Someone has to believe in it. Might as well be the guy who tried going to sleep TWICE. 
AlteredTundra
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- Old Guild Username: Altered Tundra
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Check my new bio out for a special message!
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8 days ago
*Hits poohead* I didn't have a problem but it's nice that the door is open :)
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11 days ago
Do you think God stays in heaven because he too lives in fear of what he's created?
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3 mos ago
I saw a one-legged man at the ATM. He was checking his balance.
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4 mos ago
Where do bad rainbows go? To a prism. It's a light sentence, but it gives them time to reflect.
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Bio
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@Inkarnate I was waiting for somebody to post that.
@eclecticwitch It's also what must trek across to get into the sacred land of Gay Paradise!
<Snipped quote by Altered Tundra>
Rainbow bridge? You mean a hella lot of character development. I can make this work.
The CD is included in the Rainbow Bridge package.
I ship Stella and Oli.
Change my mind. *sips tea*
They got quite the rainbow bridge to trek across to get to the shipyard, don't they?
<Snipped quote by Altered Tundra>
thnx i know im amazin
The amaziniest
That Vic and Stella collab tho. Amirite, @Hero?
So much writing
featuring Nadia Josette Aurelios
After the general outrage of the homecoming pairings, lunch was turning out to be a rather enjoyable affair. If Mari had, to be honest, this Salem guy was honestly pretty damn cool, even if his dweeb side was showing occasionally. He was a combination of her older brother Marco Jr.s’ quick sense of humor and easygoing attitude, Archer and Kirk’s love for literature, and her younger brother Marshall’s playful sarcasm. It didn’t hurt that he was easy on the eyes and that he was getting along so well with two of her dearest friends. Even if she wouldn’t admit it outright, Sol was always happy to have more people in her friend circle. And, curiously enough, it looked like Salem Rivera was fitting right in.
Fate really was a funny thing.
On the other side of the coin, Salem was enjoying himself too. He had good company and the food at King’s Academy was especially good, better than his last school that cut corners despite the outrageous tuition fee. It was so good, Salem had scarfed down his fries before he even realized it; it hit the spot, but it left him wanting to more. Cheekily, Salem sneaked his arm around Marisol so he could steal her fries from the other side. When she didn’t notice, Salem internally shrugged his shoulders and continued to gather some of her fries.
Taking a moment away from the conversation to look around the room, her eyes fell on Sonny. Smiling, she waved enthusiastically at him, motioning for him to come over to their table. In other circumstances, she would have given him the darkest of death glares for having chosen to spend his company with Nadia instead of them. But she was in a terrific mood today, and not even his ‘who the fuck is that’ face could get her out of it. Hell, not even Judas coming up and snatching Archer away could pop her happy bubble! She would obviously ask him all about it later, but her focus was on something completely different now.
As Sonny saw, he just ignored them. He was curious, of course, but there really was no way in hell that he was going to willingly go over there. He would look like a fool, but there was something eating at him about who that guy was that was with Kirk and Archie and Marisol. She had no problem avoiding him for god-knows-why, but she had no problem perking it up with some new nobody.
“Can you believe the nerve of her?” He said to Nadia, clearly annoyed.
Stopping midchew, the redhead looked at Sonny with a mildly confused expression. ...uh...no?” Came her muffled response, although she would finish before looking towards the target of Sonny’s ire. ”I thought you two were friends.”
She had him there. “She’s the oldest friend I have, but as of late, she’s been acting like a big you-know-what. Avoiding me as if I did something wrong. And this is after her meds had her speaking nonsense. And now she’s throwing all of it in my face as if I’m the one who did something wrong.” Sonny let out a slight huff, looking over at Marisol who was still gesturing to him. “And now she wants me to go to her? That’s some mixed signal kind of shit, which I should know since I invented that shit.”
Despite not entirely understanding the situation, Nadia would slowly nod. ”Have you tried asking her what’s going on?” She asked. ”When people do that, it usually means something’s wrong.” Granted, she was more than certain that it had some sort of relation to the entire Sonny/Vic kiss back at the party that resulted in a car getting smashed, but there was no way she was going to say that out loud.
Damn it, he really hated when people used common sense when talking to him. Just for once, Sonny would like people to side with him - even if he was being unreasonably unrealistic. “The last time I talked to her, she said she loved me, but she was also high on those bipolar meds they had her doped up on, so she obviously wasn’t really meaning it,” he said in reply, scowling somewhat. “But fine! I’ll go over there.” He uttered as he stood up, looking over at Marisol’s unnerving grin and her willing hand waving at him still. “If it’s a trap, I’m doing my wiggle dance naked,” he teased Nadia, leaving their table.
Nadia’s jaw dropped for multiple reasons, although she closed her mouth, shaking her head at him. ”I’ll...be waiting here,” She said as she looked down at her salad, albeit with a small smile.
As Sonny casually made his way over to the Misfits Table - the table that he should’ve been at, not the Fakefits - he had a looming thought the back of his mind that this was just another attempt for Marisol to embarrass him. She had no problem doing it when she practiced her batting swing on Victoire’s car and sure as hell had no problem doing the same thing when she said those out-of-character things to him a couple of weeks ago. He just knew nothing good was going to come from this, but there was a small part of him that was hoping this was going to be different. She didn’t seem like the usual bitchy self she tended to be and in good spirits. Despite everything, he was glad she didn’t have the cuckoo clock popping out of her chest as she had before.
He stopped in front of the table, though he didn’t take a seat. He didn’t see himself staying that long; it was only going to last for a few minutes so she could say what she needed to say and so that he could find out who the walking churro was. “I’m here. Now start talking.”
“Well, hello there, Sugar!” Mari said cheerfully, shooting Sonny a wink. “I just wanted to introduce you to someone.”
The ‘someone’ Marisol just so happened to be referring to shoved the last of his stolen fries into his mouth before sheepishly lifting his hand in an indolent greeting. Salem chewed furiously, hoping he could finish the food and swallow quickly enough that he avoided an awkward silence on his part. It was only polite that he introduced himself, especially to the guy his new friend had been excitedly gesturing over for the past minute or so.
“Uh, hi,” Salem said ungainly, having chewed his food too slow and feeling as if he should have waited to eat his fries after the introductions were over with – even if it meant his thievery would be discovered. Being the new kid was hard. “I’m Salem Rivera. Uh, I’m new here and...yeah.”
Well no shit.
That was Sonny’s first thought when Salem — what a stupid name — had said he was new. Yeah, of course, he knew, or else Marisol wouldn’t have introduced him to her best friend of eighteen years as ‘somebody’. Had he been here for a while, Sonny would’ve run into him at some point. So, him saying he was a new student wasn’t exactly the kind of thing that required a doctorate to see. And god, he cringed at the name Salem. His parents must’ve hated him from the moment they laid eyes on him.
As he swallowed the urge to say what he was really thinking, Sonny simply gave …Salem a nod of acknowledgment, shook his hand and turned his attention to Marisol. “So is that it?” Sonny asked her point blank. She better have more than just introducing him to this newbie.
The attitude earned him an eye roll and a frown from Marisol. “What’s up with you?” she asked him back, taking a few fries from her plate and stuffing them in her mouth. “You pissed because I called you away from Little Miss Sugar over there?”
Sonny had to laugh. The fact that she even acknowledged Nadia was proof enough that she was bothered by it. “You jealous that I chose to spend my lunch with her instead of your jealous ass?”
Marisol scoffed, and even though she rolled her eyes again there was no hiding the anger that was slowly boiling up inside them. Tensions were slowly building up between them, the way it always did when two stubborn bulls faced each other head-on. “Give me a fucking break. The world doesn’t revolve around your vain, narcissistic ass, Sonny.” she spat, getting upset that her stupid best friend didn’t know how to take a fucking joke these days.
Well, this sure as hell was awkward for Salem. Did they have some sort of relationship? If they did, he really didn’t want to be the one to get between them when he was a non-issue in the first place. Either way, Marisol was a friend and Salem doesn’t think he really likes Sonny if this is how he treats a lady and a friend or a lady friend. Salem was still confused about their relationship.
Hesitantly, not wanting to overstep his boundaries by getting involved but also not wanting a spectacle to take place or Marisol’s feelings to get hurt, Salem lifted an arm in between them as if a barrier. His outstretched palm slightly brushed Sonny’s shoulder in a non-aggressive motion for him to step back.
“Hey, let’s just relax, guys.” Salem attempted to soothe.
As soon as Salem decided to open his mouth, Sonny’s immediate attention was directed at him, a scathing gaze taking the place of his previous neutral expression. “The grownups are talking, Sally, so just sit there and try and remain as boring as possible. I’m sure someone like yourself can manage that much,” Sonny calmly stated, smiling
Frowning in annoyance, Salem stood up to his full height, towering over this Sonny guy by at least six inches. He didn’t bother getting into Sonny’s space but rather glowered by Marisol’s side with a scowl that twisted the scar on his chin menacingly. “Really, you’re calling yourself a ‘grown-up’? All I see is a skinny punk picking a fight for no substantial reason. Why don’t you take your supposed mature ass back to your table, because I think we’re done here.”
“Because I was called over here to meet somebody Marisol thought was worth my time, but all I see is an overconfident giant who is two seconds away from finding out he’s got nothing but height over me,” Sonny remarked. He wanted Salem to try it - he really did. It would give Sonny just enough justification to floor him and make Marisol realize he’s just like every other man in her life.
“Jesus fucks, man,” Marisol cursed out loud, shaking her head while she got up from her seat to stand right between Salem and Sonny. This was not how things were supposed to go. All eyes were on their little scene now, and it was frankly pushing her off. “Both of you: drop it. Son, I was just playing with you in the first place. All I wanted was for you to meet this dude, but I'm sorry it was such an inconvenience to you,” she spat, grabbing her belongings from the table. “Guess you better go back to Sprinkle Shine,” Sol said sarcastically, giving Sonny one last scathing glare before turning on her heel and walking away.
As he watched Marisol walk away, Sonny’s eyes casually glanced towards Salem. Just as he was about to rush after her, Sonny stepped in front of him, stopping him. “Word of advice newbie: watch out for her. Once she tires of your good guy act, she’ll toss you aside for the next flavor of the month,” he said, smiling at the lanky fellow. After a brief shoulder pat, Sonny motioned his head towards Marisol. “Go on, little chihuahua. Your master’s waiting for you.”
Salem stared Sonny down but didn’t deign to respond to him. Huffing air through his nose, Salem swung his bag over his shoulder and ran after Marisol.
Fate really was a funny thing.
On the other side of the coin, Salem was enjoying himself too. He had good company and the food at King’s Academy was especially good, better than his last school that cut corners despite the outrageous tuition fee. It was so good, Salem had scarfed down his fries before he even realized it; it hit the spot, but it left him wanting to more. Cheekily, Salem sneaked his arm around Marisol so he could steal her fries from the other side. When she didn’t notice, Salem internally shrugged his shoulders and continued to gather some of her fries.
Taking a moment away from the conversation to look around the room, her eyes fell on Sonny. Smiling, she waved enthusiastically at him, motioning for him to come over to their table. In other circumstances, she would have given him the darkest of death glares for having chosen to spend his company with Nadia instead of them. But she was in a terrific mood today, and not even his ‘who the fuck is that’ face could get her out of it. Hell, not even Judas coming up and snatching Archer away could pop her happy bubble! She would obviously ask him all about it later, but her focus was on something completely different now.
As Sonny saw, he just ignored them. He was curious, of course, but there really was no way in hell that he was going to willingly go over there. He would look like a fool, but there was something eating at him about who that guy was that was with Kirk and Archie and Marisol. She had no problem avoiding him for god-knows-why, but she had no problem perking it up with some new nobody.
“Can you believe the nerve of her?” He said to Nadia, clearly annoyed.
Stopping midchew, the redhead looked at Sonny with a mildly confused expression. ...uh...no?” Came her muffled response, although she would finish before looking towards the target of Sonny’s ire. ”I thought you two were friends.”
She had him there. “She’s the oldest friend I have, but as of late, she’s been acting like a big you-know-what. Avoiding me as if I did something wrong. And this is after her meds had her speaking nonsense. And now she’s throwing all of it in my face as if I’m the one who did something wrong.” Sonny let out a slight huff, looking over at Marisol who was still gesturing to him. “And now she wants me to go to her? That’s some mixed signal kind of shit, which I should know since I invented that shit.”
Despite not entirely understanding the situation, Nadia would slowly nod. ”Have you tried asking her what’s going on?” She asked. ”When people do that, it usually means something’s wrong.” Granted, she was more than certain that it had some sort of relation to the entire Sonny/Vic kiss back at the party that resulted in a car getting smashed, but there was no way she was going to say that out loud.
Damn it, he really hated when people used common sense when talking to him. Just for once, Sonny would like people to side with him - even if he was being unreasonably unrealistic. “The last time I talked to her, she said she loved me, but she was also high on those bipolar meds they had her doped up on, so she obviously wasn’t really meaning it,” he said in reply, scowling somewhat. “But fine! I’ll go over there.” He uttered as he stood up, looking over at Marisol’s unnerving grin and her willing hand waving at him still. “If it’s a trap, I’m doing my wiggle dance naked,” he teased Nadia, leaving their table.
Nadia’s jaw dropped for multiple reasons, although she closed her mouth, shaking her head at him. ”I’ll...be waiting here,” She said as she looked down at her salad, albeit with a small smile.
As Sonny casually made his way over to the Misfits Table - the table that he should’ve been at, not the Fakefits - he had a looming thought the back of his mind that this was just another attempt for Marisol to embarrass him. She had no problem doing it when she practiced her batting swing on Victoire’s car and sure as hell had no problem doing the same thing when she said those out-of-character things to him a couple of weeks ago. He just knew nothing good was going to come from this, but there was a small part of him that was hoping this was going to be different. She didn’t seem like the usual bitchy self she tended to be and in good spirits. Despite everything, he was glad she didn’t have the cuckoo clock popping out of her chest as she had before.
He stopped in front of the table, though he didn’t take a seat. He didn’t see himself staying that long; it was only going to last for a few minutes so she could say what she needed to say and so that he could find out who the walking churro was. “I’m here. Now start talking.”
“Well, hello there, Sugar!” Mari said cheerfully, shooting Sonny a wink. “I just wanted to introduce you to someone.”
The ‘someone’ Marisol just so happened to be referring to shoved the last of his stolen fries into his mouth before sheepishly lifting his hand in an indolent greeting. Salem chewed furiously, hoping he could finish the food and swallow quickly enough that he avoided an awkward silence on his part. It was only polite that he introduced himself, especially to the guy his new friend had been excitedly gesturing over for the past minute or so.
“Uh, hi,” Salem said ungainly, having chewed his food too slow and feeling as if he should have waited to eat his fries after the introductions were over with – even if it meant his thievery would be discovered. Being the new kid was hard. “I’m Salem Rivera. Uh, I’m new here and...yeah.”
Well no shit.
That was Sonny’s first thought when Salem — what a stupid name — had said he was new. Yeah, of course, he knew, or else Marisol wouldn’t have introduced him to her best friend of eighteen years as ‘somebody’. Had he been here for a while, Sonny would’ve run into him at some point. So, him saying he was a new student wasn’t exactly the kind of thing that required a doctorate to see. And god, he cringed at the name Salem. His parents must’ve hated him from the moment they laid eyes on him.
As he swallowed the urge to say what he was really thinking, Sonny simply gave …Salem a nod of acknowledgment, shook his hand and turned his attention to Marisol. “So is that it?” Sonny asked her point blank. She better have more than just introducing him to this newbie.
The attitude earned him an eye roll and a frown from Marisol. “What’s up with you?” she asked him back, taking a few fries from her plate and stuffing them in her mouth. “You pissed because I called you away from Little Miss Sugar over there?”
Sonny had to laugh. The fact that she even acknowledged Nadia was proof enough that she was bothered by it. “You jealous that I chose to spend my lunch with her instead of your jealous ass?”
Marisol scoffed, and even though she rolled her eyes again there was no hiding the anger that was slowly boiling up inside them. Tensions were slowly building up between them, the way it always did when two stubborn bulls faced each other head-on. “Give me a fucking break. The world doesn’t revolve around your vain, narcissistic ass, Sonny.” she spat, getting upset that her stupid best friend didn’t know how to take a fucking joke these days.
Well, this sure as hell was awkward for Salem. Did they have some sort of relationship? If they did, he really didn’t want to be the one to get between them when he was a non-issue in the first place. Either way, Marisol was a friend and Salem doesn’t think he really likes Sonny if this is how he treats a lady and a friend or a lady friend. Salem was still confused about their relationship.
Hesitantly, not wanting to overstep his boundaries by getting involved but also not wanting a spectacle to take place or Marisol’s feelings to get hurt, Salem lifted an arm in between them as if a barrier. His outstretched palm slightly brushed Sonny’s shoulder in a non-aggressive motion for him to step back.
“Hey, let’s just relax, guys.” Salem attempted to soothe.
As soon as Salem decided to open his mouth, Sonny’s immediate attention was directed at him, a scathing gaze taking the place of his previous neutral expression. “The grownups are talking, Sally, so just sit there and try and remain as boring as possible. I’m sure someone like yourself can manage that much,” Sonny calmly stated, smiling
Frowning in annoyance, Salem stood up to his full height, towering over this Sonny guy by at least six inches. He didn’t bother getting into Sonny’s space but rather glowered by Marisol’s side with a scowl that twisted the scar on his chin menacingly. “Really, you’re calling yourself a ‘grown-up’? All I see is a skinny punk picking a fight for no substantial reason. Why don’t you take your supposed mature ass back to your table, because I think we’re done here.”
“Because I was called over here to meet somebody Marisol thought was worth my time, but all I see is an overconfident giant who is two seconds away from finding out he’s got nothing but height over me,” Sonny remarked. He wanted Salem to try it - he really did. It would give Sonny just enough justification to floor him and make Marisol realize he’s just like every other man in her life.
“Jesus fucks, man,” Marisol cursed out loud, shaking her head while she got up from her seat to stand right between Salem and Sonny. This was not how things were supposed to go. All eyes were on their little scene now, and it was frankly pushing her off. “Both of you: drop it. Son, I was just playing with you in the first place. All I wanted was for you to meet this dude, but I'm sorry it was such an inconvenience to you,” she spat, grabbing her belongings from the table. “Guess you better go back to Sprinkle Shine,” Sol said sarcastically, giving Sonny one last scathing glare before turning on her heel and walking away.
As he watched Marisol walk away, Sonny’s eyes casually glanced towards Salem. Just as he was about to rush after her, Sonny stepped in front of him, stopping him. “Word of advice newbie: watch out for her. Once she tires of your good guy act, she’ll toss you aside for the next flavor of the month,” he said, smiling at the lanky fellow. After a brief shoulder pat, Sonny motioned his head towards Marisol. “Go on, little chihuahua. Your master’s waiting for you.”
Salem stared Sonny down but didn’t deign to respond to him. Huffing air through his nose, Salem swung his bag over his shoulder and ran after Marisol.
There was a lot happening around her that, if she was being totally honest with herself, she found a bit overwhelming. Everything from her pairing being someone who, up until just a few moments ago, didn’t know all that well. She knew Oliver, of course, but only through passing glances. She didn’t interact with that particular crowd he often rolled with. She always saw him with Raven, the girl whose three names confuse Stella. Every time she would try and guess which name was the right one, she just found herself drawing a blank. Then again, Stella didn’t really talk to Raven or Oliver enough to wage whether either of them was particularly fond of her. She knew how she could be. And what was even worse for the poor girl, she wasn’t even sure what to make of it all.
And of course, Kavi’s words about how she was least likely to get laid of the three seemed to bother her more than it should’ve. Okay, sure Stella wasn’t like a lot of girls at the school - especially not if the rumors were true about that XiXi girl. And definitely nowhere near the levels of some of the guys in their class (yeah she’s looking at you, Kavi Salvador), but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t be up for it. If Oliver was a gentleman or if they clicked, she wouldn’t turn it down, but there was just something about the way he dismissed the possibilities of her ever getting laid with Oliver was what had the brunette in a rare state of equal annoyance and irritation. Okay, both were the same, but to Stella, they were two sides of two very different coins.
“Kavi can be a jerk all he wants. I’m not gonna be unlaid come next week. He can bet!” Stella told herself, huffing as she went to eat her salad.
And as her own words of encouragement drove the girl to chomp hard on her leafy greens, from behind her, she heard Oliver speak to her. "Stella, my darling. Any chance we could discuss the news over lunch?"
“Oh,” Stella managed to utter a single word, though she said it a surprised, almost-hushed tone, so it was practically mute at this point. “I mean, hey, yeah! Go ahead and join me,” she said to the blonde teen, gesturing him to take a seat at the empty table she was sitting at. “What’s on your mind?”
”Nothing much,” he replied, taking the seat across from her. ”I figured that since we're being forced to go to homecoming together, we better make the best of it. So… uh… did you already have a dress picked out or anything?”
Stella smiled at Oliver, though there was a moment where she thought he didn’t know her at all. Even at a passing glance, it was obvious what kind of girl that she was. “I had mine picked out since labor day. My Aunt Florence took me shopping in New York,” she told Oliver with a smile. “Do you have your tux? Or are you one of those blazer kinds of guys?” She asked him.
A special shopping trip to New York? Wow. ”In all honesty, I was planning on sitting this one out,” he said laughing. ”But definitely more of a tux guy. I'll try and pick one out real soon. Did you want my tie to match your dress or anything?”
On that note, Stella instantly perked up, a smile that could light up the stars went off. It was as if her wishes of the perfect date had finally been answered. So, as her brown eyes sparkled with an imaginary shade of bright orange like a sun within the night sky, she pulled out her phone. “This is the dress my aunt got for me. They even photographed me and everything. It’s lavender, so if you could get something similar. Maybe a lavender tie with a darker shade of purple. Or maybe cornflower blue with a lavender tie!” Stella found herself thinking out loud. After the second suggestion, her mouth kept rambling on and on as if it faded into white noise, though her voice certainly would carry.
Nodding along as she spoke, Oliver’s eyes widened as he looked at the picture. ”Dayum… You look freaking stunning. Well, I mean, you always do, but anyway.” He cleared his throat, taking a moment to think. ”I actually love cornflower blue, but are you against bowties? That's a bit more my style than a tie.”
She didn’t know why, but when he called her stunning, her cheeks turned a shade closer to strawberry red rather than the fleshy tone of peach her skin has always been post-makeup time. This alone had her looking at Oliver in a new light. The words Kavi had spoken to her started to fade as Stella was now actually starting to see Oliver as someone she could see herself with.
To hell with Lucas Anderson, she thought to herself, the thought itself taking her by surprise. Was she really that kind of girl now? It was her fault for not following up with Lucas, wasn’t it? No, that wasn’t why. She didn’t follow up that night with him because she found out he was Diablo’s best friend. She didn’t want anything to do with him, so she punished Lucas for it. Oh God! I’m just like all those bitches from those mean girls-type shows..
Completely beside herself, Stella just tossed those thoughts out of her mental window as she chose to focus on Oliver - sweet, sweet Oliver. “I love bowties! And you’d look super cute in one, I’m sure of it!” She couldn’t believe she actually said that, but to her surprise, Stella wasn’t going to take it back. She just smiled at Oliver, slightly batting her full eyelashes at the blonde teen.
Everything was going so smoothly. Stella was just as great as he had always imagined and heard about - though he would admit he was still a tad curious about the rumors of what a party girl she could be. Most of the others were probably at their appointed partners throat. Some of those pairings had been interesting, to say the least. He noticed her blushing and felt a small sense of accomplishment. His passing for straight was working. (Well, it had been working for the last eighteen years, but you get the point.) And he had gotten her approval for the bowtie!
”So…” Oli said thoughtfully, squinting his eyes slightly in concentration. ”Excellent homecoming partner, check. Wardrobe, check…. Was there anything you wanted to do beforehand? I known of this great Japanese joint about fifteen minutes from the school.”
“Wait, you mean Kiyoshi’s Sushi Bar!?” Stella had to ask. If true, then she loved him even more than she was starting to already.
He laughed seeing how her face lit up in excitement. ”Yeah, that's the one. I freaking love that place.”
Oh. My. God!
Yeah, Stella was practically freaking out right now but in the best of ways. They were so in sync that they might as well be saying Bye Bye Bye! to this place and make a beeline for the sushi bar. How could someone be so perfect for her and she not even know they really existed? Well, she knew about Oliver - that was a no duh, but what she didn’t know was, in the ten minutes they’ve been talking, she has gotten to know him more than she thought she was gonna. They were, if anything, one of the best pairings to come out of this arranged ordeal.
“I love-love-love-love their spicy tuna roll. It’s so yummilicious!”
This was starting to get a little crazy - but in a good way. Stella had excellent fashion taste, shared the love for his favorite restaurant, and was actually quite… adorable. If he was into girls, she would most definitely be his type.
”That one definitely makes my top three. It's delicious.” Still thinking, he ran his fingers through his hair. They had discussed wardrobe and dinner plans. That was about it for homecoming plans. Oliver found that small factoid to be disappointing. He really enjoyed talking to Stella. ”Was there anything you wanted to add?” he asked, out of ideas to keep the conversation going.
“Oh, uh, there is something,” Stella said, though she hesitated from saying anything further. A part of her grew embarrassed, her cheeks unintentionally flushing a slightly darker shade of pink. “You’ll have to pick me up. My dad is - how to put this gently - over-excited for homecoming. When I told you my aunt took me to NYC for shopping, what I left out was that my dad came along and he picked out all of the possible dresses.” She seemed to be regretting this particular mention. She loved her father, but he was way too excited for his own good. “So, when I got my dress, he told me that whoever my date is, they have to pick me up and meet him, my mom, my Aunt Florence, Uncle Wesley, and basically the entire Lambert clan.” She could feel a familiar anxiety building up as she went to a mental place that made her think this would scare him off.
Well, it wasn't the scariest thing he had ever done or been propositioned, but it was definitely up there on the list. He hardly knew Stella personally, and here he was more or less invited to meet her whole family. It couldn't be that bad though, could it? All of his friends mom's had always liked him. Dads had always seemed indifferent. There were worse things in life that could happen. However, meeting the family meant he would have to keep his sass toned down to a minimum. Or maybe her family was super sassy too, and they could all just have one huge sass party. Okay dude, chill. You're anxious. You're over thinking. It's okay.
Regaining his mental composure, he smiled at her reassuringly before speaking. ”Honestly, Stella? I really don't see a problem with that.”
”Well, uh, well shit..”
That was the only thing that had made it out of her mouth and it was so unbecoming for someone like Stella. She hardly ever cussed and when she did, it usually was in a positive manner. Her brother, cousins, father, and friends all had a sailor’s tongue, but she never showed signs until now. Truly, when she was as taken aback by something someone says, she really didn’t know what to say. That was exactly what was happening right now. She half-expected Oliver to be jittery or be overconfident about it. She also thought he was going to back out. This obviously wasn’t the case.
Collecting herself, Stella coughed, letting out a few, short, awkwardly-nervous laughs as she fixated on the eyes that, at this moment, felt like they were the only thing able to calm her down. “I mean, if you really don’t mind my family’s erraticness, then I guess it’s a date..” She uttered slowly, a smile of relief forming where anxiety previously resided.
Oliver grinned. This had truly gone way better than expected. ”Sounds good to me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta go catch up with Martha,” he said grabbing his things.
“Wait!” She stopped him real quick, “let me give you my number,” she said, pulling out her iPhone 9. “Ya know, just so you can text me or whatever.”
”God, yeah,” he said, laughing a bit and handing her his phone in return. ”Almost forgot that. I feel like such an idiot now.”
She waved up her hands. “Oh, no it’s my goof! I should’ve asked for it before now,” she told him, holding up his phone and taking a selfie, and set it as the pic that came up whenever she would call him or text. “And done. I even added a cute-ass selfie for you too.” There she went cursing again. And what’s this? She winked at him. God, Stella what is up with you?
Oliver smiled, looking down at his phone and seeing the picture. ”Awesome. I'll catch you later, Stel,” he said pocketing his phone and turning to walk away.
When she was left to her lonesome, Stella was gushing and just staring at her phone with Oliver’s picture there as well. Well, it was a quick shot from earlier, but she had it and goddamn he was cute. His blonde hair, his eyes, his dimples - everything about him made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. She hasn’t felt this way about anyone since the days she and Santiago were dating. Okay, so it wasn’t dating in the traditional sense, but they went out on a date or two and she thought he actually liked her, but now? She really felt like Oliver liked her in the way she has always wanted a guy to like her.
“It’s just perfect!” She squeed to herself, getting up as she knew the first person she just had to tell!
And of course, Kavi’s words about how she was least likely to get laid of the three seemed to bother her more than it should’ve. Okay, sure Stella wasn’t like a lot of girls at the school - especially not if the rumors were true about that XiXi girl. And definitely nowhere near the levels of some of the guys in their class (yeah she’s looking at you, Kavi Salvador), but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t be up for it. If Oliver was a gentleman or if they clicked, she wouldn’t turn it down, but there was just something about the way he dismissed the possibilities of her ever getting laid with Oliver was what had the brunette in a rare state of equal annoyance and irritation. Okay, both were the same, but to Stella, they were two sides of two very different coins.
“Kavi can be a jerk all he wants. I’m not gonna be unlaid come next week. He can bet!” Stella told herself, huffing as she went to eat her salad.
And as her own words of encouragement drove the girl to chomp hard on her leafy greens, from behind her, she heard Oliver speak to her. "Stella, my darling. Any chance we could discuss the news over lunch?"
“Oh,” Stella managed to utter a single word, though she said it a surprised, almost-hushed tone, so it was practically mute at this point. “I mean, hey, yeah! Go ahead and join me,” she said to the blonde teen, gesturing him to take a seat at the empty table she was sitting at. “What’s on your mind?”
”Nothing much,” he replied, taking the seat across from her. ”I figured that since we're being forced to go to homecoming together, we better make the best of it. So… uh… did you already have a dress picked out or anything?”
Stella smiled at Oliver, though there was a moment where she thought he didn’t know her at all. Even at a passing glance, it was obvious what kind of girl that she was. “I had mine picked out since labor day. My Aunt Florence took me shopping in New York,” she told Oliver with a smile. “Do you have your tux? Or are you one of those blazer kinds of guys?” She asked him.
A special shopping trip to New York? Wow. ”In all honesty, I was planning on sitting this one out,” he said laughing. ”But definitely more of a tux guy. I'll try and pick one out real soon. Did you want my tie to match your dress or anything?”
On that note, Stella instantly perked up, a smile that could light up the stars went off. It was as if her wishes of the perfect date had finally been answered. So, as her brown eyes sparkled with an imaginary shade of bright orange like a sun within the night sky, she pulled out her phone. “This is the dress my aunt got for me. They even photographed me and everything. It’s lavender, so if you could get something similar. Maybe a lavender tie with a darker shade of purple. Or maybe cornflower blue with a lavender tie!” Stella found herself thinking out loud. After the second suggestion, her mouth kept rambling on and on as if it faded into white noise, though her voice certainly would carry.
Nodding along as she spoke, Oliver’s eyes widened as he looked at the picture. ”Dayum… You look freaking stunning. Well, I mean, you always do, but anyway.” He cleared his throat, taking a moment to think. ”I actually love cornflower blue, but are you against bowties? That's a bit more my style than a tie.”
She didn’t know why, but when he called her stunning, her cheeks turned a shade closer to strawberry red rather than the fleshy tone of peach her skin has always been post-makeup time. This alone had her looking at Oliver in a new light. The words Kavi had spoken to her started to fade as Stella was now actually starting to see Oliver as someone she could see herself with.
To hell with Lucas Anderson, she thought to herself, the thought itself taking her by surprise. Was she really that kind of girl now? It was her fault for not following up with Lucas, wasn’t it? No, that wasn’t why. She didn’t follow up that night with him because she found out he was Diablo’s best friend. She didn’t want anything to do with him, so she punished Lucas for it. Oh God! I’m just like all those bitches from those mean girls-type shows..
Completely beside herself, Stella just tossed those thoughts out of her mental window as she chose to focus on Oliver - sweet, sweet Oliver. “I love bowties! And you’d look super cute in one, I’m sure of it!” She couldn’t believe she actually said that, but to her surprise, Stella wasn’t going to take it back. She just smiled at Oliver, slightly batting her full eyelashes at the blonde teen.
Everything was going so smoothly. Stella was just as great as he had always imagined and heard about - though he would admit he was still a tad curious about the rumors of what a party girl she could be. Most of the others were probably at their appointed partners throat. Some of those pairings had been interesting, to say the least. He noticed her blushing and felt a small sense of accomplishment. His passing for straight was working. (Well, it had been working for the last eighteen years, but you get the point.) And he had gotten her approval for the bowtie!
”So…” Oli said thoughtfully, squinting his eyes slightly in concentration. ”Excellent homecoming partner, check. Wardrobe, check…. Was there anything you wanted to do beforehand? I known of this great Japanese joint about fifteen minutes from the school.”
“Wait, you mean Kiyoshi’s Sushi Bar!?” Stella had to ask. If true, then she loved him even more than she was starting to already.
He laughed seeing how her face lit up in excitement. ”Yeah, that's the one. I freaking love that place.”
Oh. My. God!
Yeah, Stella was practically freaking out right now but in the best of ways. They were so in sync that they might as well be saying Bye Bye Bye! to this place and make a beeline for the sushi bar. How could someone be so perfect for her and she not even know they really existed? Well, she knew about Oliver - that was a no duh, but what she didn’t know was, in the ten minutes they’ve been talking, she has gotten to know him more than she thought she was gonna. They were, if anything, one of the best pairings to come out of this arranged ordeal.
“I love-love-love-love their spicy tuna roll. It’s so yummilicious!”
This was starting to get a little crazy - but in a good way. Stella had excellent fashion taste, shared the love for his favorite restaurant, and was actually quite… adorable. If he was into girls, she would most definitely be his type.
”That one definitely makes my top three. It's delicious.” Still thinking, he ran his fingers through his hair. They had discussed wardrobe and dinner plans. That was about it for homecoming plans. Oliver found that small factoid to be disappointing. He really enjoyed talking to Stella. ”Was there anything you wanted to add?” he asked, out of ideas to keep the conversation going.
“Oh, uh, there is something,” Stella said, though she hesitated from saying anything further. A part of her grew embarrassed, her cheeks unintentionally flushing a slightly darker shade of pink. “You’ll have to pick me up. My dad is - how to put this gently - over-excited for homecoming. When I told you my aunt took me to NYC for shopping, what I left out was that my dad came along and he picked out all of the possible dresses.” She seemed to be regretting this particular mention. She loved her father, but he was way too excited for his own good. “So, when I got my dress, he told me that whoever my date is, they have to pick me up and meet him, my mom, my Aunt Florence, Uncle Wesley, and basically the entire Lambert clan.” She could feel a familiar anxiety building up as she went to a mental place that made her think this would scare him off.
Well, it wasn't the scariest thing he had ever done or been propositioned, but it was definitely up there on the list. He hardly knew Stella personally, and here he was more or less invited to meet her whole family. It couldn't be that bad though, could it? All of his friends mom's had always liked him. Dads had always seemed indifferent. There were worse things in life that could happen. However, meeting the family meant he would have to keep his sass toned down to a minimum. Or maybe her family was super sassy too, and they could all just have one huge sass party. Okay dude, chill. You're anxious. You're over thinking. It's okay.
Regaining his mental composure, he smiled at her reassuringly before speaking. ”Honestly, Stella? I really don't see a problem with that.”
”Well, uh, well shit..”
That was the only thing that had made it out of her mouth and it was so unbecoming for someone like Stella. She hardly ever cussed and when she did, it usually was in a positive manner. Her brother, cousins, father, and friends all had a sailor’s tongue, but she never showed signs until now. Truly, when she was as taken aback by something someone says, she really didn’t know what to say. That was exactly what was happening right now. She half-expected Oliver to be jittery or be overconfident about it. She also thought he was going to back out. This obviously wasn’t the case.
Collecting herself, Stella coughed, letting out a few, short, awkwardly-nervous laughs as she fixated on the eyes that, at this moment, felt like they were the only thing able to calm her down. “I mean, if you really don’t mind my family’s erraticness, then I guess it’s a date..” She uttered slowly, a smile of relief forming where anxiety previously resided.
Oliver grinned. This had truly gone way better than expected. ”Sounds good to me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta go catch up with Martha,” he said grabbing his things.
“Wait!” She stopped him real quick, “let me give you my number,” she said, pulling out her iPhone 9. “Ya know, just so you can text me or whatever.”
”God, yeah,” he said, laughing a bit and handing her his phone in return. ”Almost forgot that. I feel like such an idiot now.”
She waved up her hands. “Oh, no it’s my goof! I should’ve asked for it before now,” she told him, holding up his phone and taking a selfie, and set it as the pic that came up whenever she would call him or text. “And done. I even added a cute-ass selfie for you too.” There she went cursing again. And what’s this? She winked at him. God, Stella what is up with you?
Oliver smiled, looking down at his phone and seeing the picture. ”Awesome. I'll catch you later, Stel,” he said pocketing his phone and turning to walk away.
When she was left to her lonesome, Stella was gushing and just staring at her phone with Oliver’s picture there as well. Well, it was a quick shot from earlier, but she had it and goddamn he was cute. His blonde hair, his eyes, his dimples - everything about him made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. She hasn’t felt this way about anyone since the days she and Santiago were dating. Okay, so it wasn’t dating in the traditional sense, but they went out on a date or two and she thought he actually liked her, but now? She really felt like Oliver liked her in the way she has always wanted a guy to like her.
“It’s just perfect!” She squeed to herself, getting up as she knew the first person she just had to tell!
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