‧⊹₊⋆ 𝑚𝑦 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟.

      helena  had  been  lucky  enough  not  to  have  any  interactions  with  jina  for  the  entire  morning  —  but  as  bad  luck  would  have  it,  the  locker  she'd  chosen  before  class  was  directly  next  to  the  locker  of  the  person  she's  been  trying  to  avoid.  ❝  just  like  usual.  great  and  productive.  i  have  a  meeting  with  my  manager  in  the  evening,  but  i  suppose  i  could  squeeze  something  into  my  schedule.  ❞  helena  responds,  smile  not  quite  reaching  her  eyes.  she  raises  an  eyebrow  when  jina  continues.  ❝  a  smoothie  ?  none  for  me,  thank  you.  i  usually  just  get  a  bottle  of  mineral  water  to  cool  down.  is  that  an  essential  part  of  your  …  ballerina  diet  ?  ❞

jina can only blink at the quip, movements slowing while collecting her things. she'd be a liar if she said she didn't notice the lack of warmth coming from helena in all of their previous interactions. the ice seems to be a little chillier now. " um, you don't have to if you don't have time. i just thought i'd ask. " she spritzes her face with tower 28 spray and lets her shoulders shrug, pulling bag and love shack fancy stanley from the locker. " my what ? " she bites her lip, a movement so quick that one blink would miss it. " no, i'm not on some special diet. " for some reason, the notion settles in the pit of her stomach a bit uncomfortably. " i thought maybe you would've wanted one, is all. guess i was wrong. "

               perhaps   this   dinner   was   ill-thought.   but,   she   had   made   her   promises,   and   any   excuse   used   at   this   point   would   be   more   demeaning,   more   taxing,   and   cause   more   trouble   than   it   was   worth.   she   must   put   on   her   brave   face;   even,   if   at   its   bravest,   it   was   still   quite   unrefined.   “   how—   how   was   italy?   ”   pearls   clasps   her   hands   behind   her   back,   rocking   on   her   feet   in   a   motion   that   is   meant   to   look   nonchalant,   though,   maybe   appears   most   like   she   is   struggling   to   find   her   balance.   “   pretty.   pretty   hot,   i   bet.   ”   she   manages   a   bit   of   chuckling;   or,   a   half-chuckle.   something   close   to   a   chuckle,   anyway.   “   is   it,   uh.   is   the   heat.   is   it   similar   to   how   it   is,   in   texas?   maybe,   worse.   or,   better.   the   same?   ”

her stomach churns, entirely unrelated to the growing life in her belly, sweeping her hair behind her ear. " italy was nice— beautiful, actually. i've been before, but never to the coast so i was pleasantly surprised once we got there. " a small smile pulls at the corner of her lips. she can tell that pearl is trying, so gianna figures she'll do the same. she flits around merrick in the kitchen and opens the fridge, reaching in for the mint lemonade she made earlier. " do you want some ? " she asks, gesturing with the glass pitcher. " the heat's not as bad, thank god. don't you think, merrick ? " her hand absentmindedly brushes over her stomach. " we should sit down at the table, yeah ? we have some good news to share with you. " ( @fawnvinyl. )

PAT CHAYANIT WITH COS

────               sometimes  ,  amara  forgets  how  nice  it  is  to  host  when  the  event  itself  doesn't  physically  stress  her  out  .  always  loved  having  people  over  ,  figured  half  the  point  of  having  a  house  this  big  was  to  fill  it  with  those  you  loved  .  her  gaze  is  fixated  on  the  backyard  from  the  kitchen  ,  too  busy  watching  her  friends  and  family  enjoy  themselves  that  it  startles  her  when  august  pops  up  from  around  the  corner  .  "  oh  god  .  .  .  "  lets  out  a  laugh  akin  to  a  sharp  huff  from  the  nose  ,  nodding  over  towards  the  mountain  of  food  they've  already  amassed  on  the  counter  nearby  .  "  i'm  starting  to  think  we  need  to  ban  him  from  cooking  any  more  ⸺  i  hope  you  know  you'll  be  taking  some  of  this  home  with  you  ,  "  knew  better  than  to  ever  let  a  guest  leave  with  empty  hands  or  an  empty  stomach  ,  principle  she  always  stuck  to  .  "  you  enjoying  yourself  ?  i  think  beau  doesn't  like  to  admit  it  but  he  always  gets  so  excited  when  there's  finally  some  boys  around  to  talk  to  instead  of  me  and  gianna  and  emi  just  blabbing  in  his  ear  about  god  knows  what  ,  "  her  own  husband  a  victim  of  too  many  unsolicited  girl's  night  chats  to  count  .  "  you  and  emi  look  nice  together  .  .  .  "  smooth  ,  amara  ,  real  smooth  ,  "  i  think  she  was  kinda  nervous  to  bring  you  around  ,  it's  sweet  .  "

august is surprised he accepted noemi's invitation. not that he didn't want to go or that he didn't want to see her, but as it'd be a breakthrough he didn't think he'd ever reach. he never thought he'd become comfortable enough to attend a party that didn't consist of his family. he supposes his definition of family is different now. a grin is etched on the fireman's features, balancing the tray of food clearly meant for a football team. " you reckon it's 'cause he's got his restaurant ? cookin' for the masses and all that. " his mama was just like merrick— food wise. wells matriarch had a habit of overcooking and over purchasing when it came to hosting parties, so he's not shocked by the massive amounts available to them. he nods at amara's question, feeling a deep warmth settle in his chest. " yeah, i am. it's been a long time since i've gone to a pool party. " august turns, resting back on the counter and letting his gaze drift out to where everyone else is enjoying the festivities. " trust me, i'm used to hearing all the girl talk whenever she stays over. it's better than hearing about my sister's college drama. " a small reveal, one that he brushes past without much of a second thought. brow lifts, chuckling. " oh, do we now ? " he can't ignore how his chest grows a little warmer. " was a bit nervous to come myself— she talks highly of you and gianna. didn't want to disappoint. "

       she'd  ordered  something  called  a  turkey  leg  ,  and  had  agreed  readily  when  asked  if  she  wanted  it  '  texas  -  style  '  ,  unsure  what  that  meant  but  looking  forward  to  finding  out  .  but  now  here  she  was  ,  half  an  hour  later  ,  with  a  turkey  leg  the  size  of  an  entire  roast  chicken  gripped  in  fist  ,  making  her  feel  more  like  a  caveman  with  a  club  than  a  southern  belle  .  she  needed  to  get  rid  of  this  thing  .  spotting  the  first  familiar  face  ,  silver  speaks  up.  "  oh  ,   thank  god  !  will  you  please  help  me  with  this  ?  it's  supposedly  a  turkey  leg  —  texas  -  sized  ,  obviously  —  but  i've  never  seen  a  turkey  with  legs  this  big  .  "  she  holds  up  the  snack  ,  larger  than  her  head  .  "  i  can't  eat  anymore  ,  but  i  can't  bear  to  waste  it  .  please  ?  i'll  even  buy  you  a  drink  if  you  take  it  off  my  hands  .  i'm  begging  .  "

he sips the drink in his hand, a strange combination of soda and vanilla cream, as silver's tone is steady on his eardrums. madelyn had just run off, leaving eldest wells child after checking in. august is sure she's off to hop onto her friend's boat. he'll keep his head on a swivel. " might be the gmos. " august responds with a small smile pulling at the corner of his lips. he looks between the turkey leg and silver once she holds it up to her head and lets out a quiet laugh. " hand it over. " he takes the greasy turkey leg from her grasp and takes a bite, savory flavor spreading on his tongue. " god, i haven't had one of these in forever. " his hand waves. " my sister left me with this weird drink that's surprisingly decent. " august blinks, setting his cup down on a nearby table. " you been out here for long ? "

David Corenswet as Clark Kent in Superman (2025)

&. open starter, vortex @ 8pm.

" i'm listening, i swear ! " she turns her attention to neomi with a soft breath. " how's he supposed to know you like him if you don't say anything ? he can't read your mind, silly. mm, maybe he can read your body language. " jina blinks rapidly at the description before she's laughing— the genuine kind that makes her head tilt back, which is a slightly bad idea considering the two glasses of wine she already had. what ? she's a lightweight. she steadies herself, gripping the counter's edge. " it's been a long time since i dated someone. " a year, but that doesn't matter. " sounds like you have a big crush on whoever this is. you shouldn't be shy to going after what you want with him, either. "

" i'm extremely chill. " despite her own affirmation, it's entirely a lie. no chill person has color coordinated schedules in both physical and digital forms. no one, that they know of, goes out of their way for physical newspapers while simultaneously tapping away at keyboard of macbook. sophia's eyes roll. " oh, shut up. " her words don't carry weight. delicate hands settle on her hips while peering up at the taller and kicks the heel of louboutin mule against laminated floor. " i am chill— i can be chill. " the pointed nature of her tone says the exact opposite, words almost spoken between gritted teeth and forced out as if she was making herself believe them, too. it's shortly after brooks is given his coffee that sophia is handed their own. she reaches for a sleeve and straw. " i have nonstop meetings like always. working for such a charismatic mayor comes with its challenges. " sophia takes back their purse with a quiet thanks. " i only have about an hour and a half before i'm stuck at city hall until tonight. "