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28 | Shit, she recognized me!
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2024-10-12 16:00:44“What are we cooking for lunch?” James asks, as he sprawls out on the couch, taking up all the available space.
I raise an eyebrow and look at him skeptically, trying to figure out if he’s joking or not.
He’s dead serious.Is he really serious?“Are you telling me you want to cook again, after we burned all the pancakes until the batter ran out?” I ask, confused.He looks at me. “And what would you like to eat? The chairs? And the pancakes burned because, while I was cooking, you distracted me,” he retorts.
I open my mouth wide. “I swear, I’ll smash that chair over your head.” I cross my arms over my chest, offended. “And it’s not true that I distracted you.”
“Yes, it is.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Yes, it is.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“And let’s hear it, genius, how
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Never go to a tattoo artist if bad luck is following you 29 | Carly is dead.
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Last Updated : 2024-10-13Never go to a tattoo artist if bad luck is following you 30 | We’ll annoy each other together.
“Do you know those moments of complete boredom when you don’t know what to do and you try to come up with an idea, but at the same time the thought of doing something bores you?Well.I feel like that right now.I feel hot, too hot, and lying on the bed certainly doesn’t help.I get up and touch the mattress, feeling the spot where I was lying soaked.I huff, cursing the summer, and head to the bathroom.I turn on the shower and jump under it, clothes and all.Finally, a bit of coolness.I turn off the water and quickly wring out my clothes and hair, then head down to the living room.I flop onto the couch and turn on the TV.I flip through the channels for a while before switching it off, finding nothing to watch.I lie on the couch for a while until I hear my phone ringing, signaling someone is calling me.I read the name on the display: James.I hit the green icon and answer.
Last Updated : 2024-10-14Never go to a tattoo artist if bad luck is following you 31 | And so her lips stumbled into mine.
JAMES"A terrible idea. This is definitely a terrible idea." Carly, Brianna's talkative friend, keeps repeating the same phrase, shaking her head in despair.Brianna shoots her a glare. "Mine is a fantastic idea."Skyler smiles. "I agree with Brianna."Connor sighs and sits on the armrest of the couch in Brianna's living room. "Would you mind bringing us in on it?" he asks, pointing first to himself and then to me. "Because we have no idea what's going on here."Sky turns to us. "Brianna suggested we go to Hunter, a club, because there's a party tonight, but Carly doesn’t seem to agree.""Of course I don’t! This girl here can’t handle alcohol at all! We’ll just end up in trouble!" Carly bursts out, giving her so-called best friend a dirty look, who at the moment seems more like a red cloth waved in front of a bull to Carly.The girl in question smiles. "I don’t know what you’re talk
Last Updated : 2024-10-15Never go to a tattoo artist if bad luck is following you 32 | Okay? Okay.
Panic.Panic, panic, panic.Ever since I woke up, so for about two hours now, I’ve been thinking about what happened last night.And especially about why.James and I kissed.Sure, it was just a peck, but it was still a kiss.And I don’t feel excited or happy or anything else; I feel scared.I’m afraid that our friendship is ruined.We’ve known each other for too short a time to feel anything different toward one another, and we don’t even know much about each other.So, yes, I’m incredibly scared.Scared that things might change.Scared of losing him as a friend.Because despite the short time, he has become a constant and one of my best friends.As I ponder how I might get out of this situation, I prepare my second cup of coffee for the day, add sugar, and continue stirring with a spoon, lost in my thoughts.What could I do?Run away to Mexico? No, too pre
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My God, things escalate too quickly when it comes to my family.Aunt Sasha and Aunt Wendy are fighting over who should get with Zac Efron, as if they actually could, and it looks like they might start pulling each other's hair out at any moment.Grandpa Carl and Grandpa Sean are completely drunk, which is unusual, and they’re dancing the samba together.My mom and Julie, James's mom, are holding a broom horizontally so Grandma Maria and Grandma Verah can limbo under it.Connor seems to be the only sober one—though with my mom, even without alcohol, she’s completely out of her mind—and he’s playing with Carly and Aisha.Skyler and Jace have disappeared, though I have a pretty good idea of what they’re up to.Aunt Mary is in charge of the music tonight, wearing a hat with the visor turned backward that says, "I'm the best and fuck the rest."What a rebellious aunt.Uncle Mark and Aunt Annie are
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Before the Party...Dad is at work and suspects nothing; Mom and I have already wished him well and given him fake gifts, because we’ll give him the real ones at the party.Mom has already started making the cake, and later Julie will come to help her decorate it since she decided to make a two-tiered cake given the number of people who will be at the party.I’ve already stocked up on alcohol with my cousin, who helped me and then went home to sleep, saying that this way he’ll be ready for dancing.We have crates of beer, wine to stay a little tipsy at first and not get drunk right away, bottles of vodka, and rum.Then for sure the grandparents will bring more wine and beer, so we’re all set.I walk into the kitchen, where I slip on some flour and fall to the ground.My mom peeks over the table and, seeing me on the floor covered in flour while I massage my butt, bursts out laughing."My
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At home, Skyler and Connor have also arrived, along with Paul and Aisha. Only my family is missing. We’re all in the kitchen chatting when Paul turns to me. “Do your relatives have problems with doors too?”Everyone laughs while I bang my head against the kitchen table. “Are you going to remind me of this for life?”No one has time to respond because the doorbell rings.I lift my head from the table and give a creepy smile, then I get up and go to open the door.“Jace!” I scream, while at the same time my cousin screams my name.I also greet Uncle Mark and Aunt Annie and bring them into the kitchen.My cousin walks over to my mom, holding up the pack of beer in his hand. “Aunt! I brought more alcohol!”Connor looks at us perplexed. “Isn’t there too much?”My cousin and I exchange glances before turning to Connor. “No alcohol, no party!” we shout
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"I swear I will never touch another drop of alcohol again. I swear I will never touch another drop of alcohol again. I swear I will never touch another drop of alcohol again," I continue to mumble while lying on my back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.Yesterday, when I fell asleep, James, Sky, and Connor were here with me, but this morning I woke up alone.I hear my cousin and my best friend's voices coming from downstairs, but I doubt the other three are still here.James left before I woke up. Was he so remorseful that he didn’t even want to talk about it?The thought gives me a tight feeling in my stomach. I don’t want to lose him. But this time, I’m not regretting the kiss. I mean, I’m not saying I’m head over heels in love and dreaming of spending my life with James, but I simply believe that if two people kiss multiple times, even if they were both under the influence of alcohol, there has to be at least some attrac
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Never go to a tattoo artist if bad luck is following you 16 | Comet + 17 | Bites and doors
16 | COMETDecember 16I park the car in the driveway and turn to the back seat, looking at my gift. A Golden Retriever puppy meets my gaze, wagging its tail.“Now let’s go surprise your owner, shall we?” I reach toward the puppy and gently scratch its muzzle. “But first, we need to finish getting you ready.” An adorable bark fills my ears. I grab a reindeer antler headband from the seat next to me and place it on the puppy. I check that the tag with her name and number is secure, then pick her up and step out of the car.I walk up to the front door and, instead of using the keys to get in, I ring the doorbell.“I’m coming!” I hear James’s footsteps approaching. As soon as he opens the door, his eyes lock on the animal in my arms, and he looks shocked.The puppy keeps wagging her tail, so I hand her over to James and exclaim, “Merry Christm
Never go to a tattoo artist if bad luck is following you 15 | Santa Claus
December 15thJeremy“Wow, so many elves!” Aisha looks excited.The room is filled with people dressed as elves. I’m not sure I still like elves, not after they ate my cereal and tried to dunk my toothbrush in the toilet.“There are so many people,” I say, watching the line of people in front of us. James and Brianna brought us to Santa’s house, and now we’re waiting in line to tell him what we want for Christmas.“Lots of kids want to see Santa,” Brianna says, running a hand through my hair.“Why are we waiting in line when we could just wait for him at home by the fireplace?” That way, we could eat chocolate chip cookies and drink milk together—hoping the elves don’t steal my cookies.“Because this way, he can hear what you want today and then bring it to you on Christmas by coming through the chimneys,&rdqu
Never go to a tattoo artist if bad luck is following you 14 | Eternal curse
December 14thJames and I walk into his parents' house. The first to greet us is Julie, her arms wide open, ready for a hug. "There's my favorite person!"James steps ahead of me, arms spread for his mom, but she brushes past him and comes straight to hug me.I suppress a laugh at James’s offended, indignant expression—his arms still outstretched in disbelief. "Hi, Mom. It's so nice to know you care about me."Julie lets me go
Never go to a tattoo artist if bad luck is following you 13 | Naughty elf
𝟏𝟑 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫One of my fondest childhood memories during the Christmas season is the tradition of the elf. My parents used to tell me that Santa sent little helpers around the world to check if kids were being good or bad. If they behaved, the elf would leave a small gift, but if they were naughty, the elf would play tricks on them. These elves stayed in our house for almost all of December: during the day, they were lifeless dolls watching over us; at night, they came alive and acted. When I discovered none of it was true and it was my parents leaving the gifts or playing pranks, my heart broke. But I still remember the joy of those moments, which is why I played along when my parents told the story of the elves to Jeremy, once he was old enough to understand.Tonight, my brother is staying over at our house again, and the job James and I have is to make the elf "come alive." My mom let me know Jeremy didn’t behave well today, so we get to tap
Never go to a tattoo artist if bad luck is following you 12 | Jack Lester
December 12I toss the first bag of popcorn into the microwave and grab two giant bowls.Carly has organized a girls' movie night at her place. We each wrote the name of a movie on a slip of paper, drew one, and landed on Titanic. Though I strongly suspect we all wrote down the same film.“Why don’t we try making caramel popcorn?” Skyler asks, looking at us expectantly.“Skyler, darling, have you forgotten who you’re dealing with? I once burned pasta because I fell asleep while cooking. Let alone making caramel. Or any popcorn that doesn’t come out of a microwave.”A ding interrupts us.“Speaking of popcorn, it’s ready!” I exclaim, taking the first bag and emptying it into a bowl before popping the second bag into the microwave.“Yes, but Brianna took a cooking class. She can make food without burning it now,” Skyler says, trying to
Never go to a tattoo artist if bad luck is following you 11 | The Christmas Spirit of Bad Luck
December 11I roll onto my left side, curling up and bringing my knees to my chest. I adjust the comforter snugly under my chin and hug my legs. Closing my eyes, I pray the pain subsides quickly. Another cramp pierces through my lower abdomen.I feel a hand touch my shoulder.“How are you feeling?” James’s voice echoes in my mind.I don’t even turn to look at him.“Shh, don’t shout. My head’s splitting.”“I’ll take that as a ‘terrible,’ then,” he whispers.I grimace, even though he can’t see me. Terrible is an understatement.“Would you prefer some tea or hot chocolate?” He continues whispering while his hand sinks into my hair, massaging my scalp.I sigh in relief. “Tea.”I hear him get up from the bed.“Could you bring the hot water bottle too?”He kis
Never go to a tattoo artist if bad luck is following you 10 | Otherworldly beauty
December 10thJamesI rub my eyes, feeling the burn. I’ve spent the last few hours working on the computer, and all I want to do now is relax with Brianna. I shut down my laptop, close it, and leave it on the desk in the study. Heading downstairs to the living room, where I last saw my girlfriend, I’m met with silence. I crane my neck and glance toward the kitchen, but it’s empty. Frowning in confusion, I run a hand through my hair, pushing back the strands that fall over my eyes.“Brianna?”I wait a few seconds, but there’s no response. Rounding the couch, I finally understand the rare tranquility in the house.And for once, it doesn’t foreshadow any disaster.Brianna is lying on the couch, fast asleep. Her expression is so serene it worries me. I step closer, placing two fingers on her neck to check if she’s still alive, and let out a sigh of relief wh
Never go to a tattoo artist if bad luck is following you 09 | The perfect duo
December 9thIf there’s one thing certain about my family, it’s that normality is definitely not for us. Especially when it comes to exchanging Christmas gifts. Why give serious things like underwear or socks when you can give quirky, out-of-the-ordinary, and morally questionable gifts? The beauty of having a family that is anything but uptight or close-minded is the ability to have fun without worrying about shocking or offending anyone. In fact, I used to be the one who was scandalized. Then I outgrew that phase.Ever since my cousin Jase and I started having our own money, exchanging gifts on Christmas Day has taken on a new meaning. In our family, we don’t compete to see who gives the most expensive gift but rather who gives the funniest one. Jase and I give gifts together, and every year we win the award for the best presents.Today's mission: come up with ideas so we know exactly what to buy.Technically,
Never go to a tattoo artist if bad luck is following you 08 | The traditions of the crazy
December 8I close the front door after greeting the delivery driver. A couple of weeks ago, I used an app to print some photos, and they’ve finally arrived today. One of the things I miss most about living with my parents is flipping through the family photo albums every now and then. There are so many iconic pictures of me as a child, and I make sure my brother has his too because looking at them as adults is just amazing.I plan to make albums to keep in this house with photos of James and me, but he hasn’t even chosen his yet.I sit on the couch next to my boyfriend and show him the box in my hand. “Guess what I have here!”James glances at the package. “I hope there are embarrassing pictures of you on the potty because it’s not fair that you’ve seen mine and I haven’t seen yours.”“Point number one: It’s not my fault your parents didn’t grant you
