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11 mos ago
Spence VS Crawford, let's go 🥳🔥🥊
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Barbie: 10/10 💗💗💗💗
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Dying.
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How aboutttttt... the World Baseball Classic next month tho ⚾🙌❤️‍🔥

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Ask no questions and you'll get no lies.
Turn the cheek and blind the eye...
Let it go.

Bend the knee and give away your life.
Bite your tongue and close your mind...
Never know.

Most Recent Posts




A @Venus & @Melissa Collaboration
Featuring Fiamma Giannulli & Aiden Howard


The time Fiamma had spent alone in the safety of her vehicle had been anything but boring. After the initial anxiety about the first day had dissipated somewhat, she’d decided to put her time to good use and to retouch her makeup. She had just finished adjusting the sun shield windshield cover when she glanced at her rearview mirror and caught sight of her very own Prince Charming sauntering confidently (then sprinting) in the direction of her Fiat.

It took every fiber in Aiden’s being to not break out into a sprint towards Fiamma’s car that sat across the parking lot. He had to remember that all eyes were on him, especially Marcos’ and Richie’s, so he had to play it cool, calm, and collected as he made his way over. Every slow step that he took pained him, but as soon as he saw his two friends disappear towards the decrepit main building of Rosefell, he booked it the rest of the way to the Fiat.

A very uncharacteristically loud, high-pitched squeal of excitement escaped from Fiamma’s throat and echoed across the small vehicle. Aiden Howard looked every bit as perfect as he always did: with his shaggy blond hair in that sweet spot between groomed and unkempt, his sun-kissed skin glowing after the trip with the boys, and his preppy casual outfit as impeccable as always. The butterflies in Fiamma’s stomach that had been dormant during his absence were now going off in a frenzy, her heart threatening to burst out of her chest. With her hands now shaking for all the right reasons, the redhead moved her belongings from the passenger seat and to the backseat to make space for the young man, while wrestling with the overwhelming urge to get out of the car and jump straight into his muscled arms.

He arrived at the passenger’s side door within seconds and scooted into the seat next to his love. Not wasting another second, Aiden’s hand instinctively found the back of Fiamma’s head and pulled her in towards him, their lips meeting passionately. He smiled into the kiss and let it linger before drawing away and gazing into her eyes. “Hey, baby.” The blonde boy smirked as the two were finally together once again after a long week apart.

It never failed to amuse Fi just how easily Aiden was able to disarm her. It only took one look from his jewel-colored eyes, one kiss from his honey-sweet lips, one phrase with his masculine voice… And she was done. Just like that. Melting into a big old puddle of warm feelings at his feet.

Today wasn’t the exception. The second Aiden’s lips were on hers, the redhead’s racing heart finally settled back to its regular pace, and her body slowly drifted into that blissful sensation of peace her prince charming always brought to her. She allowed herself to get lost in the kiss for as long as he allowed it to, and felt her heartbeat speed up again when he drew away and allowed his eyes to bore into hers. But when he greeted her, Fiamma didn’t bother with a verbal response right away. Instead, she cupped her boyfriend’s face with both of her delicate hands and pulled him back into another deep, passionate kiss.

She would’ve thought that, after five weeks apart when she’d attended that string camp, they’d learned to deal with the time zones and love at a distance. But it was just like the saying: absence makes the heart grow fonder. And the time they were separated had only served to solidify Fiamma’s love for Aiden, while fueling the craving to be between his arms once again.

It was only after the heat on her cheeks became feverish that Fiamma finally pulled away from her boyfriend’s lips. Hi,” she said breathlessly, her flushed face breaking out into a radiant, beaming smile as she ran her fingers through his blond hair. “God, I’m so glad to see you. I’ve missed you so much.”

Aiden smirked as Fiamma went in for another kiss- hell, he would have taken her right there in the parking lot if the whole student population of both Rosefell and Liberty was not surrounding them. But, he showed an immense amount of restraint and relaxed back into the cushioned seat as he glanced at his girlfriend who was simply glowing. He loved it when she blushed and he loved it even more knowing that it was because of him that pink graced her cheeks.

“I missed you too- The Hamptons were a blast but I sat there most of the time wondering what you were up to. I wish you could’ve been there.” He replied honestly, taking her nimble hand in his and stroking the back of it with his thumb. The blonde boy let his eyes run over his beautiful girlfriend. Over the past eight months he had memorized nearly every feature of her face- every freckle and every curve- but nothing was better than seeing her in person in front of him. But today, something was new, and he tried not to break out into a laugh as he pointed it out.

“Now where’d you get this?” Aiden asked, leaning forward and grasping the diamond cross necklace between his thumb and index finger.

"Oh, that old thing? I stole it from a shady pawn shop during my Vienna trip while my parents distracted the salesman. I think your recklessness is starting to rub off on me, babe," she joked with a small laugh before shaking her head and telling the truth. "It was a gift from my parents. They gave it to me this morning as a 'beginning of senior year gift' or something like that. Said it would be a nice replacement for the lost purity ring…" she explained, smirking suggestively at her boyfriend.

Aiden couldn’t help but laugh at his girlfriend’s attempt to sound a tad bit rebellious- Fiamma didn’t have one bad bone in her body and he knew that all too well… which is what he loved so much about her. The blonde inched closer to the redhead, a devilish smirk curving into his cheek. “Right, right, you know cause you’re still...” He let his lips find their way to her right ear, whispering ever so quietly to finish his sentencepure.” The boy moved away quickly, relaxing back into the passenger’s seat with a chuckle before she could have the chance to react in a way that was anything but.

A shiver ran down the redhead’s spine at the feeling of his warm breath tickling her ear. Aiden knew exactly how to push her buttons-- which he used to his advantage at times like these. "You are such a tease!" Fiamma whined loudly, playfully shoving her boyfriend’s shoulder. "But I'll get you back-- you just wait for it…” she warned Aiden, glaring at him for a few seconds before she giggled sweetly. “And speaking of getting stuff, would you be the sweetheart I already know you are and get me the baby wipes from the glove compartment? I think I accidentally stained my skirt at breakfast.”

Aiden threw his flustered girlfriend a flirtatious wink as he laughed at her reaction, “Oh I know, and you love it.” He stated all too knowingly, having figured out every trick in the book by now that got Fiamma going. With a sigh at the pivot in discussion, he nodded at the redhead’s request and leaned forward to grab the packet she needed. But as soon as he pulled the handle of the glove compartment, what was revealed was not the baby wipes, but instead a neatly wrapped box with a ribbon bow. Confused, he looked over at his girlfriend. “Did your parents get me a cross necklace too? Come to think of it though, it’d definitely make my blue eyes pop...”

No matter how hard she tried to keep a straight face and give Aiden a scolding look, there was no avoiding the way Fiamma burst out laughing at his comment. It took the better part of a few minutes until the girl finally regained control of herself, wiping off the tears and taking in deep breaths. “Oh God… You know what? They actually did. They also told me to let you know they expect you at church at 9 o’clock sharp this Sunday for your abstinence pledge ceremony. It’s going to be great.”

Aiden’s face paled, “I’m out.” He stated simply before turning to open the car door and make a break for it.

His panicked reaction made Fiamma snicker. “Just open the freaking box, Aiden,” she almost demanded with a smirk, jerking her head towards the box and nearly holding her breath with anticipation.

The blonde hesitated, but after a moment reached into the glove compartment and lifted out the box. He nimbly ripped off the wrapping before lifting up the lid to reveal something that was definitely not a cross. Sitting inside on a small cushion was a handsome leather watch with gold detailing. A surprised expression forming on his face, he glanced over at Fiamma. “And what would this be for?” Aiden asked, not having expected his girlfriend to get him such a nice gift.

Well, I know how much you like the Rolex your parents got you for your birthday last April. But I also know you don’t like to wear it except on special occasions because you’re afraid of getting it damaged in some way. So when my cousin Mika and I were walking around downtown browsing through the stores and I saw this watch on the window display, I knew immediately I had to get it for you,” Fiamma explained softly while she took the watch out of its box and carefully placed it on Aiden’s wrist. “Now, you have a nice watch to wear for special occasions and a nice watch to wear every day. And since I couldn’t take you to Vienna with me, I thought this was a neat and useful way I could bring a little bit of Vienna to you.”

As he listened to his girlfriend describe the story behind the gift, Aiden couldn’t help but grin widely. It was moments like this where the blonde haired boy felt so fortunate and lucky to be dating someone (even if it was in secret) as compassionate and caring as Fiamma. She didn’t even have to think of him while she was away on vacation or go even so far as to bring him back something, which made the watch all the more special since she kept him in mind. To a boy who always felt like he was second string, that meant the world. He leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek. “Thank you my love. It’s perfect, absolutely perfect.” The boy replied, admiring the watch now sitting on his left wrist, showing it off. “How does it look?”

“It looks just… Perfectly splendid!” the beaming Fiamma declared in a fake British accent, imitating the little girl from one of the Netflix series they had binged together over the summer. Well, tried to at least. There was only so much binging you could do when your attention was constantly being called away from the TV screen by your incredibly attractive and very enthusiastic boyfriend.

Aiden laughed, as that was the only line or real thing he remembered from the show. He had been preoccupied with…. other things. In the back of his mind, he hoped that Richie and Marcos wouldn’t notice that he now was wearing a fancy watch, and prayed that they didn’t ask any questions about it either. Speaking of his two friends, he looked out the window in the direction that they had walked in. “We should probably get going, they’re gonna start wondering.” Aiden stated in a paranoid manner, back in the mindset of keeping things completely secret and hidden after a relaxing summer of just being content in his relationship.

The happiness and excitement that had been present in Fiamma’s face was washed away in an instant as a dark rain cloud settled over her. The summer spent together in complete freedom had been liberating-- a breath of fresh air for a couple so suffocated by their regular routine. But now that Fi had a taste of how things could be if she and Aiden were public, going back to hiding and sneaking around was already proving to be a challenge.

The young woman let out a long, sad sigh. “Do we have to go in?” she genuinely asked, her pink lips puckered up in a sad pout while she looked up at Aiden with the puppy dog eyes that she knew brought him to his knees. “Why can’t we just ditch this whole stupid tour thing? I’m sure we can find our own way around the school. It’s just... I haven’t seen you in a week, and my parents aren’t home, and all I really want to do is spend some time alone with you…” she trailed off, tightly hugging her boyfriend’s muscled left arm and resting her head on his shoulder.

Aiden knew exactly what Fiamma was trying to pull as she threw him the pouty face, and anticipating her doing it until he agreed to whatever her bidding was, he raised an eyebrow back at her and shut it down. “You know we can’t do that, Fi. I bet the guys are already suspicious as it is.” The boy replied, trying to be the responsible one for once. “As much as I’d love to have you all to myself, It’s the first day of school and we really need to be there. I’ve really got to kick it into high gear if I want to get offered athletic scholarships and you know that.” He pressed a light kiss to her forehead. “But both my parents are MIA so we can go to my house after school and spend the whole night together, I promise.”

As much as she hated it, Fiamma knew Aiden was right. This wasn’t the time to act rebellious. Not only was it a terrible idea to attract attention to themselves in that way (with both the faculty and their parents), but it would probably set off unnecessary alarm bells in their friends’ heads. That is, if they weren’t going off already, with the amount of time they’d been in the car… Fi pushed away the thoughts as quickly as they came.

“Ugh… Fine,” the redhead sighed in resignation, snuggling closer to her boyfriend and kissing his cheek. “Guess I’ve already got a ton of homework to do at Niki’s place overnight...” she snickered, making fun of the bogus excuse she always gave to her parents in order to be able to stay at Aiden’s place. If it had worked all throughout the summer, there was no concern that it wouldn’t work now too.

“That’s my girl.” Aiden smiled at Fi, matching her kiss on the cheek by his lips tenderly meeting her forehead. “Just means we have something to look forward to at the end of today.” He winked cheekily before getting his things together and checking his reflection in the mirror in the sun visor. It was hard to focus on going to class when he had a whole night with his girlfriend ahead of him, but he knew he needed to get down to business and fast. Taking a deep breath, he looked back over at the redhead. “You ready, love?” The blonde asked, moving to open the passenger side door.

“Wait!” Fiamma suddenly cried out, reaching out to grab the arm of Aiden’s that was seconds away from opening the vehicle’s door. As soon as his attention was back on her, Fi grabbed him by the jaw, pulled his face towards her and passionately locked her lips with his. She didn’t stop until her lips were hurting.

After she pulled away, the redhead took a second to stabilize her pulse and breathing while admiring the young man beside her. “I love you,” she told Aiden, looking up at him with the sparkling, loved-up doe eyes of a young woman who was nothing but crazy about him.

“I love you too. Now get you ass out of this car before we start fogging up the windows…”

Note: There is a Mess Hall & Bathhouses. We just didn't think those needed descriptions.
There's also amenities that are strictly meant for summer camp, which are bordered off and/or covered in snow.
Ie. Soccer field, Archery Target Practice, a theater cabin (with costumes), a Pavilion for outdoor eating, the Blob (in the storage shed), etc.
Names are subjected to change depending on the program. For example, the Arts & Crafts area is called Santa's Workshop right now.





The cabins at Second Horizons are cut and paste, as far as layout goes. The second floor is the dedicated bunking area, with bunk beds lining the walls. The second floor for most cabins have remained identical throughout the years. The ground floors have more variety — the green cabin has more bean bags in the sitting area than chairs, and the pink cabin kitchenette is used more often than almost all the other three combined. The subtle differences from cabin to cabin is what defines the color system of Second Horizons. Please feel free to add your own touches to each cabin, making sure to use your color as inspiration.

One more thing of note, the counselor room is by the front door and has two beds inside of it for the group's 'mums' & 'dads'. They need a place to sleep too! Campers of their cabin are their responsibility 24/7, from the start of the program to the end.




Near the center of the camp, the rec room is the source of entertainment for when it’s ‘too cold’ to go outside during the winter retreat, and ‘too hot’ to go outside during the summer camp. The rec room is kept warm by an open fire place, and houses a collection of classic board games and a TV, with a few video games included. Additionally, the Rec Room has a small kitchen room with an ancient stove (first floor) and a second floor where people can do arts & crafts — there’s no digital options, though.




The center of the camp, in the middle of the four corners of the main cabins, where the bonfire pit is located. During the winter, there is a massive Christmas tree near here, which the campers are welcome to decorate together after the night’s bonfire and s’mores.




During the winter, this lake is frozen solid and used by Second Horizons as both a hockey arena, and an ice skating rink. Attendees can receive lessons provided free of charge by counselors who are sometimes willing and sometimes less so.




This stage is where the campers in summer can convene for movies projected onto the screen behind the stage, or concerts put on by fellow campers. In the winter, attendees can gather around small fire pits for a more intimate experience while watching Christmas and winter themed movies.




Second Horizons houses an indoor heated pool that isn’t in use during the summer. Attendees who adore swimming will find their home here. Additionally, there is a sauna (co-ed, there’s only one), where campers can warm up after a day of playing in the snow.




Hidden away by an hour’s hike — through a trail made by years of use — there’s a small group of hot springs campers have been traveling to for years. Though not officially recognized by Second Horizons staff, this doesn’t stop campers and counselors alike for stealing away for a bit of ‘privacy.’ Just make it back safely, okay?




Second Horizons only has a few slopes that are maintained for skiing: a bunny slope for newer riders, and then a half-pipe for more experienced boarders and skiers. Other than that, you’re on your own if you want to take advantage of the fresh powder that shows up every other morning. That means hiking to the top of the mountain and getting back on your own. Second Horizons affords a lot of freedom to its attendees. Don’t be the one that ruins it for the others.




Typically reserved for summer usage, the Sound & Dance is a building tucked beside the Rec Room. This cabin has a collection of various musical instruments, and a space with an open floor for students to practice their dancing. Though typically closed off during the winter, the camp counselors do have a key — if you’re able to convince them.




The nerve center of the camp, depending on who you ask. This is where the director stays, along with the actual staff — the cook(s), the nurse… Neither children nor counselors are allowed here — and the interior of the Lodge is far more comfortable than the rest of the camp. Second Horizons is built for the Director to relax and make some money while paying 20 somethings peanuts to babysit while he collects the big bucks from the parents. Unfortunately, there were a few legal requirements to making a giant daycare.
Snipped
PS: When reading the sheet, the parts that are strikethroughed are the commentary words she’s saying as she fills out the application. They’re not on the document itself.

Happy reading!

Camila Fernández | Mariah Angeliq | Crimson | Red Cabin 💅🏽👏🏼



Forty-five minutes before the warning bell of Rosefell High was scheduled to go off, the sounds of the Disney Channel Camp Rock movie soundtrack could be heard from behind the closed door of the bedroom that once belonged to the now newly-engaged Charlotte Diedrikson. Inside the room was a lavender-haired young woman, singing and dancing along to the music coming from her phone’s speakers while browsing through her potential outfit selection. Finally, she set her sights on a spaghetti-strapped, flower-printed red mini dress, and a matching pair of white and beige wedges. One glance in the mirror made her question whether the length of the dress was appropriate or not, but the girl merely shrugged and pushed the worries away. If the school had anything to say about her wardrobe choices, they could take it up with the big bad wolf lawyer downstairs.

Giselle Seara’s morning routine was much like every other teenage girl’s was: a nice warm shower, a skincare routine, a brushing of the hair, a few generous spritzes of her fruity Escada perfume, and a little makeup to highlight her natural beauty. Once the motions were over and done with, she raced downstairs to the dining room, eager to put an end to the fierce growling of her stomach.

“Hi Auntie Kole! Hi Uncle Warren!” Gigi said cheerfully, wrapping her arms around her uncle for a quick hug before doing the same to her aunt.

“Morning, sunshine!” Nikole greeted her niece, planting a kiss on the girl’s head before letting her go and pointing to an empty seat at the dining table. “Your breakfast is already served and ready: an organic smoked salmon bagel with cream cheese and spinach and a glass of freshly-squeezed lemonade, as requested. I hope you like it!”

Smiling, the young woman skipped to the table, took a seat and immediately dove right in. “Shoot, this is amazing! I’ll make sure to thank Lorna when I see her at dinner later,” Giselle gratefully noted through a mouthful of bagel, speaking about the lady who cooked the meals of the Diedrikson household.

The girl was halfway done with her breakfast before she realized there was someone missing from this scenario. “Where’s Richie? I thought he was giving me a ride to school this morning,” Gigi asked with a small frown of confusion settled on her freckled face, looking around the room for a second as if her blond cousin would magically materialize out of thin air.

Kole looked up from her phone. “Oh, he didn’t tell you?” she asked her niece, who vehemently shook her head. “He left a few minutes ago to pick up his friends before driving to the new school. But don’t worry, sugar cube! I told him I’d drive you to Rosefell myself! Won’t that be fun?!”

From across the table, Gigi and Warren exchanged silent looks. It wasn’t exactly a secret that Nikole Diedrikson was something of a ticking time bomb behind the wheel. She had a record of vehicular accidents dating back to her teenage years-- so many of them, that it was a miracle she hadn’t had her license suspended yet. Since getting the new position as Vogue editor in chief, Kole had taken full advantage of the company perk of getting her own personal driver-- which had not only saved the lives of numerous squirrels, trees, cars and inanimate objects alike, but had also provided her family with the relief of not having to live in constant fear of getting the news she’d crashed into yet another row of shopping carts while backing out of the Whole Foods parking lot. And as entertaining as Giselle had always found the endless supply of embarrassing stories, it certainly didn’t mean that she wanted to actually be a participant in the latest one.

But with how excited her aunt looked to be about driving her to school and spending some quality time together, there was no way Gigi would break her heart by asking to take an Uber. She’d just have to take her chances and hope for the best.

“Oh yeah! Definitely! Sounds like a blast!” she said sweetly instead, giving her aunt a smile before taking advantage of her distraction to mouth the words save me! to her uncle. Warren merely chuckled under his breath and shook his head as he took another sip of his coffee.

* * * * *


Five minutes later, Nikole and Giselle were racing down the streets of Columbus on the older woman’s Mercedes GLB, bringing all sorts of amused attention to themselves by the speed with which they drove and the EDM music blasting through the speakers. The two women laughed, danced, and sang their way to Rosefell, with Gigi using the opportunity to make content for her Snapchat and Instagram stories. It was while they messed around with the face-swapping filter that they failed to notice a dark-haired young man crossing the street, and Gigi barely had time to yell out the words:

“Auntie, watch out!”

With a loud “Eek!” and an even louder screeching sound, Nikole abruptly slammed on the brakes of the Mercedes, violently jerking both women forward but stopping just in time to avoid a collision with a young man standing right in front of the SUV. Hearts racing and eyes wide with shock, both women exchanged horrified looks, letting out a variety of high-pitched shrieks while wildly flapping their hands. This right here was exactly why Nikole Diedrikson was not allowed to drive anymore.

After the initial shock had worn off and her death via cardiac arrest wasn’t imminent, Giselle unbuckled her seat belt and hopped out of the luxury vehicle. “Oh my God! I am so sorry!” she cried out apologetically, rushing to the young man’s aid with her iridescent-manicured hands covering her mouth. From inside the car, an anxious Kole was making gestures of concern and mouthing the word ‘I’m sorry!’ over and over again. “My aunt is a terrible driver-- but you already know that, clearly… Are you okay?! Did she actually hit you anywhere?! God, Uncle Warren’s gonna throw a fit if he finds out...”



With Special Guest: Lover #1 Tate Paxton @TootsiePop

For the majority of the student population of Liberty and Rosefell high schools, the time to make their grand entrances across the gates and to the Rosefell building was now. The pint-sized goth girl named Stephanie Cross was most certainly not one of them. Instead, the young woman was busy smoking a blunt in the street corner, impatiently waiting for the bus that would take her to Robert's Auto Repair. In normal circumstances, Spice would ask a friend for a ride to school and to the shop, and pick up her car at a later time. But towards the end of spring and the beginning of summer, ‘going to get her car worked on’ had become something of a hobby. Namely, ‘getting her car worked on’ by a mechanic/drug dealer named Ricky Quinn.

To the very few people that knew of the entanglement between Spice and Ricky, the topic was a sore one that was met with plenty of discomfort and disapproval. Not only were the circumstances between their initial meeting questionable at best, but the seventeen-year age gap and the fact that he was the father of her very first Rosefell fling pretty much topped the long list of reasons as to why they shouldn’t be involved in the first place. But Stephanie Cross wouldn’t be Stephanie Cross if she started to care about the opinions of the public. If she wanted to start off her day with a dose of Daddy Quinn magic at his boss’ auto shop before driving off to her first day of school, then she would do exactly that.

But damn, this bus really was taking for-fucking-ever to finally freaking arrive.

Five minutes later, an oh-so-familiar purple Honda Civic came cruising down the street, travelling north, straight to her. The engine had an efficient hum, was clearly well oiled, and glimmered in the morning light, thanks to an ultimate shine car wash. There was only one person who would have the audacity to pick up her car, without her permission. The closer the vehicle got, the clearer the view became. There in the driver’s seat sat a man Stephanie Cross knew all too well and it wasn’t Ricky Quinn.

With his thick, lustrous brown hair slicked with gel to go into a blowout, strong and defined facial features, and a smouldering, sly smirk, a mysterious man, who went by Tate Paxton, pulled up in front of the damsel in distress. When he came to a full stop, parking her car, he brought the window down. His infamous smug smile was all that could be seen until he leaned closer to the window to see her vexed expression.

“Oye! Morning Kitten. Beautiful morning, isn't it?” His beard was growing out, which only meant one thing. His schedule was busy and he took some time out of his week to drive all the way from Cleveland, just to see her. As he scanned her up and down, his eyebrows raised, liking what he saw. After a long, intimate moment, he rested his light brown gaze on her enticing face once more. “Who would’ve thought we’d go to the same guy, aye? Not me that’s for fucking sure!” he halfheartedly joked. Subconsciously, he tapped his right hand on her wheel three times, which was a subtle sign of his irritation.

"What the fuck, Tate?!" Stephanie cried out, her small face dripping with disbelief. Out of all the faces she’d been expecting to see on this day, Tate Paxton’s was certainly the last one on her list. In normal circumstances, she would be thrilled that Lover #1 had shown up to take her to school. She hadn’t seen Tate in weeks-- and although they’d been in constant communication via scandalous texts and Facetime calls, it was never the same as when their bodies melted together behind closed doors.

But under these bizarre circumstances, with him arriving in the car that was supposed to be under Ricky’s supervision back at the shop, it was very hard for Spice to get past the initial shock of it all. “There is no way in hell you come all the way from Cleveland to Columbus every time your stupid car needs to get fixed. And can you please fucking explain to me how the hell you got your hands on my damn car when it's been locked at a shop you have no knowledge of for three days?!”

“You want me to explain?” Turning off her car, Tate pulled out the keys and tightly clasped them in his right hand. After opening the door with his free hand, he stepped out with his polished and clean black oxfords silently dropping to the cement street. Tate being dressed in formal wear wasn’t usual for him unless he was in the middle of something important, that he cut short, to be here. “Yeah, I’ll tell ya.”

Throwing her keys up in the air and catching it, he chuckled, “Imagine me, minding my own damn business, giving you the space you need to spend time with your cute best friend-- lovely girl, by the way, that Aramintah-- letting you be. Just be. Freely.”

He paused and shook his head and sighed, Imagine—” Once again the keys went up in the air and back down in his hand. His attention never wavering from her face. “—I’m calling a good friend of mine and finding out,” The keys went up once more. He rolled his eyes at the thought that came to mind and instantaneously swatted the air to catch them. One last time. “he’s a good friend of yours too. A really good friend of yours.” Shoving his hands in his pockets, along with her keys, he leaned in forward, his intense brown eyes locked with hers, and a smirk on his face. “Just thinking about it, what are the chances, right?”

Stephanie’s reply was instant. "The same chances of me driving to Cleveland to surprise you at the club and walking into your office to find your tongue down your new house mom's throat," the young woman spat without missing a beat, flipping back some locks of her long black hair while mirroring Tate's own smug smirk. How could she forget about the incident that had put an end to their budding relationship? "Imagine being so pressed about who I choose to spend my time with after going behind my back throwing what we had out the window. And imagine having the lack of common sense to show up to where I live to imply that I owe you any sort of explanation. I'm not your girlfriend, Tate. You made that very clear to me that day a few months ago. So whoever I fuck or don't fuck is absolutely none of your goddamn business. You have no fucking right to question shit.”

What a minx she was. He liked when she got all riled up because of him. “Is that so, love?” Standing up straight, he took his right hand out of his pocket but instead of her keys, he had his phone in his hand instead. The one with the only number she had of his. Clearly, Stephanie forgot who she was talking to.

Ah, but of course.

Who would he be if he didn’t give her what she wanted? Tate heard her loud and clear. “I got one last one for you.” He waved his phone in front of her face, dangling it pridefully, sadistically, “Imagine a world—” No texts, no calls, no surprise visits, no sex, no nothing. “—where I’m gone.” Dropping his phone to the ground, he stomped on it with his dominant foot. Forcibly and only once, but enough to make Stephanie flinch. “Ricky can have you.” Purposely instilling fear in her, he smoothly bluffed, “And he’ll thank you later, for costing him his job.”

With that, Tate took her keys out of his pants pocket, tossed it at her feet, and turned on his heel, leaving her behind. Whether she believed him or not was entirely up to her, he didn’t care. Tate could disappear completely and she would have no idea how to trace him. She knew that. He could put all those she loved in danger, if he truly wanted to, like her dear best friend. She definitely knew that. Last but never the least, he had all the power in the world to ruin Ricky’s life, just with the snap of his fingers. She just learned that.

Spice was playing a dangerous game and she knew exactly what she was getting herself into, the day she met him. Without using his fingers, he whistled loudly and in came a Bugatti La Voiture Noire. One of Tate’s employees sat in the driver’s seat. As he opened the passenger door, he turned to look back at her and for a split second, his mask dropped and he showed a shed of conflict and withdrawal, before entering the vehicle and smirking once more, “Goodbye, Kitten.”

The door closed.

For a moment, Spice simply stood there, mouth agape at the absurdity of it all. This man had really driven over two hours to confront her about a relationship they didn’t have. The same man who had made it crystal-clear to her that they were not-- and had never been-- an item was really out here throwing a bitch fit, wrecking phones and making threats because he’d found out she’d moved on with somebody else. And, for a split second, Stephanie felt guilty about being the cause of his terrible mood with her actions.

But then that red-hot, blinding anger that always simmered underneath the surface of her being suddenly erupted, running down her veins like boiling lava. Who the hell did Tate Paxton think he was, anyway: coming out here demanding the faithfulness he wasn’t willing to give back, and making her feel like his appalling behavior was his fault. No, sir. It wasn’t her fault he was a deceiving pig who wasn’t able to keep it in his pants. And it wasn’t her responsibility to be loyal to a man like that.

Fuelled by the raging thoughts of how absolutely unfair this entire situation was, Stephanie knew she couldn’t let Tate go just like that. One quick scan of her surroundings led her to a particularly large rock nearby, and the goth girl suddenly knew exactly what she would do next. She bent down, wrapped her small hand around the rock, swung her hand over her head, and threw the rock in the direction of the luxurious car’s back windshield with all the strength she could muster.

Crash!

The sound of shattering glass erupted through the otherwise quiet street, sending the neighborhood dogs into a barking frenzy. A few curtains from the houses nearby fluttered slightly open; nosy neighbors peeking out their windows with concern or curiosity over what they had just heard. But from Tate Paxton’s vehicle? No reaction. It drove away slowly and completely unbothered-- just like its owner had been when dismissing her as easily as he would a used Kleenex tissue.

And that fucking hurt

I fucking hate you! Stephanie screeched at the retreating car, loud enough to potentially cause damage to her vocal cords but being much too enraged to care. I fucking hate you, you arrogant, cheating piece of shit! I hope you run that fucking car of yours off a cliff and just fucking die already! FUCK YOU!!!

But no matter how hard she screamed, the stupid Bugatti continued to drive away without a care in the world; leaving behind a sobbing, broken-hearted goth girl with mascara-covered tears of fury streaming down her beautiful face.




Ever since she was a child, Fiamma Giannulli had struggled with anxiety and insomnia in the face of changes, new events and experiences. For an introverted girl like her, the uncertainty of not knowing how a particular situation would develop sent her on a downward spiral of negative ‘what-if’s’, filling her with nerves and dread of what could be coming. The night before her first day of senior year was, of course, not an exception to this. The redhead had spent her evening staring up at the ceiling, fighting against the pessimistic thoughts that threatened to swallow her whole. Would she like Rosefell? Would the teachers be as committed to providing the highest level of education as her Liberty ones had been? Would her classmates, old and new, continue to be cooperative in letting her go unnoticed and blend in with the background? Would she be capable of making new friends? Would she even keep her old friends? Or worse… Would Aiden find in Rosefell a prettier, more popular replacement for her, dump her and break her heart into a million teeny tiny baby pieces?

That’s enough, Fiamma.


Just as she’d been on the verge of tears entertaining a stupid, unfounded, baseless scenario, her alarm clock signaled it was finally time to start her day. After going through the usual motions of a shower, makeup, hair brushing and getting dressed, Fiamma made her way to the dining room, where the traditional first day of school breakfast was already served and waiting to be devoured by the hungry inhabitants of the household. The smell of her father’s Italian breakfast casserole had filled every corner of the first floor of the home- its taste as spectacular as always. After saying grace, the Giannullis had indulged in their decadent meal while engaging in the usual first day of school small talk, advice and expectations. Now feeling nervous again, Fiamma decided it was finally time for her to get going. But before she could excuse herself, her father kindly asked her for a few more minutes of her time.

“Sweetheart, before you go, your mother and I wanted to give you a little something to commemorate the beginning your last year of school,” Mariano told his daughter with a wide smile, sliding a small Zales bag across the table to Fiamma while Catriona grinned excitedly.

Blue eyes alight with curiosity, Fiamma opened the bag, where she saw a small black box with the jewelry store logo resting at the bottom. She took the box out of the bag, opened the lid and gasped. Nestled inside the delicate red velvet of the jewelry box was a white gold necklace, with a dainty, diamond-studded cross pendant.

“Oh my God, this is beautiful!” Fiamma exclaimed in wonder, staring wide-eyed at the lavish gift her parents had gotten her. "I'm just… I don't know what to say..." she trailed off, gently removing the necklace from its place in the box and draping it across her neck.

“It’s just a small thing, really,” Catriona said with a small shrug, rising from her seat to assist her daughter in clasping the delicate chain on her slender neck. “And since you lost your promise ring, we figured this was the perfect opportunity to give you a nice replacement.”

“Just promise us you’ll take better care of this one,” Mariano added with his good-natured, booming laugh.

At the mention of the purity ring, it took all of Fiamma’s energy and self-control to keep a nonchalant, straight face. After her relationship with Aiden had progressed well beyond the realms of heated make-out sessions and holding hands, the young woman had been waiting for the chance to come up with the perfect excuse to stop using it. Her golden opportunity came that summer, when she attended a four-week long music camp and came back home with the unfortunate news that the purity ring had 'slid off her finger when she was kayaking in the lake with some campmates’. The truth, however, was that the white gold “Love Waits” ring was not lost to the depths of a lake in Colorado. Instead, the infamous piece of jewelry was resting safely inside its original box, hidden inside a paper bag in the back of her underwear drawer, along with the cutest notes she and Aiden had exchanged during class last year and a stack of Polaroids of them in all of their silly, madly in love couple glory.

Instead, the redhead let out a light chuckle. “Yes, sir!” Fi said enthusiastically before placing her right hand over her heart. “I solemnly swear I will guard this fine piece of jewelry with my life, so help me God,” she declared in her silliest formal voice before standing up to hug and kiss each of her smiling parents. “Thank you so much, the both of you. I really do appreciate it, and I swear I’ll take good care of this gift. Pinky promise.”

“You’re very welcome, dulcissima. Now go on, off you go. Can’t be late for your first day of senior year,” Mariano said, giving his daughter one last kiss on the top of her head before she formally excused herself from the table.

“I can’t wait to hear all about it!” Catriona called out to Fiamma’s retreating back.

Smiling, Fi turned around, waved enthusiastically at her mother, and promptly made her way out the door.

The ride to school was, for the most part, as uneventful as ever. But when the sight of Rosefell High came to view, along with the crowd of unfamiliar faces swarming around in all different directions, Fiamma’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. Not even the soothing sounds of Daniel Jang’s violin pop song covers could shake off the deep-rooted anxiety that had settled in the pit of her stomach, continuously gnawing and clawing at her insides as she pulled into an empty space in the vast parking lot. Until those she trusted made their appearance, there was no way in hell she’d be leaving the safety of her vehicle. So instead of joining the horde of students filing into the large building, the young woman chose to remain inside her small, peach-scented, beige-leather sanctuary.

With trembling hands, Fiamma grabbed her phone from the cup holder, unlocked the device, and let her thumbs fly across the screen to send a chain of slightly panicked messages to her best friend Niki Zabrecky.

Good morning sunshine! 🌞 Hope u had a good sleep! 💖

U mind walking in w me today? U know how nervous the whole first day gets me 😖

If not it’s totally ok! Just figured I’d ask. 😊

See u soon! 😁
To: Niki


And after that one was sent, it was time to send a message to the sweetest, kindest, loveliest, most handsome boy in the entirety of Fiamma’s universe.

Good morning handsome! 💖 I can’t wait to finally see ur beautiful face today!!! 😍 I swear whenever we’re apart time seems to drag on and on forever lol 😂 And even though I’m glad u spent some time w the boys I’m so freaking ready to hug u and kiss u and… do some other things! 🙈🙊😂 I love u so so so so much, Aiden: I love u with every fiber of this shy little heart. 💖 I hope you have a fantastic start to your day, Sugarbear😘 See u soon! 😊
To: AH


She didn't have to wait long for her boyfriend's timely response.

Good morning princess! Can't wait to see you later- it really does feel like it's been weeks. I love you so much, don't forget you're the most beautiful girl in the world 😘
From: AH


Just like that, the dark cloud of insecurity that had been hanging over Fiamma since that past night evaporated into nothingness. Now beaming, Fi dropped the locked device back into the Fiat’s cup holder, grabbed her wallet from inside her open backpack, and pulled out a Polaroid photo from one of the card slots. It was a beautiful shot of her boyfriend at the hidden creek where they’d spent an innumerable amount of afternoons that past summer. The sun made his blond hair look lighter in the image, his skin sparkling with tiny droplets of water, and the reflection of the stream in his eyes really brought out the glimmer of green inside them. But it was his heart-stopping, breathtaking smile what put every beautiful thing in the background to shame.

In Fiamma’s eyes, Aiden Howard was absolute perfection.

With the dumbest look on her face, Fi lovingly stared at the photo for a few seconds before she kissed it and placed it over her heart. And with that silly gesture, the first-day jitters had been nearly forgotten.

It’s all going to be a-okay.
Snipped
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