﹙ . . . ﹚ 𝒊 must be the 𝑣irgin 𝓂ary, to create a 𝒮on who will suffer so much. .ೃ࿔* ━━ ♯ 𝒯𝙷𝚈𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐕𝐄𝑺. a private and highly selective multi-muse, with a singular focus on fantasy and historical settings. ⁎ adult and triggering content will be found within, follow at your own discretion.

﹙ . . . ﹚ 𝒊 must be the 𝑣irgin 𝓂ary, to create a 𝒮on who will suffer so much. .ೃ࿔* ━━ ♯ 𝒯𝙷𝚈𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐕𝐄𝑺. a private and highly selective multi-muse, with a singular focus on fantasy and historical settings. ⁎ adult and triggering content will be found within, follow at your own discretion.

BETHEL CREEK ━━ what began as another dominant performance by bethel creek high school ended in stunned silence friday night after senior quarterback and team captain colton whitlow suffered a serious knee injury late in the fourth quarter against neighboring pine ridge.

the bobcats ultimately secured a 28-17 victory, but celebration quickly gave way to concern when whitlow remained on the field following a scramble near the visiting sideline with just under six minutes remaining. players from both teams immediately signaled for trainers.

the packed crowd at bobcat stadium fell silent as medical staff attended to whitlow before helping him from the field. witnesses described an emotional scene as teammates gathered around the senior captain while spectators looked on.

"it was like somebody turned the lights off," said longtime fan harold jenkins. "nobody was looking at the scoreboard anymore."

whitlow, 17, entered friday's game as one of the region's most accomplished players. the senior quarterback has thrown for more than 2,300 yards this season while leading bethel creek to an undefeated district record. a three year starter, whitlow has become one of the most promising athletes in recent school history, earning attention from several collegiate programs throughout the southeast.

head coach danny mercer declined to speculate on the severity of the injury but acknowledged the significance of the loss. "you don't replace a kid like colton," mercer said after the game. "he's been the heart of this team for a long time."

though bethel creek secured the win, many players appeared subdued following the final whistle. several remained near the locker room entrance long after the game had ended. the injury comes at a crucial point in the season, with postseason play set to begin next month.

school officials have not released additional information regarding whitlow's condition, though further medical evaluation is expected this weekend. for now, a community waits.

"fuck," she was beautiful. she was more than beautiful, she was funny. she was sweet, she was kind, she was adventurous. cade didn't want to be like the rest of the guys in town, coming to see her at the club for whatever benefit they could think of. she was more than that, deserved more than that. he was no better than them, however, eyeing her from across his living room. eyes moved from her bare feet to her calves, to her thighs. the way her cut off shorts were half unbutton, the bottom of her swimsuit peaking beneath the denim. it felt more intimate, like this could be real. a night of bourbon, the hot tub bubbling outside. "blue," he whispered, arms stretching out on the back of his couch. fingers were digging into the fabric of the lounger, "you deserve that. you deserve good." cade was sure, however, he couldn't give that to her.

❛❛ yeah? i do? ❜❜ the lilt in her tone is as teasing as her slender fingers ━━ the way they had dipped past a glistening belly ring toward the tack button of those frayed daisy dukes and undid it with slow ease... THE ART OF BEING WANTED WASN'T ONE LOST ON HER. it showed every time she clocked in for a shift, and it showed in the way she stood here now; all bare feet and tiny shorts and a blush pink bikini top like she's been waiting all day to jump his bones and then take a soak out back [ ... ] but beneath that toying cadence lied a vulnerability she couldn't let slip. ( not here, ) not like this.

do ya' mean it?

because sometimes she's not so sure she does deserve good. IT'S A GEMSTONE SO RARE AND UNKNOWN, like something you claw to earn instead of deserve for having heart... and it's downright mystic in how she's stayed so bright instead of been torn down straight into the dirt. ( he doesn't look at her the same way most men do, ) but he's allowed to right now [ ... ] she wants him to ━━ when she pushes denim down tan lined hips until they pool at her ankles, and she steps out of them to get closer. 'til shins hit cushion and she takes it upon herself to straddle his thighs like a self proclaimed throne; LIKE SHE DESERVED TO BELONG THERE, TOO. because it sure sounded like he meant it.

❛❛ you gonna give it t'me, mister? ❜❜ her hands reach out only to grasp his fingers that'd been giving the couch a hard time ━━ guiding them to her hips; right over where the tied strings to those matching pink bottoms sat snug. they'd get wet tonight one way or another. ❛❛ or you too scared t'touch me? 'cause it's alright if you do.. ❜❜

they had done this, what felt like, thousands of times before. years ago, maeve would sneak out of her bedroom window to find him just far enough away from her families home in order to hide his truck from the prying eyes on the liu family land. cole would take them to an opening with enough clearance to see the night sky, somewhere secluded enough for them to only be lit by the moonlight. it would just be the two of them, the crickets and some mosquitos trying to bite at them here and there: no pressure, no questions, no pushing them left or right. they'd just be cole and maeve, two kids who got to fall in love a little bit more every single day. now, 10 plus years later, it didn't really look all that different. she still laid in the bed of his truck, her fingers still interlaced with his. there were a couple of beer bottles clanking around with him, the only difference being it was a little bit better tasting than before. there was still love in the air, but it felt out of the ordinary. it was unspoken. maeve loved him, more than she could put into words, but she felt like she couldn't tell him that anymore. god, she had said it thousands of times before: i love you, cole. why not anymore? "you're drunk," but she would've been lying if her cheeks hadn't flushed a soft pink, "we can't, you can't. we're not kids anymore, cole." god, she was lying out of her ass. "you can't say stuff like that."

a lot can change in those ten plus years. all that baby fat has fallen from his cheeks, his knees definitely don't feel the same ━━ different trucks came and went under his name, and the hefty weight on his shoulders never seemed to let up or give him a break [ ... ] BUT THE STARS WERE THE SAME. her hand in his still felt the same, and she seemed to just get prettier and prettier as the days went on. ( it almost wasn't fair. ) because why was everything so much easier back then? back when his only goal was getting the hell out of dodge, and his only worry was making sure her parents didn't give him a proper ass whooping for sneaking her out after dark; MOSQUITO EATEN IN BETWEEN KISSES AND SONGS ON A CRACKLING RADIO. to him, at the time, it was peak romance and nobody could tell him otherwise━ and maybe now it still was [ ... ]

because there wasn't much he really looked forward to these days. ( maybe a cold shower after sweating all day hauling freight, ) but even that didn't hold a candle to whatever the hell this was. THE WEEKENDS WHERE HE COULD PRETEND IT WAS JUST THE TWO OF THEM AGAIN; where they could talk and laugh and he could sit there pretending there wasn't still some deep base instinct to kiss her stupid and fuck her silly for what he thinks is old times sake [ ... ] they should consider themselves lucky. how often do high school sweethearts still look at each other like this after all that time?

❛❛ i can't say stuff like that? ❜❜ he repeats with a laugh, ignoring the littering of bottles that shifted with their soft clinks when he moves onto his side. YEAH, HE WAS MILDLY DRUNK. but what'd that have to do with anything? when he props himself onto an elbow to hover over her ━━ when he watches that dusting of pink cross her cheeks like something sweet... LIKE IT'S FAR MORE INTERESTING THAN THE STARS. but he's not too drunk to forget just how badly he misses the feel of her around him. ( we're not kids anymore, cole. ) and that might be the funniest thing she's said all night. ❛❛ baby, that's exactly why i'm sayin' it. why can't we? ❜❜ she's blushing, he's smiling; in a way that only looks a little smug if you really squinted [ ... ] and his head gave a lazy tilt as his fingers still connected to hers squeezed softly. ❛❛ bet you still feel like home. ❜❜

‘  hm.  i'm  not  sure  what  i  want.  ‘  she  says  as  she  scans  the  diner’s  menu.  she  would  be  worriying  about  stacking  up  a  queue  behind  them,  but  no  one  is  to  be  seen,  except  for  them  and  the  diner  owner.  the  air  is  thick  with  tension  —  claire  and  cole  didn't  do  things  the  normal  way,  but  that's  how  she  usually  liked  it.  all  she  wanted  to  do  was  sleep  and  forget  about  their  argument  they  had  in  the  truck an hour prior.  she  isn't  sure  how  the  argument  brewed  upon  them  …  but  it  hung  in  the  air,  and  she  shuffles  her  feet  in  an  attempt  to  control  her  emotions. 

coming  here  with  cole's  idea.  he  had  suggested  getting  some  early  morning  breakfast  in  a  diner  at  midnight  earlier  in  the  day.  she'd  laughed  but  agreed.  ‘  can  i  order  a  decaf  coffee,  and  a  large  pancake  stack  with  syrup,  please?  ’  she  asks  towards  the  owner  who  was  grumpily  writing  her  order  down.  she  glances  at  cole  who  seems  to  be  in  deep  thought  himself,  and  she  rubs  her  leg  against  his  …  a  truce,  she  no  longer  wants  to  be  in  bad  form  with  him.  it  was  normal  to  argue.  she's  quiet  when  he  places  his  own  breakfast  order,  smiling  in  thanks  to  the  owner  as  he  walks  away. 

city folks can call him all sorts of things ━━ but they can't call him stupid. he knows when something's wrong. knows when something's bothering the person he's not only known for most of his life [ ... ] but the person he'd been sharing his bed with. SHE'D BEEN PULLING AWAY. least, that's what it felt like to him━ and good luck convincing him otherwise. ( arguments were normal, sure, ) but something between them feeling uncomfortably taut wasn't; and it's only in his nature to confront those pesky worries... it'd been paranoia, maybe, after enough relationships in the past had burned too low in the pot to be saved due to too much ego and pride. A MAN WHO FIXED EVERYTHING DID WELL TO FIND THE PROBLEMS BEFORE THEY GOT WORSE━ and it bit him on the ass back in the truck that'd been sitting idle on the side of a dirt road just an hour prior.

so the diner, now, was like a peace offering. an olive branch when he took into dawning consideration that girls usually felt better after they ate, and maybe he'd convince himself that it was all in his head ━━ THAT HE HADN'T SOMEHOW FUCKED SOMETHING GOOD UP BEYOND REPAIR. she'd eat, she'd smile, and he'd wake up tomorrow with none of that tension in his back that had nothing to do with towing pickups across county lines.

❛❛ keep talkin' like that loud enough and i'll bet he does it on purpose. ❜❜ it's whispered back with that crooked, tired sort of grin as he leans back against the aged booth leather. lazy, spread and stretched out until his boot gently taps against her ankle across from him ━━ THE PLACE IS OLD. shows in the upholstery cracks, sticky flooring, and a menu that's gone untouched since he was a kid. ( but nothing beats the smell of syrup and coffee at midnight, ) and he reaches for a straw just to keep his fingers busy; twisting at the paper ends while blue eyes bounce from wall to front counter to wall, and finally back to her.

❛❛ what's with the decaf anyway, huh? worried one lil' cup is gonna keep you up? ❜❜

bethel  creek  is  a  sure  fine  place  to  get  swallowed  up  by  the  summer  heat.  giving  hell  a  run  for  its  money,  there  were  only  a  few  spots  to  hang  out  that  the  sun  didn't  spoil.  any  building  with  four  walls  and  a  rotating  fan  became  packed  to  the  brim  by  noon,  and  marlene's  diner  was  a  sure  shot  to  be  full  of  senior's  wasting  away  after  church.  not  the  ideal  place,  or  audience,  for  sabrina  to  be  lounging  around  outside  with  the  skin  god  gave  her  out.  the  ice  cream  parlor,  however     which  happened  to  be  more  like  an unregistered  extension  of  the  peterson's  trailer     was  the  girls'  best  bet  for  any  ounce  of  cold!

brini  lays  half  reclined  in  a  wicker  folding  chair  'sides  savannah,  fist  tightly  wrapped  'round  a  vanilla  cone,  skin  soaking  in  the  heat.  their  feet  share  a  kiddie  pool  filled  with  water  warmed  by  the  sun.  “  god,  i'm  so  glad  you're  back. you have no idea!  ”  brini  sighs  into  her  ice  cream,  rounding  a  lick.  “  the  boys  'round  here  keep  pitchin'  a  fit  when  you're  gone…  i  can't  whip  'em  int'a  shape  like  you  do.  ”

❛❛ lord help us all if i'm the one keepin' all the boys 'round here in line ! ❜❜ a laugh spills out from her mouth before she can stop it ━━ the sound soft and easy, carried away by the hum of cicadas and the rickety rattling box fan propped up real precarious in the window behind them. SUMMERS IN BETHEL CREEK WERE, IN FACT, NO JOKE. cloudy or not [ ... ] sunscreen is a requirement for stepping foot outside this time of year. and it's the kind of humidity that'll have all the old ladies bringing their hand fans to church, the kind that makes blonde hair stick to the back of her neck when she tips her head against wicker. ❛❛ that's a responsibility i did not ask for. ❜❜ she giggled something softer against the strawberry soft serve threatening to melt down her wrist. but her tongue catches it instead just as the sugary pink sweet treat reaches the tips of a press on mani.

❛❛ c'mon, you act like i deployed overseas and ain't been back in months. ❜❜ but the smile on her lips is impossibly fond [ ... ] BECAUSE SHE GETS IT. the town has a way of somehow feeling smaller when you're gone too long ━━ roads stay the same. gossip stays the same. heat definitely stays the same... but the people? the people matter. and sabrina has always mattered; ( it's funny how she'd spent her teenage years dreaming of some great escape. ) and yet now she keeps finding her way back here as often as new set of nails━ whether it's to help mama make rent, to have cole check her tires, or to hit a bar with lee. BUT RIGHT NOW? this feels like the most important reason to be back at all. feeling sixteen again with the girl she's known since scraped knees and dollar store lip gloss. ❛❛ i'm stayin' through the weekend. figured maybe we'd go floatin' down the creek tomorrow. ❜❜

she takes a careful lick from her cone, briefly squinting toward the road where heat waves dance above cracked asphalt ━━ before her foot beneath the water nudges brini's. SENDING A SMALL WAVE SLOSHING OVER THE EDGE OF THE KIDDIE POOL. ❛❛ what i miss? no, lemme guess━ somebody got caught cheatin'? ...somebody got arrested? ❜❜

where were you, on another planet? (leland!) // && @trailercreek

hellooooo? it'd felt like she'd been staring straight through him like a goddamn window; and he'd snapped his fingers once, twice, sharp and right in front of her nose ━━ maybe it wasn't the nicest way to get her attention... but it fucking worked, didn't it? BECAUSE SOON ENOUGH THE LIGHTS SEEMED TO COME BACK ON, and suddenly someone was home when that spaced out glaze dissipated from her eyes. it's only once she forms a smile after blinking back to life that his hand drops, and he leans back on the heels of his boots [ ... ] letting out a low whistle. ❛❛ jesus, girl. thought i done lost you━ ❜❜

❛❛ i was just askin' if you had a light. ❜❜ he leans down a little then, trying to find her gaze behind a curtain of curls with raised brows. NOSEY AND TRYING TO FIND THE ANSWER TO HIS NEXT QUESTION BEFORE ASKING IT ━━ like someone checking to see if the local drunk is good getting home. the unlit cigarette tucked behind his ear falls with the movement, but he'll catch it blind. ❛❛ you high? ❜❜