monachopis

[Card]

Happy birthday, Arden! @ourardenoliver

We’re sorry that we can’t be in California for your special day but the guest room at our place is ready and waiting for you as soon as you’ve finished kicking ass this semester. 

We love you and miss you!

Love always, 

“Cotton is apart of the basics. T-shirts, sweatshirts, leggings, and so much more are made from cotton. Fashion is always changing but a white t-shirt with some jeans will always be a classic.” Ivy shrugged. “The pretzels at the mall are so good. Now I can’t wait for the day to be over.”

“You make a good point. I know it’s basic but a white t-shirt with jeans does always look good”, Lola agreed. “I don’t think I’ve ever managed to go to the mall and not buy a pretzel”, she laughed. 

“I hear you. Well, I don’t need to go to AA or NA, but group sessions are pretty much the only way my mental state is surviving right now.” Ivy sighed softly. Even after 13 years, the topic of her brother was still a touchy subject. “I just don’t think I’ll ever be ready for that.”

“Honestly, this group was a godsend for me. I don’t think I’d be nearly as stable without it”, Lola agreed. “That’s okay too. Not everyone in group needs to be the best of friends outside of the sessions. Some people find that the sessions themselves are helpful enough and friendships aren’t what they’re here for”.

“exactly. for me it’s all about the view and getting that sense of clarity. the fact that it helps to keep me in shape is merely just a bonus.” liam chuckled. he smiled as the other began introducing themself, he too extending his hand in order to shake hers. “liam. it’s a pleasure to meet you.” he genuinely spoke. “so if you hike this every day i’m assuming it’s pretty safe here?”

“I completely agree. That clarity has been essential for maintaining my sobriety”, Lola confided in him. It had taken a lot of work but she was no longer ashamed about her battles with addiction and never had an issue talking about it, even with people that she was just meeting. “I’m guessing you’re new to MU? I feel like we would have crossed paths already if you’ve been here for a while”, she said. “It’s definitely safe, it’s just a bit steeper and not quite as smooth as some of the other, more well travelled, trails”.

“To be honest, that sounded kind of sexual. But no. Not really,” she chuckled.

“I was going for a homicidal vibe, not a creepy sexual predator one”, Lola jokingly clarified. 

“And you enjoy knowing them all?” Finn wasn’t especially interested in forming a large social circle; he was more selective. “Ahh, well. I wasn’t thinking about who might be watching,” he admitted with a small smile.

“For the most part, yes. It’s not like I consider everyone on campus my best friend or anything but I’ve always been a pretty social person”, Lola explained. “Fair enough, it definitely seemed like you were lost in the moment before I interrupted”.

“We’re both competitive individually. Imagine what we’re like together. The shit talking gets insane.” Violet joked. “He strikes me as that too. I’ll have to come up with a different prize since he never used that one.”

“I’m just keeping my fingers crossed that one of you doesn’t snap and murder the other during a competition”, Lola laughed. “You should take him to Adventure Central, I swear that’s his favourite place on campus”.

“See? It helps keep you busy as well,” Hannah added. “A few months ago now, actually,” she replied. “The discount’s nothing special but, it’s makeup I would’ve bought anyway so, I’m still saving some money. Why? Want me to grab you something?” Hannah offered. It was the least she could do for how generous Lola had been to her. “I also get to try out a bunch of the stuff to see if I like it. It’s a win-win. Minus the annoying customers.”

Lola just laughed at Hannah’s comment, that part of the conversation reaching a natural conclusion. “I was asking because I was curious but now that you mention it, I would love some of their moisturiser. I’m starting to run low”, Lola admitted. “You seem happier with this job than you were at Mars Bar, which is nice”.

“You can’t hate me on my birthday,” he grinned. “I trust you! Want me to do a trust fall right now?”

“Should I save said hatred until tomorrow then?” Lola jokingly questioned. “Please don’t! You’re too drunk to catch me and I’m wearing heels, which means I strongly doubt that I’ll be able to catch you without us both hitting the ground”.

“No one envies you for that job I’m sure,” Jack agreed with her. “I dunno. It always felt like easy money. People hired me because I had muscles. It was always so superficial. Think of an industry full of Hannah Callaghans.”

“I just wish the pay was better”, Lola joked. “What does it matter if it’s easy money?” she challenged. “If you can find an easy way to make money, why would you reject that in favour of a  more challenging way; especially if it’s during a time of your life when you really need money?”

“Part of the fun is letting people wonder what category they fall into,” Hannah’s smile widened, not confirming or denying Lola’s statement. “I’ve got to admit to you, Lola. I’ve been pretty boring myself. Although, I did recently start working at York’s. It’s a little better than slumming it at the bar. I can’t drink or smoke on the job though. I mean, I technically wasn’t supposed to do that at the bar either but, it was a little more acceptable.”

“I’m just going to keep deluding myself about the category that I fall into”, Lola laughed. “You quit Mars? When did that happen?” Granted, Lola certainly wasn’t a frequent customer now that she was sober so it wasn’t outside of the realm of possibility that she hadn’t realised until now. “Do you get a decent discount at Yorks? That would be a pretty huge benefit of working there”.

“Technically I won the actual wager before that so I had to let him win something or he’d be pouty all night.” Violet half lied. She’d won the first one which gave her the perfect opportunity to lie about the second half. “That’s a point. He won a fake girlfriend to help him get rid of girls after a hook up. I guess he won’t be needing that now.”

“The two of you are so competitive”, Lola laughed. “I should hope not! He’s never struck me as the cheating type. Once he’s in a relationship, he’s completely committed”.

Adrian laughed as he rolled his eyes playfully. “Hey! First off, if you have a kid, I’ll definitely love them as my own.” Adrian pointed out. “And second, I would not be the creepy uncle or anything with your daughter. I’ll be the cool uncle to the point where Ollie would probably hate me for giving his kids permission to do dumb things when he said no.”

“That’s very sweet of you”, Lola said, a fond smile warming her face. “... and you’ve immediately ruined the sweetness. If you’re going to insist on being the cool uncle that gives our kids permission to do dumb things, I’m the one that won’t allow you anywhere near our daughter!”

“If you lead, I’ll follow.” Ivy promised. “Yeah. It’s just… you know, they know about my brother and that’s a heavy thing to share with other people. It’s not often I talk about my traumas to a group of strangers.”

“As tempting as it is, it’s probably not a great idea for me. Group is pretty instrumental in maintaining my sobriety... well, group combined with individual therapy, AA, and NA”, Lola explained. “I get it. Even after all this time, I still struggle to talk about my dad and my mother. It took me a while to feel comfortable talking in group and even longer to feel comfortable to talk to the other group members outside of sessions”.

“Silk, lace, and if you can believe it, cotton.” Ivy had been working with fabrics long enough to know that cotton was so common, it was just apart of the basics. “Mall food isn’t all bad.”

“Silk and lace I can understand but cotton is a surprising answer”. Lola knew that it was a common fabric but she tended to overlook it herself. “I do love mall pretzels. I promise I’m not as snobby as I sound”, she joked.