Joya’s Works

i am allowed to say no.

i am allowed to be assertive.

i am allowed to put myself first.

i am allowed to change my mind.

feel free to change pronouns as necessary.

“You will never rise from the ashes of your shame and humiliation!”

“It smells like old lady in here.”

“The first time’s for cleaning, but the second time’s just for the sweet picking sensation.”

“I got it! We’ll take potty breaks, and eating breaks at the same time!”

“Would you like the one-headed fish or the two-headed fish?”

“Hey, it might be gross, but it’s efficient.”

“When love is real, it finds a way.”

“As I feel my own life dimming, I can’t help but think of a time when everything was so much brighter…”

“Some friendships are so strong they can even transcend lifetimes.”

“My own mother thought I was a monster… She was right, of course, but it still hurt.”

“Do you have a name, or shall we just call you Manner-less Colony Slob?”

“Go to your room!”

“There’s a simple question you need to answer, then. Who are you angry at?”

“This much negative energy is bad for your skin; you’ll totally break out.”

“I know one thing I care about… I care about you.”

“Together, you and I will be the strongest couple in the entire world! WE WILL DOMINATE THE EARTH!”

“Okay, look. If you want a boy to like you, just look at him, and smile a lot, and laugh at everything he says, even if it’s not funny.”

“Well, I am a fan of secret rivers… Alright. We can stay one more day.”

“Orange is such an awful colour.”

“That’s a sharp outfit, *insert name here*. Careful, you could puncture the hull of an empire-class battle ship, leaving thousands to drown at sea. Because… It’s so sharp.”

“We’re safe now *insert name here*, you can take off the mustache.”

“If anyone is to blame for the state of the world, it is me. I should have seen this war coming, and prevented it.”

“What? You’re jealous of me? But you’re the smartest, prettiest girl in the whole world!”

“YOUNG MAN, AS SOON AS WE GET HOME, YOU’RE GONNA GET THE PUNISHMENT OF A LIFETIME!”

“You’re so beautiful when you hate the world.”

“I’m not gonna make it… I failed.”

“Great job with the cloud camo, but next time, let’s disguise ourselves as the kinda cloud that knows how to keep its mouth shut!”

“It’s better for now that no one knows I’m alive.”

“I don’t hate you.”

“Hey, we’re in enemy territory. Those are enemy birds!”

“You inherited my problems… And my mistakes. But I believe you are destined to redeem me, and save the world.”

“I love you more than anything.”

“Can’t this wait until morning?”

“I need to redeem myself. I need my honor back.”

“I understand why you left, I really do, and I know that you had to go. So… Why do I still feel this way? I’m so sad and angry… And hurt.”

“The universe just loves proving me wrong, doesn’t it?”

“Yep, the whole world thinks you’re dead…Isn’t that great?”

❝I’m ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s, but this place is strictly ‘In Cold Blood’.❞

❝Read my glossed lips, Justin Gingerlake. Not gonna happen.❞ 

❝Don’t freak out, just trust me.❞

❝Is cheerleading still a thing?❞

❝Is being the gay best friend still a thing?❞

❝I was wondering if you wanted to come… with both of us?❞

❝I’m in the mood for chaos.❞

❝You wanted fire? Sorry, my specialty is ice.❞

❝Faux lesbian kissing hasn’t been taboo since 1994.❞

❝Hi, Teen Outlander.❞

❝Ten minutes in and I’m already the Blue Jasmine of Riverdale High.❞

❝Can’t we, in this post-James Franco world, be all things at once?❞

❝Perfect. Very Betty Draper, season one.❞

❝There will be a reckoning, and maybe, that reckoning is me.❞

❝I’ll help you prep. I have moves.❞

❝Okay. You know what? Show me your moves.❞

❝What is a Chock’Lit Shoppe, and why does it sell burgers?❞

❝As hot, and as smart as you are, you should be the Queen Bey of this drab hive.❞

❝I know what you need, because I know who you are. You would rather people fear than like you, so you traffic in terror and intimidation. You’re rich, so you’ve never been held accountable, but I’m living proof. That certainty, that entitlement you wear on your head like a crown? It won’t last. ❞

❝Who’s lighting fireworks at six in the morning?❞

I rested my head on my folded arms, which were covered by the lilac sleeves of my shirt, staring at the tiny grey box sitting on the counter, just meters in front of my hooded ash eyes. It was no bigger than a fingernail you would find on someone’s thumb and it’s edges were slightly rounded, almost as if it had been used a lot prior to my purchase. I couldn’t remember how much it cost, I do remember being black out drunk though. Although, when I woke up, I found nearly 100 dollars missing from my wallet, but, I’m not sure I cleared my wallet buying drinks, or the object, or maybe both.

 I stared at it, waiting for it to do something. I have expected it to grow legs and begin to wander, or maybe, begin emitting some type of radiation that would kill me years later. But, it didn’t seem to do anything. I let out a bitter sigh, pushing myself up off the counter as I turned away from the object. Great, I thought, I just blew my money on a tiny grey box. 

At least, I thought I had “blown” my money on it.

My anger grew as I turned back to it, narrowing my eyes and resting my now balled fists on either side of the object. I stared at it, a childlike sense of hope that maybe my stare would be enough persuasion for the object to do something. Anything. 

My impatience got the best of me, as I let out a low growl, 

“Hello?!”

...

Nothing. 

I banged my fist on the counter, standing up quickly and turning away from it. My thick, black eyebrows curved downward in disappointment. I looked down at my hand, which had been throbbing due to the momentum of the blow I had given the table. A red patch had formed on my chocolate colored skin, from the blow I had delivered to the counter. 

Suddenly, I heard a weird sound come from behind me. I turned, eyes falling on the grey box, which now had a slowly blinking red light on the top. The sound continued, almost sounding like a song. My eyebrows arched in confusion as I lowered myself to be eye level with the object. The sound stopped, leaving my kitchen silent once more. After waiting a few moments, hopeful for another action, I sighed and stood up, turning to face my fridge. 

A few magnets were sat on it’s white surface. One was what I got from my desk job, some holiday party, another from my aunt that lived in Canada. It served as a reminder that every once and awhile I should call her, let her know how I was doing.

“Booting up, please wait.”

The voice was feminine, a thick British accent being present with in it. 

And it was coming from the box. 

My eyes widened slightly as the red blinking light turned green.

“Boot up complete, please state your name.”

I was shocked by what I was hearing, but I still acknowledged the object’s question.

“Uh, Dabria.”

“Processing...Processing complete.”

I was walking to “Coffee and Cream”, a coffee shop I frequent, early Saturday Morning. It was a winter day in New Amsterdam, meaning it was cold, but no snow fell upon the city sidewalks or rooftops. The streets were still busy though, my long black coat catching on multiple people as I walked.

Today, I was meeting up a with a friend, . A rare occurrence due to my..special quality.

You see, I have the tendency to lie to people. Not in a malicious way, but as a way to spare other’s feelings. But, I’m the only one. 

It’s weird, like there’s this little voice in my head telling me what I can and cannot say, despite my actual thoughts, but, no one else seems to have it. I brought it up once, to my parents. They haven’t spoken to me since. 

I opened the coffee shop door, the ringing of the bell barely audible over the chatter filling the room. The shop was lit by ceiling lights which emitted warm yellow light. Slow jazz music played underneath the voices and people were scattered around the cozy coffee shop at small tables and comfortable arm chairs. 

I spied my friend in the corner of the room, her wire rimmed glasses reflected the image from outside the window, the cold light illuminating her pale skin. She was wearing a long, butterscotch sweater and distressed black jeans.  Her black hair was styled in a bun and her long, purple acrylic nails were tapping against the steaming coffee cup grasped in her hands. 

I made my way over to her, sitting down at the table without invite like normal people do. 

She looked up at me, a look of disappointment filling her face, “You know Caitlyn, that hair color doesn’t look good on you.”

I looked a piece of my hair, which was dyed blonde. I shrugged my shoulders. 

She continued, “You should dye it a color that doesn’t clash with your darker skin tone, same with your clothes. Also, I know this workout program that will totally help slim you out, do you want the guy who’s in charge of it’s number?”

I thought quickly, trying to not seem like my answer was going to be a lie, “Yeah, I..would love that, thanks Gloria.”

The pause in my speech goes ignored, thankfully. 

She reaches for her phone, typing quickly into it before my phone goes off. 

“There, I sent his info. Soooo, how did you like my research?”

Gloria had been doing research on Paranormal activity in the city (something that rarely exists) for years. I tried avoiding her so she wouldn’t ask me to read her findings but, we ran into each other a month prior, and that’s the first thing she asked. Her research was very in-depth, but in the end, not logical. Any normal person would’ve told her this right? But I’m not normal. 

“It, was, uh, great! I was super invested in it!” 

This time she seemed to pick up on my hesitation, “Oh yeah? Would you want the rest of it?

No. 

“Yeah! O-of course!”

She caught that one. 

“Are you lying?”

Yes.

“N-no! Why would I lie to you?”

She laughed, “I can’t believe it. All this time, you’re a filter.”

My heart pounds, my hands shake. 

Have you ever tried learning through osmosis? Chances are it probably didn’t work. Passive reading almost never works when you need to remember something long term.

Recently I learned about a method of reading called the SQ3R method and has been used by students since the 1940s. SQ3R stands for survey, question, read, recite, and review.

Survey:

When surveying one should look at the introduction, conclusion, abstract, headers, pictures, charts and graphs. The goal is just to get a basic preview of what you will be reading.

Question:

Next, you want to ask yourself the following:

1. Do I know anything about this topic?/What prior knowledge do I have?

2. Is this related to anything else I have studied/anything else in this class?

3. What do I hope to learn from this reading?

Read:

Now you do the full reading, and try to answer the questions.

Recite:

Reciting is when you read out loud. While not for everyone, reciting is particularly effective in slowing down students who read too fast, and in assisting auditory learners in their understanding.

Review:

Many explanations of SQ3R vary, but an important step to do (at some point) is record notes on the most important facts of the reading and any lingering questions you have. Many people prefer to do this as their “review” and pull the facts from memory (or from highlighted portions of the text). I prefer to take notes as I read. Either way, it is good to then review the notes you have written, pairing them down and expanding as needed. File these notes in a reliable system so you can review them later while studying for exams!