting two birds with the same stone, saves time.

(after a beat)

AUGUST [UNSENT]: i am tired of disliking you for no reason. and it hurts theo. so i would like to stop.

AUGUST: so? you feeling like crossing your good deed of the month off the list?

CJ: [ typing ... ]

CJ: [ typing ... ]

CJ: my good deed is continuing to live in this town but fuck it, fine.

owen: oh shit. what did you do?

cj: nothing, nerd. just wanted to see what's up.

AUGUST: i’ll check it out of the library. i only ever read his novels.

AUGUST: i believe this is what you could call “an attempt to be civil.”

CJ: between you, me and sav, that dusty little library gets a lot of action.

miles. 

closed starter for the queen of all queens @illicitx​

miles has been pacing the length of the treehouse for what feels like hours ( in reality, just ten minutes or so ) and it’s like the words are caught in his throat. he’s not sure if theo has been in contact with cj or if she already knows, but regardless - it’s obvious that something is wrong now. his heart is in his brain, pulsating with fear, paralyzing his words. the only thing he wants to say is that he needs her now more than ever. that cara jones, the friend, came at the exact time his life would threaten his sobriety once again. it’s after one more paced length of the house that he turns to look at the brunette who has kept him stable in so many ways over the last month. two blinks. “delilah is sick,” he says it like it’s one word, eyes immediately swimming in tears. “breast cancer. they’re acting like it’s not bad, like she’ll beat it,” tongue runs along bottom teeth as hands settle on his hips. there’s a slight hesitance, a soft sigh. “but nothing’s promised, huh?” 

delia. 

closed starter for @illicitx​

how many times had delia wished for a chance like this in the passing years? dark eyes scan over the lithe form as it cuts through ice, tosses itself into the air, and lands distinctly straight on the ice. a gasp - hot air breathing fog into the cold air of the rink. how immeasurably perfect could one girl be? even still, ages after forming a quiet understanding of one another, cara jones was able to take her breath away. a soft crush still stirred in her belly - as many crushes on various women in this town had over the years following high school. cordelia’s hands, thin and frigid, crash together in a frenzy of excitement. the sound echos against the walls, brows spiking upward as she realizes that, other than cj, there’s no one else in the room. hands clasp over mouth as the giggly girl leans against the half wall surrounding the rink. “i…” flushed cheeks. “i was just dropping off some stuff to mr. daly - he’s obsessed with my mom’s chinese soup and thought i’d peek in to see if you were here. and just my luck… you are.” 

AUGUST: so, stephen king, huh?

AUGUST: is "it" your favorite book by him?

CJ: nah, i like his anthologies better so i'd recommend ' full dark, no stars ' if you're looking.

dante.

it’s as though he’d gotten the opportunity to tread through his past life, cj’s embrace, her honey soft voice in his ears, her ease, all transportive. dante resisted the urge to take her hand and parade her around his woodsy neighborhood. this is my FRIEND! he’d yell, prideful. “i have the movie set up –” he gestures to the tv, shia labeouf’s expression illuminating the living room whose light had faded with the sinking sun. “i still don’t know what it’s about, but i- well,” dante gathers, taking a spot on the suede couch owen’s mother had kindly selected for her son and his friend’s place. he laid a hand beside him, encouraging cj to join him. “first, what, what have you been up to?” he finishes, shaking another smile loose from his features, so frequently knotted tight. “i don’t- i don’t know anything!” 

when she looked at dante, she could still see the kids that they were. she could relive all the good parts of her childhood in moments like this. she puts everything she’s brought on the table before moving to join him, warm eyes scanning the little, homey touches that had owen’s mom written all over them. in this apartment, she couldn’t help but feel safe. “ confession? the move was all an elaborate cover up for us to catch up. ” she tucks a leg beneath her, the soft smile all brought on by her friend’s presence. “ well, i’ve been training again. with a partner. with levi, actually. it’s kind of weird to have to rely on someone else but i’m glad it’s him. ” a fist is propped under her chin, dark hair fanning over her arm as it rests on the couch. “ c’mon, fill me in on the life and times of dante evers. ”