⊱⋆ we're literary soul mates ⋆⊰ ¹ˣ¹ ʷᶤᵗʰ ʷᶤᶰᵗᵉʳ

[winterwonderland.]

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xxxxxxHollie started to rethink her actions when Finn stammered, "I, uh, it's just that. I, well. Hollie's rapid breathing had just returned to normal, and her logic started returning. Perhaps, she was too harsh on him. She got ahead of herself, for her anger started all over again when he spoke again. "I didn't mean to be here? Sorry? I mean, you're sorta being rude. You're not hosting, ya know? I have just as much right to be here as you," he stated, firmer than before. The unjustly accused boy was clearly trying to defend himself. Here there was this insane, eccentric maniac came storming up to him and dumped out all the bottle up hatred directed to the boy. The intelligent young man made a very good point, too. It was a free country; Finn could do whatever he wanted. Heck, Lexi could have invited him herself. On the other hand, Hollie did not view this intrusion as Finn coming to have a good time like the rest of college students in the sorority. No way was that possible. The self-centered blonde believed he came for her. Possibly, she thought he was there to berate her or show off his peacock feathers. As a result, her breath was stolen away when his sharp words sunk in.
xxxxxxShe went from having her heart thudding in her chest to being unable to breathe. In addition, Hollie's hands squeezed together, forming two parallel fists. She was silent when Finn went on, but her enormous, piercing blue eyes continued to shoot daggers at him. "And why would I wanna be a billionaire? I just wanna get out of college and go home, but I can't do that if I don't keep my scholarship. I just have to make my parents happy," he explained bluntly. Wait, what? Hollie relaxed. Did she get this all wrong? Was he not trying to overthrow her? No, she told herself firmly. He's obviously lying. Before Hollie could utter another word, she watched helplessly as Finn turned around and headed toward the door. "Always a pleasure seeing you Hollie," he called out. Hollie watched as he round the corner and disappeared. "Pfft...What a liar," she mumbled, but by now, she was beginning to doubt herself.
xxxxxxHollie went to get a cup of beer. She didn't care anymore. Hollie drowned herself in the awful tasting liquid, and it washed away all her problems. She grabbed another cup and slumped against a wall. Someone she knew—she did not care enough to look up and see who—asked if she was alright. Hollie shrugged it off and checked her phone. Maybe, in all the madness, Scientist would reply. God, that would brighten her day. She got another cup of beer as her phone loaded. Jesus, what happened to the service here? Hollie held her phone skyward as if lighting would shoot down and magically cause it to start working. She waited and waited. No lighting, but some magic must have occurred because her email appeared. No unread messages, it stated. "Damnit," she swore quietly. Hollie had the sudden urge to chuck her phone at the wall like she had done with The Sound and the Fury, but she resisted the temptation. She slipped her phone back into her pocket and got another cup of beer.
xxxxxxThe world was starting to spin. How many drinks had she had? She wasn't sure; she decided to get another. Hollie sipped her drink and watched in fascination as the table went from up and down like a sea-saw. In her drunken stupor, she wondered if she should have said those things to Finn. What really concerned her, however, was his bewildering response. Finn had mumbled something about all he wanted to do was graduate and maintain his scholarship. Hollie could not fathom his thought process behind his actions. She was driven competitively. If there was a chance to win, she went for it. The blonde could not believe there was anyone on Earth who would not want to strive for success. Hollie wanted to be a billionaire. Why would Finn not care about that sort of thing?
xxxxxxThe second part of his sentence was more perplexing. She did not understand all that talk about scholarships and making his parents happy. She was certain that was all bullcrap so that she would feel bad for him and back off. Then again, Hollie did not understand what it meant to have a scholarship. She had been offered some back when she was applying for colleges in high school. However, they never affected her decision. Her parents never questioned the price of her tuition. Like everyone, they had flaws, but wealth was not one of them. They were willing to provide for whatever Hollie needed no matter what the cost was. She found it difficult to believe there really were UCLA students that relied on scholarships. It sounded like nonsense. Hollie stumbled across the room to fill up her cup when something strange happened. She saw Lexi's awestruck expression and Joey's scrunched up face. She must have tried to wave or walk faster or something. The next thing Hollie knew, she was falling. Everything went dark.




xxxxxxIf Hollie had to sum up her emotions in one word, she would choose panic. The blonde woke up in the morning in an unfamiliar room. She scanned her surroundings anxiously. What had happened? Hollie untangled herself from the layers of blankets wrapped around her. Then, Hollie stood up and explored. The first destination she discovered was the bathroom. The blonde was still decked out in last night's outfit, and she hadn't washed off her makeup. Gross. Hollie washed up and fixed most of the damage before she exited the room. She pieced together the perfume and hair straighteners cluttering the restroom and the pastel pink walls. Hollie was still in the sorority that the party was hosted the previous night. "Oh, God, she muttered. Hollie remembered now. She had faced Finn in a sort of brief showdown. Then, she drank too much alcohol, which she had not done since her freshman year of university, and unattractively passed out as if she had been hit by a tranquilizer. Somehow, Lexi and Joey must have hauled her inside on of the bedrooms. Hollie felt utterly humiliated. And to think this all was because of Finn.
xxxxxxShe trudged down the stairs, feeling the effects of the reckless behavior the night before. Her throbbing head felt like it had been whacked with a hammer. "Mornin', sleepyhead," Genievive, one of Lexi's friends greeted in a high pitched voice. Hollie winced at the sound. "You need a ride?" she offered. Hollie shook her head, which made her feel nauseous. "No thanks. My place isn't far; I can walk. Thanks anyway," Hollie mumbled feebly, waving off Genieve. The blonde sauntered to the exit. She observed the forsaken cups and stains on the floor. There was a person on the floor in the living room, but Hollie didn't judge. She, herself, collapsed and had to stay the night. Furthermore, there were discarded wrappers and torn banners. The sorority was in shambles. Hollie was more than happy to leave, thinking it would be a real pain to clean up the mess.
xxxxxEventually, Hollie reached her dormitory. She silently crept inside, careful not to wake her sleeping roommate. Hollie took a shower and munched on some food she had stored in her room, which was her idea of breakfast. She took some aspirin in hopes of that the headache would subside. After, the blonde changed into a beautiful casual dress and grabbed a pair of her aviator sunglasses. It was bright outside, and Hollie felt too hungover to face the world without some UV protection. As she walked out of her dorm, her thoughts kept returning to Finn. Hollie found a sublime spot on a region of fresh grass and laid down. She closed her eyes, falling into an abyss of haunting thoughts. Her memory of what had happened was already fading, but Hollie remembered enough to dwell on it. The line between right and wrong blurred. She regretted her actions, but at the same time, she could justify it. The only thing she was certain about was that she should have stayed home and worked on her Latin project to show, rather than tell, she was greatest Latin-speaker the school had ever known. Or she could have waited for Scientist's reply. Speaking of which...Hollie grabbed her phone and checked her email.

[abeille]

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xxxxxx waking up was a nightmare. finnigan clearly remembered returning to connor's dorm with only one friend. one. singular. not the mass of bodies surrounding him. the brunette groaned, shuffling out from in-between the sleeping people in order to escape the cage of body heat and stench of alcohol. teresa, the lovely saint, was sprawled across the couch in all her glory, long blonde hair spilling out over the sofa's edge and onto the ground, tyler and connor were on the floor in a mass of tangled legs and blankets. which was absolutely hilarious considering the two would be more than rosy cheeked and embarrassed when they woke up, only to find that neither of them had successfully managed to fall asleep beside their girlfriends last night. but it only got better. finn wasn't sure if the most disconcerting discovery was abby's absence, or the extra body curled up underneath the couch. the young man really wasn't in the mood to question anything. it was way too early and his phone was missing and he hadn't had any coffee yet. he stumbled away from the dorm's living room and into the kitchen where, surprise, surprise, abby was. with finnigan's cell phone and two steaming cup's of joe.
xxxxxx"uh, good morning?" those were not the words he had been aiming for. finnigan would like to have instead said, 'hello spawn of satan, why on earth do you have my cell phone' or 'give it here, you bundle of pure, unadulterated evil.' but unfortunately his filter was working this morning and apparently it had decided to unhelpfully intercept insults. great.
"who's swedishfishey and why are you blowing her mind? actually no, more importantly, why are you doing her homework for her. i thought we agreed you would stop doing that finnigan marshall?" was it possible for someone to drink as much as abbigail did at parties and then wake up completely sober? he was never going to hear the end of this. and hey! he hadn't even read that email yet!
"first of all, rude! i didn't even open that email yet, do you know how invasive that is? second, i'm not doing her 'homework' for her! i'm being useful! and third, i don't even know her! now give me." he pitifully tried to reach over the table and rip his phone from her clutches, but she was too fast for finn, and she spun out of the way. taking his phone right along with her.
"oh really? then why is she asking to 'teach you volley ball' with a winky face?" filthy, evil liar.
"ABBY!" the obnoxious screech finnigan released, just like any other high pitched noise that escaped his mouth, was totally and very masculine. he made more grabby hands at the girl, trying to recapture his phone so he could read the email that was no doubt written solely for him.
"fine, but i will find out. and you're no fun." the phone was thrown almost directly into his face, and the brunette certainly did not struggle to catch it. with the device clutched firmly in his hands, he made use of diligent, slender fingers, to open his email as fast as humanly possible, reading the text for himself. it took a bit for it to sink in, in fact, he probably read the message a grand total of twenty million gazillion times.
xxxxxx fishey wanted to teach him volleyball, and not only did she want to teach him volleyball she obviously maybe, not completely positively, wanted to meet him! maybe this meant finnigan really had made another friend? the marine bio major was ecstatic, running into the living room to grab his coat and leave. he had a latin interpretation to write on the sound and the fury. "happy hangovers! i'm heading out!" he didn't even look back as he slammed the door closed behind him.
xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx---
xxxxxx finnigan had a normal dorm room. not a huge, over-accommodating four room monster with a kitchen like connor shared with tyler and two other people finn didn't truly care for. yeah, no. finn's room had two single beds in it, as well as about as much elbow room for a lady bug. it was horrible, and the boy's roommate, charlie, was constantly bringing back girls and kicking him out, if he wasn't already in the library. so walking in, to find the small space gloriously empty, was a god send. finnigan set to work almost immediately, translating the novel into latin as best as he could (which was practically perfectly). fishey's interpretation, written in a combination of english and latin, wasn't too bad. in fact, something about the work seemed super familiar, but finn brushed it off in order to concentrate wholly on finishing his own interpretation as efficiently and quickly as possible. in the end, it really only took him about an hour and a half to put together, and he was so proud of it, that had he not already finished his assigned fahrenheit 451 translation, he totally would've convinced his professor to let him use this one.
xxxxxx he finished off the package with a quick email in response to fishey's. rushing everything a tad because he actually had a nine thirty general chem class, which he really, just really couldn't miss.


to: swedishfisheys@gmail.comxxattachment: fin-ominal's notes


well i'm glad i wasn't the only one with crushed hopes and desires upon finishing the sound and the fury. not gonna lie though, i read the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy like directly after, and it totally renewed my hope in american literature. it's good, like good enough that i'd go out of my way to recommend it to you if you haven't already read it of course. and really? thanks; i pride myself in being a small town genius. (just kidding, i have to be a genius. it's keeping me in school ya know?). uh, if you end up having any serious problems deciphering the symbolism, shoot me an email, because i'll just help you sort that out too. i attached my interpretation for you. it's all in latin, but i added a translation for the translation? does that make sense? idk, i just wanted to make sure you'd understand it. and dude, if you seriously wanted to meet up and suffer through teaching me a sport, that'd be awesome. i couldn't offer anything awesome like that if we met up, like, i could probably teach how to tell different kinds of plankton apart? and maybe the dewey decimal system at the library and thats really all i have to offer. yeah. it's sad, don't judge me. anyway, i'm actually super duper late for class rn, hence a few of my awful added text slangs, and i'll ttyl hopefully 'cus this transformer's rolling out.


from: fin-ominalscientist21@gmail.com

xxxxxx once the he was certain the message had sent, with his worn old messenger bag in one hand and coffee in the other, finnigan sprinted across campus like a bat out of hell. he honestly had the worst tardy record in his chemistry class and it really wasn't his fault. he had awful, evil, horrible friends who enjoyed watching him suffer; therefore, often made sure he was hungover for his wednesday morning class. oh and it only got better, because it was a lab class. which meant other people had to suffer working with him in order to maintain their own, already immaculate averages. (honestly though, he wasn't so bad to work with. self-proclaimed genius, remember?) finn made it into his class's hall with only seconds to spare. crisis avoided. he sped walked ridiculously through the room and into his seat, where his lab group was already waiting. and also very awake. which finnigan still was not; he was actually convinced he'd typed that whole explanation out for fishey in his sleep. there was no way he was actually alive and functioning for that. he highly doubted it.
xxxxxx inspired by a lovely tumblr text post, and in effort to actually awaken his numb body, finnigan produced a can of monster from somewhere in his poor bag and then proceeded to dump the entire thing into his coffee. yeah. he was totally copying something he'd seen on the internet, which could most definitely lead to his demise. he didn't even care. the three students occupying the other spaces of his table stared at him in a mix of awe and utterly rough judgement. yeah. that was sort of a normal thing. considering this was how he started class, almost every single wednesday. "to victus!" he exclaimed in latin cheekily, shoving his styrofoam cup into the air before pressing it to his lips. it was going to be a long day. he knew as soon as the first thought that came to his mind after thinking anything involving latin now that he'd helped fishey, was hollie fisher. oh god, how he really wanted to forget hollie fisher had ever confronted him last night. good mood slaughtered, the brunette groaned before slumping into himself. yeah. a suppeerrr long day.
xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx---
xxxxxx class wasn't even that bad. finn and his partner had blown through their lab like it was nothing, and were lucky enough to be dismissed early. that was why finn was on his way to the library. the library was cozy, the librarian hated him, there were countless books to read, he wouldn't have to think about hollie fisher's stupid face, and he could wait for fishey's response in peace. no abby, teresa, tyler, or connor to question him. or talk to him in general actually. they were probably still all laying around like lifeless sponges, soaking up the oxygen that occupied the air in connor's mammoth dorm room (suite). although finnigan should really be more fearful of abby, she was probably running around campus ordering around terrified freshmen who doted on her every need, because they were dumbly enraptured in the devil's spawn; because abbigal bennett was a future dictator. a firecracker. a ballbuster. a snake among apples. and many other epithets. mostly she was just pure evil, as finnigan had made a point of exclaiming many times before. even thinking about it made him physically shiver, he was scarring himself, he needed to stop.
xxxxxx luckily it took him about two seconds to forget about she-who-shall-not-be-named, unfortunately it was because holly fisher was laying down in the grass in an adorable dress and a pair of aviators, and there was no way he could get to the library with out walking past her. was the world out to get him? was wednesday make finnigan suffer day? "my life is a cruel, horrible sick joke. leading me right into the jaws of a rouge shark. traitor." he grumbled, stopping completely in his tracks. he could either a) run past hollie fast enough to impress barry allen, b) walk around to the other entrance of the library (the long way), or c) just totally go confess his undying affection for the goddess. wait what? absolutely not. and he seriously hated going the long way because he'd have to by the football field and getting thrown around by a couple of jocks wasn't on his agenda. so sneaking past hollie was the only obvious choice of action.
xxxxxx "okay finnigan. you got this. your mother didn't raise no fool. just run super fast, she won't even see you." so he did just that. and it was going super great until his phone vibrated, roughly six thousand times in his back pocket scaring the ever-loving life out of him. he might have jumped out of his skin, before he tripped on himself because finnigan had to screw up professionally. it couldn't be a half-ass screw up. oh no, that wouldn't do. slightly mortified, the young man hefted himself off the side walk and bolted to the library. he didn't even look back. this seriously wasn't one of his best moments.
xxxxxx apparently someone had had the pleasure of witnessing finnigan fall because a girl rushed to hold the door to the library open from him, her gaze was completely sympathetic. at least she understood. "ha, yeah if anyone asks, that was a routine gravity check." he joked, nodding his thanks to the girl. at least he had made it to the library. ungracefully plopping his stuff down at his usual table, finn stuck his hand in the back right pocket of his jeans trying to fish (fish, ha!) out his phone. maybe fishey had responded to him? that would really make his day significantly better, but of course, it wasn't his mystery pen pal. it was abby. no way in hell was he answering that right now. he had just been through a traumatic experience, he didn't need to mortify himself anymore. taking a seat, the boy huffed out a sigh, partially in annoyance an a tad bit in exasperation. guess this was how he'd be waiting for fishey. alone in the library, with hollie fisher sitting on the lawn with only a few walls separating them. perfecttt.


((i'm a terrible person for working on this post first but idc. happy two pages! c:))

[winterwonderland.]

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xxxxxxHollie really wanted to dig an enormous pit in the middle of the field and quietly die inside of it. To her dismay, Scientist had not replied yet. She threw her phone to the side and groaned. Suddenly uncomfortable, Hollie tossed and turned. Her golden hair, shimmering beneath the sun, was spread across the ground, and Hollie stretched out like she was a lazy cat that had roused from a long nap. The aspirin had not yet kicked in yet, and this searing migraine was killing her. She rubbed her temples, and the rhythmic massage helped her wind down. Lying on the prickly blades of sweet-smelling grass and tanning under the sun's spotlight contributed to her relaxation, too. Furthermore, her sunglasses worked wonders as they provided her royal blue eyes shelter from the obnoxious ultraviolent rays. It would have been perfect if it were not for some poor, thoughtless decisions last night. The blonde had found herself savoring the placid morning so much that she ended up dozing off. Unfortunately, she was almost immediately stirred awake by the sound of her phone. It vibrated on the dirt beside her. Hollie ignored it at first and closed her eyes again. Today, her first class was not until two in the afternoon (It was Latin Debate with Finn, but that wasn't the point). She had plenty of time to snooze. However, her beauty sleep was disrupted by the vibration of her phone once more. Hollie sleepily whacked her phone as if this would miraculously solve the problem, but it only vibrated again. Hollie reluctantly picked it up and scanned the screen.
You have nine unread messages. You have seven missed calls. You have four voicemails.
xxxxxxLexi: OMG, Hol. What happened? Last night, I saw you get mad at some poor kid. I'm in class now, but I'll swing by and see you when it's over.
xxxxxxAlexander the Great: Hey, I didn't see u at the party last night...
xxxxxxBFF's Bf: Lexi's freaking out. Can you please text back?
xxxxxxGenny: Did you get home without passing out again?
xxxxxxLexi: I'm really worried about you.
xxxxxxAlly: Don't forget we have volleyball practice tonight.
xxxxxxLexi: I've left at least a thousand voicemails. I guess u don't want to talk to me.
xxxxxxBFF's Bf: #$%!@
xxxxxxDaniel: You up for a frat party tonight?
xxxxxxHollie chose the "delete all" option. The messages disappeared all at once. She wished it was this easy to erase all the conflict in her life. Hollie felt bad about ignoring Lexi, so she quickly texted her friend, saying something the lines of how she was fine and would catch up with Lexi later. To be honest, it was more out of guilt than anything. Hollie was sick of hearing the words "last night" or "tonight." It was driving her mad. The only person Hollie was in the mood for was Scientist. Until then, she would be found sleeping off the hangover. Hollie put her phone on silent and curled up into a ball. Before she knew it, she fell into a deep sleep...Hollie jolted awake twenty minutes later. Somewhere in the distance, birds chirped, and college guys were shouting and playing soccer. Hollie made the mistake of sliding off her sunglasses to rub her eyes for a moment. The glowing sun blinded her, and she quickly put her aviators back on. Hollie wondered if she should go back to sleep for the gazillionth time. She had no reason to stay awake; it was not time for class or lunch yet unless...Hollie did have one reason to wake. She desperately snatched up her phone and smiled, one of relief and pure joy, when she saw those three mesmerizing words. You have one unread message, it said on her email. Hollie opened up the email and could not stop herself from smiling as she read it and typed up her response.
To: fin-ominalscientist21@gmail.com Subject: Hitchhikers and Aliens. What fun.
xxxxxxAnother shot at American literature? It sounds tough, but I'll give it a go. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, you say? That's a cool title. I might just have to go and get it from the library. If you like that kind of thing, I could recommend the Maze Runner (if you haven't read it already, even though I'm sure you have because you seem like the kind of person to read the unedited version before it comes out). I'm only on the second book, but it's a blast...Then again, if you're looking for some classic American literature, I would go with Fahrenheit 451 or To Kill A Mockingbird. If you ever need some help on those, I've got a crapload of my bottled up anger and adoration. I don't think I could ever recommend enough books to relay my gratitude. Your interpretation seriously just saved my grade. I'm going to get started on my project as soon as I get home. I finally, finally understand all the symbolism and whatnot (no thanks to Faulkner). Seriously, I can coach you in, like, anything. I know football and soccer because of my older brothers. On my own, I've done tennis, softball, dance, horse riding, gymnastics, swim, you name it. 'Cause I totally just go around the world collecting sports. If you want, we could meet up on Saturday. It's the Homecoming football game. Maybe I'll see you there?
xxxxxxPS Have fun at class. You go, yah phenomenal small town genius!
From: swedishfisheys@gmail.com
xxxxxxHollie genuinely crossed her fingers when she pressed "send." Did Scientist really want to meet? She tried to apply reason to the situation and wondered if she was a victim on his hit list. Perhaps, Scientist would bail on her as soon as he laid eyes on her. God, that would break her heart. If this stranger was even as good-looking as a walrus, she would be an idiot not to drop everything for him and...what? Did Hollie think they would elope like the heroes did in the Disney princess movies? She decided not to overthink it. If they, they met. If they didn't, however, it was not the end of the world...But it would be the end of Scientist's and Fishey's world. It would crumble to dust, and all that talk about comics and novels and sports would be nothing more than a dream. But that was fine. Hollie could live with it in the same way she could survive without being top in her Latin class. Hollie set her phone down and stared back up at the sky. The wispy, marshmallow-looking clouds created so many different shapes. There were rabbits, koi fish, orchids, and coffee mugs. Below the blue expanse, Hollie thought she saw a flash of Finn, but she convinced herself it was her imagination. It would have been hilarious if it really was him and he tripped while running; Hollie would have laughed hysterically. She scolded herself for hallucinating. Hollie really had to get her mind off that aggravating boy, so she returned her attention to the clouds. The work of art enthralled her to the point that Hollie almost forgot to pick up the novel Scientist recommended.
xxxxxxShe stood up and brushed a stray blade of grass from her dress. The blonde did this all surprisingly calm. Her headache had subsided, and she was pleasantly content on this fine morning. She made a mental note to leave it to her magnificent pen pal to cheer her up the next time she felt down. Hollie wanted to skip to the library, but she rethought her foolhardy impulse. Unless she was planning to commit social suicide, the popular blonde would not be "skipping" anytime soon. Despite this, there was a spring to her step as if every part of her was bursting with joy. Hollie took off her sunglasses when she entered the library. It was peaceful inside and almost made her want to snuggle up next to the fireplace and read Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy from cover to cover. Hollie wandered over to a bookshelf and scanned the titles. Oh, she was horrible at the whole alphabetical order that all libraries insisted on using. It never failed to throw Hollie into confusion. Luckily, she eventually discovered the book. Then, she saw similar covers next to the novel she chose. Was this a...series? Even if it took her centuries to finish reading every novel, she would do it. Satisfied with the slightly battered book, Hollie hugged it as if it were the most precious thing in the world and went to find a table.
xxxxxxHollie discovered the perfect table with an ideal location next to a window framing the gorgeous campus when she saw it. It, meaning him: Finnigan Marshall. Hollie hopelessly hid behind a bookshelf. Through the open spaces, her big blue eyes blinked at the figure at the table. Hollie was still determined to attain the Latin honors achievement, but she had started wondering if she really need to spend her time plotting how to lead the enemy to his tragic demise. When she looked at him now, all she could see was her inexcusable behavior last night and, somewhere beneath that, a sort of cute guy...if you liked that whole nerd thing, of course, which Hollie would never admit she was interested in. She shifted behind the bookshelf, causing the novels to shake a little. Hollie ducked, her blond hair flying behind her, and prayed Finn would not notice her. At some point, she realized cowering would do her no good. The blonde had to face her fear, and there was only one way she could think of to make that possible: to apologize. She slowly stood up and straightened her back. Hollie sauntered with poise and dignity over to Finn. "Hello," she greeted louder than necessary. Hollie lowered her voice and asked in a soft voice that do not suit her explosive personality, "May I please sit with you?" The blonde found herself unconsciously crossing her fingers like she had done when she sent the email to her anonymous pen pal.
xxxxxx"Actually, before you tell me no, I have something to say," Hollie announced bluntly. She nervously fiddled with the fabric of her dress and pushed away a stray lock of hair. "First of all, I'm not going to back down. I may not have a scholarship on the line, but school matters to me—that bloody achievement matters to me." She cleared her throat, then, continued quietly and confidently. "But that gave me no right to say what I said to you. I truly am sorry." Finn had not stabbed her yet. So far, so good maybe? "Can we start over?" Hollie asked. Honestly, she was not certain if it was the right thing to stay. She did not really want him as a friend, but she did not want to be on bad terms with him either. Perhaps, they could be something in between. Acquaintances, possibly. After all, that's what starting over meant.

[abeille]

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xxxxxx the library was so comfortably quiet and unoccupied, in fact, finnigan could probably name all of the (maybe?) six people sitting around with assignments and books spread across tables, taking advantage of the perfect work space that was the ucla campus library. not that he wanted to though. he was much too enraptured in his worn old copy of 1984 by george orwell which he was reading for about the hundredth time, totally not thinking about what a fool he'd been to try running past hollie, convincing himself that there was no way she hadn't seen him and thought━ nothing. it doesn't matter what she thought because finnigan marshall gilbakien was not thinking about her. nope, but he was thinking about dystopian societies and the fact that books were relatively more rewarding to figure out than people. books like the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy. books he'd recommended to mysterious people he would love to figure out. especially if said people read the book, because that would be twice as rewarding. finn hummed in agreement with himself, tossing the worn novel onto the table in exchange for his phone.
xxxxxx curious, he tapped away at the lcd screen hoping to find a message from fishey. the only thing that could possible make his horribly awkward day better. one new, unread email. it small rectangular device read and finnigan wasn't ashamed to admit his eyes lit up the second he'd seen the words. "heck yeah!" he jumped up exclaiming much too loudly for a school library, in return receiving hushing sounds from all corners of the book filled building. the scariest reaction to his outburst (as usual) came from the librarian, her glare challenging him to even try something as disruptive again. finn knew she meant business too, she hardly tolerated him as it was, there was no need for finn to make himself any more unappealing. "sorry!" he whispered in her direction, giving a slight hand wave as reconciliation, finishing the statement with an almost silent, dull, "heck yeah." slumping back down into his chair, the boy began a rapid fire response to fishey's message.

to: swedishfisheys@gmail.com


the librarian wants to kill me because i got so excited you replied. you're actually gonna be the death of me. anyhow,
yeah sure, tough as bricks man. but seriously, it's totally worth it, douglas adams is a literary genius, you have my word of it. i've actually read all of your recommendations, i totally don't get out much because, well, books. also, when i finish my assignments i usually read or watch movies since there's not much else for me to do. unless being bullied into going out partying by my friends counts a leisurely activity as well; because then i totally do that too. fahrenheit 451 is probably my favorite book. i actually had a project just like yours for my own latin class and somewhere deep down in my professor's heart i know he loves me because guess what book i got assigned. yup, ray bradbury's one and only book about burning books. i think i finished my project in a grand total of three seconds flat, which is probably how long your project will end up taking now that you understand everything. which i'm glad i could help with, especially because falkner really is no help. if you're up for it, you can coach me in anything and everything because i have no knowledge of sports. or actually, no. i have no skills when it come to sports, i have the knowledge, i just can't put it to use. oh well, i guess that's what your for, huh? saturday sounds good to me? i wouldn't miss the homecoming game for anything. go bruins! yayyy.
so i guess i'll see you then?
haha, everyone in that class likes me about as much as the librarian, i kid you not. cx hope your day's better than mine though!


from: fin-ominalscientist21@gmail.com

xxxxxx finnigan and fishey were going to meet each other. in person. at a football game. and it figures that the only thing about that entire situation which managed to really grasp finn's attention was how hopelessly cliche it was. man, maybe they'd ride off into the sun together on horse back too. he chuckled to himself quietly, mind you, picturing scenarios which involved himself and his mystery pen pal galloping away similar to the ending of any and every horribly cheesy romance movie. or at least he was enjoying the thought of it until the full weight of the situation hit him like a ton of bricks. he was going to meet fishey, and there was a possibility she wouldn't even like him. god, he wanted her to like him which was a ridiculous expectation considering they had really only been talking for a few days. but finnigan really felt as though fishey had been his friend for years, and that didn't just happen. he needed her to like them when they met at the football game saturday. wow. the football game he hadn't even known about until moments ago and needed to be at. what a mess, he not only had to find away to show up there looking like he belonged, but he also had to look much less, well, finnigany. so really the only way to even stop fishey from running away blinded after laying eyes on him, would be to bring out the big guns. hint: this meant enlisting the help of the she devil herself. speaking of which, hadn't abby texted him earlier?
xxxxxx the brunette flung his legs over the side of his chair, sitting comfortably draped between the arms while he scrolled through his text messages.
from abby spells evil: heya finny. guess who hacked into your email? that's right, me.
from abby spells evil: you really are unbelievable, you emailed someone out of a book finn. they could be an axe murder.
from abby spells evil: and also? sharks rule is a horrible, completely predictable password.
from abby spells evil: if you love yourself at all, you'll change it.
evil. he was one hundred percent convinced that she was evil. abbigal bennett really was the second coming of the devil as well as all things wicked. there was nothing that could possibly make finnigan believe otherwise. and besides, who waists their time hacking into their nerdy friend's email account? only future dictators, thats who. plus, sharks rule was a brilliant password, finn didn't need abby's opinion. in fact, he didn't need anyone's opinion on his personal email's password. he'd keep it what ever he pleased, even if it was completely predictable with knowledge of finnigan as a person.
to abby spells evil: what is wrong with you?
to abby spells evil: seriously, what the heck?
to abby spells evil: oh, and i need your assistance and since you've helped yourself to my emails you should understand why.
to tyler: your girlfriend is probably plotting humanity's demise. approach with caution.
the last text was just in case. finn was just taking precautionary measures. it'd be a shame to watch the world burn at the hands of the devil when he had known what was coming, so warning abby's boyfriend seemed a good way to tackle the problem at it's roots. maybe the other young man would be able to tame the beast with the promise of cuddling and macaroni. who knew. it was worth a shot. and if finn was really going to enlist abbigal's help getting ready for homecoming on saturday, he was going to need some sort of camaraderie in the situation that his proposition fell through.
xxxxxx it was highly possible today was the day finn would be banned from the library, especially with the slew of events which seemed to happen all at once. finn had been so caught up in his plotting that he didn't even realize she was there before it was too late. "hello," he actually may have jumped out of his skin, but he wan't sure. he was too busy hugging the ground after his legs flew up into the air and his entire body tried to jolt upright at the same exact time; ultimately sending himself and the wooden seat tumbling backwards. he righted himself hastily, picking the chair up and peering uneasily towards the librarian. the problem was the brunette knew that voice very well. in fact, he was very well acquainted with that voice because it was the same voice that sang melodies to him in latin class when he was only barely awake and it was the same voice that had practically cursed his name for an eternity the night before. it was hollie fisher's voice. so much for not thinking about her. "May I please sit with you?" aw man. finnigan was screwed. capital s c r e w e d screwed because how could he say no to her. he opened his mouth to say, 'yes of course you may, in fact, why don't you sit on my lap, or you know, have my children?' but he was interrupted by the goddess herself.
xxxxxx "Actually, before you tell me no, I have something to say," wait what? when had finnigan planned to say no? "First of all, I'm not going to back down. I may not have a scholarship on the line, but school matters to me—that bloody achievement matters to me." and finn totally got that, he didn't even need hollie to point it out. no student who didn't give a rat's ass about their education put as much effort into class discussions and assignments as hollie fisher did. anyone in their right mind could see that and to be honest, finn hadn't even meant to mention his dumb scholarship the prior night. he didn't want hollie to think that she was inferior to him in anyway just because she as paying for her schooling or anything like that. finn probably knew best that the girl really wanted that achievement, but that didn't mean he didn't want that too. the boy listened attentively as she cleared her throat, ready to continue in whatever direction her mini speech was going. "But that gave me no right to say what I said to you. I truly am sorry." plot twist: hollie fisher was sorry? hollie fisher was sorry. "Can we start over?" finnigan would make an honest to god perfect fish with the way his mouth hung open in disbelief. she wanted to start over? finn hadn't even been that mad at her, he'd just been frustrated with himself for so obviously upsetting the girl. he never in a million years guessed hollie would be the one apologizing to him.
xxxxxx the marine bio major nodded his head enthusiastically thrusting his hands outwards and towards the seat directly across from his. "i, uh. yes. yeah." idiot he berated himself silently. "i get it dude, don't worry about it. and i know that latin honor's top spot means like, the world to you, but i'm not backing down either." he nodded pleased with his statement. he didn't sound arrogant or indecisive. it was a small step forward, but finn would take it as improvement. "we can totally start over." he exclaimed cheerily, smiling up at the girl when he noticed the book clutched tightly in her grasp. just more evidence that hollie fisher was the perfect human being. she would be reading the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy and really, that slight observation shouldn't have made finn's chest clench the way it did. it was in that moment, in the underwhelmed ucla campus library, that finnigan decided he and hollie fisher needed to be friends and that he was finally going to do something about it. "friends?" he asked, leaning over the table to stick a hand in front of her, inviting a handshake because he;d heard somewhere that a person's handshake tell's a lot about them. and if hollie could apologize, and she certainly could shake the nerd's hand. right?

[winterwonderland.]

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xxxxxxHollie had never done something like this before. The last time she apologized was...God, she could not even remember. The hotheaded blonde easily lost her temper, but it was rare for her to confront the person before her rage diminished. Finn aggravated her to the point of no return, so she was not surprised she hurled those pent-up feelings at the innocent boy the previous day. However, Hollie still found it hard to believe she was sorry for it. Apologizing was the right action to take. Deep down, she knew it. Nonetheless, it was difficult to get the words out, and they tasted like bitter vinegar coming out of her mouth. Unfortunately, she did not get off to a great start. Her raised voice frightened Finn to the point where he literally fell out of his chair. Before Hollie could react, Finn's legs not so attractively flew skyward while the rest of him slammed against the ground. Thankfully, he quickly pulled himself together. Hollie continued as if nothing happened partly because she had nothing to say and partly because she wanted to spare Finn his dignity. She had humiliated him enough so far. Hollie went on, getting lost in her words that flowed one after another as if there was no stop. When she finished, the blonde gazed at him with cerulean eyes that were twinkling with hope. She desperately prayed, with all her heart, that Finn would accept her apology and, just maybe, forgive her. If he did not...Well, Hollie was not willing to sacrifice the ounce of pride she had left and beg for his mercy. Thankfully, it did not come down to that.
xxxxxx"I, uh. Yes. Yeah," Finn replied, welcoming her to sit with him. Relief flooded her; Finn had not rejected her. Containing her immeasurable joy, Hollie nodded politely and sat down. It was only then she realized how awkward this situation actually was. After hiding behind bookshelves, she meandered over to him and delivered what sounded a lot like a monologue. Luckily, his positive response eased the edgy blonde. "I get it, dude, don't worry about it. And I know that Latin honor's top spot means like, the world to you, but I'm not backing down either," the brunet continued. Hollie silently nodded in understanding. It was a rational declaration that made total sense. It conveyed the way she felt but, you know, without the muted desire to strangle the witty genius when he voiced his opinion in class. In fact, Hollie admired his unyielding, strong statement. The know-it-all had already earned her respect in the way that his knowledge was infinite, but this was a new level of reverence. "We can totally start over," Finn added. All of a sudden, his animated face lit up. Hollie had never remembered seeing him this ebullient. Perhaps he was with his friends, but Hollie never bothered to pay attention. He was never a part of her life...until now. It occurred to Hollie that she liked seeing Finn happy. As if it were contagious, a lighthearted smile complemented the bubbly blonde's features.
xxxxxxThe next thing that happened turned Hollie's world upside down, although she had not realized it then. Finn extended his hand out to her as if it represented some sort of bridge that would bring the two together. Then, the brunet asked in a sort of cheery tone, "Friends?" Hollie did not react immediately. It was difficult to process all of this. How had they gone from being sworn enemies to...What did he call it? Friends. She blinked at him and waited for the world around her to dissolve. Any minute now, Hollie would wake up from her wild, unbelievable dream and learn Finn was nothing more than a figment of her imagination. On the contrary, nothing of the sort happened. The tangible boy was still there, holding out his hand, and waiting for her to respond. She left him hanging for too long, so before he could pull back and ask what was wrong with her, the blonde reached out and took his hand. Hollie shook it, gently but firmly, and flashed him a smile one more time. "Friends," she repeated. And so, an era of indefinite peace begun, where Hollie would battle Finn for the honor's top spot but not necessarily fight to the death. For a reason unknown to Hollie, she liked the sound of that. She was accustomed to brainless, immature guys as her companions and backstabbing, gossiping girls as her confidants. The blonde never had a friend like him. It was not because she was a jock and he was a nerd or that some people believed she was out of his league—whatever that meant, anyway. No, it had something to do with the fact that Hollie had never given him a second glance when she should have.
xxxxxxThe blonde pulled away from his grip. She set her book, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, down and rested her slender hands on the table. Now that Hollie had gotten to this point, she was unsure what to do with herself. There were a few options. 1) Hollie could start her Latin book report. 2) She could attempt a decent conversation with her newly established friend. 3) She could read. 4) She could check her email. All those choices had there flaws, though. Hollie was bursting with ideas of what to do for the paper, but when she considered to begin writing the essay, her motivation was dampened by the presence of her competitor. They considered themselves friends, but Hollie was not that trusting or comfortable around Finn yet. The second option was to talk to Finn, but she feared her tongue would get tied or she would thoughtlessly blurt out a hurtful, mean-spirited remark. That would ruin her day to an extent only Scientist could fix. Speaking of which, she could end her prolonged anxiety and enthusiasm by turning to the first page of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the novel her all time favorite pen pal recommended, but it felt rude to ignore Finn and only focus on her book. Better yet, the blonde could check her email. It had not been that long since she last replied, but it was possible her mysterious online friend already responded. The tortuous wait was too excruciating to bear, so she pulled out her phone. To avoid being impolite, Hollie kept her phone in her lap when she pressed her email. The screen was loading.
xxxxxxThe blonde peered over at Finn and recognized a battered copy of 1984 by George Orwell. He must have been reading it earlier. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "Orwell, huh?" she said as a comment more than a question. "It's an excellent book. I've read it at least five times." Hollie remarked. She read it once on her own and at school another time. High school somewhat ripped apart her love for the book as English teachers tended to do, but after, she picked up the broken pieces of the shattered novel and rebuilt her love for it. Since then, Hollie had read it, what, three times? Whatever the case, it was a memorable book that meant a lot to Hollie. She hoped Scientist had as great of taste as Finn. The blonde looked away from Finn and glanced down at her phone's glowing screen. It loaded! Five gorgeous, breathtaking words flashed on the screen. You have one unread email. The blonde scrambled to open the email, trying to mask her pure excitement in front of Finn. She hastily read the email. The entire time, Hollie had to bite her lip to prevent herself from smiling. When she finished, she realized Scientist could be anyone. He could be the twenty-five year old listening to music on the table across from her, or he could be one of the young adults playing soccer on the field outside. Heck, he could be someone as crazy as Finn. If it was someone she knew like the boy in front of her, Hollie would think fate was playing a trick on her. Alas, it was not Finn; it could never be Finn or Joey or anyone else she knew. Well, whoever it was, Hollie would find out on Saturday. Speaking of which... "Hey, are you going to the game on Saturday?" the blonde inquired out of curiosity and as a sort of measly attempt to start a conversation. She had not looked up and was focused on writing a reply to Scientist.
To: fin-ominalscientist21@gmail.com Subject: I'll be Spiderman. You be Mary-Jane.
xxxxxxThat's great that you've read all of them. I'm very pleased with you. :) Reading and watching movies are seriously the greatest pastimes ever invented. Take it from me; books and movies beat partying without a doubt. I kind of wished I did more reading if it guaranteed me a spot on my professor's good side. You have no idea what I would do for a book report on a fabulous book like Fahrenheit 451. You're sooo lucky, dude. Do you think you could have a demonstration and set all of Faulkner's works of fire? That would be the best book burning of the century. But I guess I shouldn't complain. All that help has prepared me to write the paper. I have to admit I'm almost excited to do it now. Yet, procrastination always wins over, and I probably will not do it until tonight. Thanks again, man, for everything. I will totally help you with sports. Don't worry, I don't need to work with raw talent to produce a masterpiece. I promise I'll turn you into the champion of the Super Bowl in a matter of weeks. But I can't guarantee there won't be some tears, tantrums, and hurt feelings. You know...the usual. It's all in the name of victory. If I'm going to see you on Saturday, we have to, like, coordinate this. You could dress up like Spiderman, and I could be Mary-Jane (even though I don't have red hair), or would that not be obvious enough? To be honest, I'm not comfortable dressing up as Heisenberg or Shark. Scott Pilgrim and Ramona Flowers could work maybe? Actually, I know how to make it more obvious. You be Mary-Jane, and I'll be Spiderman. Jk. I'll bring the The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy or something so that you'll know who I am.
xxxxxxHey, you are a guy right? It feels a little late to ask, but I'm going to anyway. And you're not married or homosexual? I'm crossing my fingers.
xxxxxxPS Shoot that shuck-faced librarian (and anyone else who gives you a hard time for that matter) a stank glare for me.
From: swedishfisheys@gmail.com

[abeille]

x
xxxｆｉｎｎｉｇａｎx ｍａｒｓｈａｌｌ x✮
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

xxxxxx the way the girl's face lit up happily made his heart flip wildly inside his chest; until it didn't. finnigan wasn't sure how to process the way hollie stared at his extended hand, eyes filled with panic. it was very possible that finn had misread their entire situation. perhaps she hadn't been apologizing in order to proposition a friendship between the two of them the way finn had hoped. dread crawled into his chest erasing any elation that had occupied the cavity previously. he gave his hand a little thrust closer to her, hoping she would get the hint and just grasp it, sealing their new bond. just when he was about to pull back his hand as well as his proposal, the blonde reached forward swiftly taking his hand in hers firmly. "friends." finnigan was not responsible for the unmistakable triumph that crept into his facial features when he flashed his teeth back at the girl. there would be no more fighting, yelling, or embarrassment. okay, well maybe there would still be plenty of embarrassment, but over all finnigan's relationship with hollie had just become infinitely more optimistic. something finn never thought would happen. ever.
xxxxxx finnigan watched as the girl leaned away, shrinking back into her seat, the boy happily did the same. he was on top of the world, nothing could pull him down. except maybe hollie pulling out her phone, but that was okay. he totally wasn't worried about it at all, him and hollie hadn't even been friends before, like, four minutes ago, so he couldn't blame her for not exactly jumping into a conversation with her previously hated competitor. besides, he knew from experience people took a while to warm up to him. it was apparently a thing. a thing he was used to, so he could handle it. he settled back into the depths of his chair wiggling around a bit in an attempt to find comfort. hollie had really nice hair. and eyes. and also an insanely mesmerizing smile. man, finnigan was the luckiest guy ever. aphrodite herself had totally agreed to sit with him, and to be friends. reverting back to a pensive middle school girl with a crush, finn let out a dreamy sigh. he was seriously in so much trouble, especially since he had accidentally become so engulfed in his not-worry slash adoration, that he'd almost missed it when the girl peered over from above the phone in her hands to try and talk with him. (he totally missed it) the brunette squinted at hollie's lips, trying to make out what she'd been saying because he wasn't really processing her words even though he been thoroughly disappointed by the lack of them only moments ago.
xxxxxx "... book. i've read it at least five times." yeah, finn had totally missed that. his squinting intensified from his side of the small library table as he silently tried to piece together what she'd only just said. what book? was she talking about hitchhiker's guide? nah, why would she talk about her own book? But finnigan didn't have a book. the boy stared dumbly back across the table, completely flustered. hm, he must've had a book. he quickly glanced around the table, which, ah-ha! he had completely forgotten about his worn old copy of 1984 which he had chucked to the side earlier. "ah, yes. it's really well written, right?" he said cheerily moving his hands around, (what? he was nervous) "i've read it quite a few times myself too." maybe he should also say something about her book? it reminded him of fishey, and his recommendation, and he certainly wouldn't mind talking to someone else about the book while he waited for his pen pal to immerse themselves in the wonderful world of douglas adams imagination. finn fiddled with his hands a little bit as he watched the girl turn her attention back towards her phone. finn's trachea seized and he swore he almost choked on air, he was killing the conversation, it was just like every debate they had ever started in class. he always ended up leading their conversations into a stale, completely life sucking alley because he was boring. that had to be it. he must be completely useless at not talking about school.
xxxxxx finn shifted around trying to think of something to say. he was never speechless, this entire situation was a nightmare. the only explanations he could even come up with for this tragically unfortunate series of events was the universe's blatant hatred for him. his overstimulated brain helpfully reminded him that friends talked about everything, which he knew because he totally had friends, but as he tried to revive their conversation all he could think of were ridiculous scientific names for fish hollie probably didn't give two hoots about. "no, no, no, brain. no one cares about fish. seriously what even?" he grumbled to himself drilling holes into the table with the intensity of his newly sprouted glare. he seriously had nothing, which turned out to be pretty okay because hollie figured out something else for them to talk about instead. "hey, are you going to the game on saturday?" ha, finnigan didn't need to worry about thinking of fish anymore, he'd practically become one with his obscene gaping. not really thinking (again) he snapped his jaw shut a little too quickly, which turned into one of his worst ideas when he just barely bit his tongue off because apparently that's a thing that can happen when you're being ridiculous.
xxxxxx finn wasn't sure if hollie was asking him in hopes of maybe running into him there or so that she could plot out every possible escape route from the stadium in case of an unwanted encounter with the marine bio nerd. that lovely little voice in the back of his reminded him that it didn't matter, he had plans with fishey. that was a thing that was going to happen, they were gonna hang out, and he seriously couldn't blow off his pen pal to go make heart shaped goo-goo eyes at the sources of his infatuation for about two hours. if that was even what hollie meant. "uh, yeah i actually am going, which shocker! ya know, because usually nerdy green beans like me avoid the football stadium at all costs considering athletes are sorta really cruel," aw man, but hollie was an athlete, and she was a pleasure even if she was totally drunk bashing little old finn, "not that you're cruel!! just, some of the egg ball jocks don't really understand that lockers aren't meant for people. and abby had a looooot of fun trying to explain that to them with a zero percent rate of success because guess who ended up in a gym locker twice the week after that? me. haha, wow, i'm shutting up now; i'm so sorry." finnigan thought now would be an excellent time to evanesce, maybe into the ground, the sky, outer space perhaps? or how about spontaneously combusting? could his mouth maybe do that with out asking his permission too?? the boy's eyes were wide, his facial expression comical as he finished computing everything that he'd completely word vomited. and damn it, hollie had friends on the football team. finn let out a groan and flopped down on top of his arm shamefully.
xxxxxx maybe hollie hadn't heard him? she had been typing an awful lot out onto her phone. finn shook his head against his arm, wasn't he just a pitiful sight, and returned back to his original position on the libraries terribly uncomfortable furniture pulling out his own phone. maybe fishey could save him. seriously maybe she'd be spider-man instead. he scrolled through the various useless apps on his phone locating his email. he'd already seen the exciting little banner which promised him a new message in his inbox. he peeked up quickly to make sure hollie wasn't paying him any mind really and then ducked back into reading his email. and also replying because he could do that. hollie wouldn't mind right, she was probably still internally laughing about how lame he was. man. he'd probably gone from being the most hated latin nerd she'd ever met to the lamest book reading, locker inhabiting college student on the planet. he tried not to let that get to him as he responded to fishey.
xxxxxxxx to: swedishfisheys@gmail.comxxsubject: i can strangely agree to that arangement
xxxxxxright? people think that baseball is america's past time? nah, wrongo. i'll take your word for it.
xxxxxxbooks > partying. i could very certainly have a demonstration which involved burning all of
xxxxxxfaulkner's work, but i'd need an accomplice. the librarian already hates me, remember? i can't
xxxxxxgo down alone. i actually can't say anything about procrastination because i don't do it? i don't
xxxxxxknow, i just get things done as soon as i can because it works? but good luck writing later
xxxxxxthen, it should be a breeze. i already told you it was no problem really. i guess i should be
xxxxxxsaying look forward to being broken then, huh? hm, i may back out, sports seem scary. and ha!
xxxxxxyou'll never believe me but i could seriously use a spiderman to my mary-jane. maybe you
xxxxxxcould sling a camera around your neck and i could wear an apron? actually i totally just
xxxxxxrealized you were just joking. i mean its a good idea if you're up for it, but we could just stick
xxxxxxto you bringing hitchhiker's guide and maybe meeting by the concession stand or something if
xxxxxxthat's what you'd prefer?
xxxxxxand ha, yeah, i'm a guy. also totally not into dudes or happily married.
xxxxxxps. thanks, that dumb shank'll never know what hit her.
xxxxxxxx from: fin-ominalscientist21@gmail.com

[winterwonderland.]

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xxxxxxFriends. That's what he called it. What a strange, perplexing word. It was similar to a fiend or a frenemy, only not. Prior to this encounter, Hollie had never thought much about it. She always had an abundance of them, so it never seemed to matter. However, now it did because, after spending a few minutes with Finn, being friends with him sounded like the most magical thing in the world. He was different. It was the only way Hollie could put it. Her inscrutable newfound friend bemused her. There were a few characteristics that were especially baffling and insanely charming at the same time. One of them was the facial expressions. She could read Finn like an open book (excluding any and all of Faulkner's novels). His various expressions distinctly reflected his emotions. For instance, his bewitching eyes dazzled, and his adorable face glowed when they shook hands, sealing their promise to be "friends." The next time she looked over at him, patent puzzlement was plastered on his face. She had commented on his novel, Fahrenheit 451. Finn's dark eyebrows moved as he squinted at her. The corners of her mouth twitched as she resisted a smile. There was something about his dumbfounded expression that the blonde found absolutely charming. "Ah, yes. it's really well written, right?" I've read it quite a few times myself too," Finn responded. As Hollie assumed, he, too, enjoyed Ray Bradbury's writing. She loved to immerse herself in the poetic avalanche of his beautiful vocabulary, and she knew Scientist shared the same interest as well. Bradbury was a famous author after all.
xxxxxxShe opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out. She was distracted by her phone. Her fingers rapidly tapped the keyboard. Another one of Finn's endearing qualities was how forgiving he was. The hysterical blonde yelled at the innocent boy the previous night, and now, she was impolite enough to drop the conversation to check her email. Then again, her mysterious pen pal was infinitely more important than a brief conversation with Finn. Still, he deserved her undivided attention. Yet, Finn had not complained once. Hollie believed she heard him murmur, but the only audible word she could catch was "fish," a word more absurd than "friend." Even if his muttering was a rude remark about her, Finn had never accused her in the way she attacked him. Besides, she could never imagine him hurting anyone or anything. She pinned him as the kind of person who picked up the spider and set it outside instead of killing it like Hollie typically did. As she finished up her response to Scientist, Hollie asked him a question, and she absentmindedly nodded as his voice escalated. He answered, "Uh, yeah I actually am going, which shocker! Ya know, because usually nerdy green beans like me avoid the football stadium at all costs considering athletes are sorta really cruel." The blonde squinted at him, imitating his flummoxed expression from earlier. "Wait, what?" she said.
xxxxxxHer first response was utter confusion. Never in a million years could Hollie comprehend what was wrong with a football stadium or the athletes residing there. It was true some of the football players were sometimes rough and conveyed their affection through punches and banter, but they were generally decent guys. Furthermore, the blonde spent her weekends lounging on the bleachers and working on homework while simultaneously watching athletes playing soccer or baseball. Games were also the ideal location to socialize. There was a time someone tripped and spilled Pepsi on her brand new shirt, but hey, it was no big deal. Other than having a problem with "cruel" athletes, Finn believed he was a...what did he call himself? A nerdy green bean or something just as ridiculous? Honestly, he was nerdy but in the most appealing, delightful way possible. Finn, on the other hand, was no wimp. Surely, the legendary Finnigan Marshall could stand up to a bunch of pathetic bullies. The next emotion she experienced was anger. The same rage she drowned in last night. Was Finn trying to infer Hollie, an athlete currently involved in three sports, was cruel? Of course, it was too good to be true. As soon as Hollie started to think Finn was as awful as she once believed, he quickly said, "Not that you're cruel!!" Hollie thought dismally, Nice save. Finn continued, "Just, some of the egg ball jocks don't really understand that lockers aren't meant for people. And Abby had a looooot of fun trying to explain that to them with a zero percent rate of success because guess who ended up in a gym locker twice the week after that? me. Haha, wow, I'm shutting up now; I'm so sorry." He conversed like a toddler retelling an elaborate story. All exclamation points and no pauses. When Finn registered the monologue he had just delivered, he groaned and flopped down on top of his arm.
xxxxxxThe blonde should have felt offended. She knew that. The idiots who did that were most likely her friends. What she felt, on the contrary, was far from being offended. Hollie burst out laughing. She guffawed until she could barely breathe. At that very moment, she realized why he was so special. His goofiness was the attribute she cherished the most like when he fell out of his chair or tripped over his words. Hollie almost told him about her light bulb moment when she remembered she had not yet finished her reply to Scientist. "Hold on. I'll only be a minute," she mumbled, forgetting about the library and Finn until she completed the email. When the blonde fixed her gaze on Finn, she observed he was also enthralled by his phone. Hollie cleared her throat and started talking. She did not mind if he was on his phone, but she found herself longing for undeserved attention from Finn. "Sorry about that. There's someone really, er, important that I needed to talk to," Hollie explained, setting her phone aside. "Were you telling a joke, or were you really shoved in a locker?" she inquired. The blonde could no longer hide her smile. She was grinning from ear to ear. "All of the football guys are asses, so I can't say I'm surprised. Next time, call me. I'll be your bodyguard. Believe it or not, I have a black belt in karate," Hollie said lightheartedly. Her smile faded when she remembered he already had someone to protect him, even if she wasn't so great at doing her job. "Is Addie your girlfriend?" Hollie blurted out. This Abby, or whatever her name was, was none of Hollie's business.
xxxxxxImmediately after the blonde spoke, she instinctively covered her mouth like a child did after telling a lie. Oh my god. I didn't mean to say that, she thought. Certainly, this was the umpteenth time she had embarrassed herself in front of Finn. No surprises there. She was a walking disaster. Blushing uncontrollably, Hollie grabbed her phone and rapidly mumbled, "Ijustneedtochecksomething." On her screen flashed her favorite words. Her knight in shining armor responded just in time to save the day. She scanned the email and started her reply. As she scanned the part about burning the books, Hollie smiled. She could see it now. The library would go up in flames in honor of the noble cause to rid the world of all Faulkner-related books. Then, she and Scientist would walk out of the burning building in slow motion like in Hollywood movies. They would hold hands and walk off into the sunset. It would be everything Hollie had ever dreamed about. Unlike Finn, she would never embarrass herself in front of Scientist. Unlike Finn, she would never yell at Scientist. Unlike Finn, she and Scientist would get married and live happily ever after.
To: fin-ominalscientist21@gmail.com Subject: I'll be Spiderman. You be Mary-Jane.
xxxxxxMaybe, on the night of the game, we can steal from the library and host a bonfire to burn Faulkner's works. If the librarian catches us, I'll take the blame...on one condition. You can't chicken out now. When I chuck I football at you, I expect you to stand there and take the hit like a man or catch it properly. Anyway, I was thinking maybe we should both be Spiderman. I could use some rescuing myself. But, for now, I'll settle with meeting at the concession stand, and I'll bring the book. I'll look out for the guy that is not hitting on dudes or wearing a wedding ring, but so that I don't get the wrong person, make sure to say hello! I'm kind of busy right now, but we'll talk more later, Spiderman. :)
From: swedishfisheys@gmail.com
xxxxxxIt took her a minute to read the email and respond, which was an all-time record. Then, she turned off her phone and glanced up at Finn. She braced herself for an argument, a teasing, or a similar nightmare scenario.

[abeille]

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xxxxxx it was in the UCLA campus library, surrounded by the smell of old books, that finnigan decided it would be his life-long mission to keep hollie fisher laughing as much as humanly possible. they were friends now, which meant it was totally under his jurisdiction to make that happen. he watched in awe as hollie doubled over in laughter, clearly as breathless as finnigan felt. she really was one of the most beautiful, radiant beings he'd ever had the joy of breathing beside. it was a wonder she didn't already have someone actively trying to coerce that full sounding laughter out of her non-stop. hollie totally deserved someone who could make her so exuberant, even in the face of her enemy-turned-friend. finnigan smiled from his side of their table, grin stretching from ear to ear, and he completely forgot about his phone resting against the table top. although it seemed hollie hadn't forgotten hers, but that was cool. she smiled apologetically at him, adding, "hold on. i'll only be a minute," so finnigan waited patiently trying not to lose himself to subconscious thoughts so easily again.
xxxxxx "sorry about that. there's someone really, er, important that i needed to talk to," finn nodded in understanding, though he silently berated himself for being so foolish. he wanted to laugh so hard he'd cry and his stomach would burn while his throat cracked, sore and exhausted. of course hollie had someone. he was fatuous for even thinking for a second that maybe he could have hollie. they had only just become friends, for god's sake and whoever it was she was talking to was clearly dear to her. "were you telling a joke, or were you really shoved in a locker?" she looked smug, her smile splitting her face, like she was sharing an inside joke with a small child. "uh, no. i actually did get shoved into a locker. i rate the experience two stars out of ten. i don't recommend." he replied smiling hesitantly, though he unceremoniously wiggled forward in his seat, hungrily anticipating hollie's words the second she opened her mouth to speak. "all of the football guys are asses, so I can't say I'm surprised. next time, call me. i'll be your bodyguard. believe it or not, i have a black belt in karate," no way. hollie fisher, UCLA campus goddess and class renowned queen of latin was whole-heartedly offering to protect finn's dignity. he had no control what so ever over the way his face lit up, hollie's significant other completely left to rot in the back of his mind.
xxxxxx "whoa there kemosabe, that's actually really cool of you. i mean, you are being serious right? i don't have a dog whistle or anything though. i suppose we'll have to exchange numbers or emails or something before we head off to class later huh?" super sly finn, super fly he mentally pat himself on the back. he was one slick dorsal finn, no one could possible top him. finn was still smiling blindly at his practical choice of words when he noticed the way hollie looked like she was internally debating something exceptionally important with herself. and then her face fell and words tumbled out of her mouth, "as addie your girlfriend?" the look on her face was adorably priceless. obviously she was having speech consent problems too. "i, uh. what? addie?" he questioned quirking his head. maybe they had an addie in their latin class or something, and hollie had assumed they were going steady. which was totally an incorrect assumption. he took a second the process everything they'd said recently and he caught on; hollie must be talking about abby. "oh wait, you mean abby." his tone was completely serious, you know, until he realize the weight of both his and hollie's words. she totally thought he was dating abby. jeeze, it was officially his turn to lose himself in a fit of giggles. ha. him dating abby. no, tyler would kill him. seriously, he would, and he was a criminology major too so finn wouldn't even stand a chance.
xxxxxx "yeah no. i'm definitely not dating abby, she's just relevant because she's evil and has practically forced herself into my life." surprisingly, this was not the first time someone had mistaken abbigail as finnigan's significant other, and every time it happened he instinctually collapsed into loud boisterous laughter because just the mere fragmented thought that the two could ever function as a pair is ridiculous. finn would probably go out of his mind if his time revolved around doting on abby; to be frank, he wasn't sure how the hell tyler managed her superior highness as well as all of his classes. and it wasn't that he didn't love abby, or that he had some sort of complex abhorrence concerning her, no, it was just that she was his honorary sister. his terrifying, self-appointed, patriarchy dominating, supreme ruling sister who he didn't doubt actually could kill with one of her signature bennet glares. it gave him chills just think about it, as well as thing, 'why does hollie even care?' not like she was interested in the full finnigan gilbakien package. she had a significant other, would it have been so bad if he had had one himself too?
xxxxxx "Ijustneedtochecksomething." all of the sudden hollie was just speaking, at like light speed too, and then she was finished and she pulled out her phone. finnigan understood social cues, he wasn't going to press anymore considering it was blatant she wanted the subject dropped (which was a little weird since she had been the one to bring it up). so finn was back where he started, twiddling his thumbs as he tried to memorize the grain of the birch wood which crafted their table. maybe he would find some new obscure initials or sloppily hand carved word he'd not manage to discover during any previous excursions to the campus library. the boy easily found him self occupied as he bit his lip carefully concentrating on tracing the volute curving letters that belonged to an 'elizabeth cromwell'. maybe he should check his phone too? he'd had scent fishey an email pretty recently, but perhaps she'd responded? curious, he let his hand lay flat against the table, cursive name forgotten, and peeked in hollie's direction. she was still texting razor quick, her hands a huge blur. finn decided he could spare a few seconds to check his phone even if he had a feeling it would lead to disappointment.
xxxxxx he really had expected it, it's not like he'd felt the phone vibrate or anything either, mostly he just really wanted there to be an email, but there was none. he hadn't really meant to check the time, in fact he hadn't even realized he'd been talking (well sorta talking) with hollie fisher for such a long period, but when he caught a glimpse of the numbers at the top corner of his phone screen, he panicked. his latin class was in about an hour and fifteen minutes and finn always stopped to get something lunch like to eat before class. the lanky boy stood up abruptly, ignoring hollie who had just looked back up from her phone maybe to talk to him again? he didn't know, but he chose to instead walk around their tiny table set-up gathering his scattered belongings. the last thing he shoved into his bag was 1984, and before he could forget he pulled out a bright orange post-it note (it was the color of gold fish, so what, sue him) and jotted down his name as well as email for the girl. he wasn't sure her boyfriend would appreciate him sharing numbers, and if he was possibly anything like the jock students she commonly surrounded herself with, finn wasn't really willing to find out. he stuck the stick not onto her hand before smothering his face in a lopsided grin, "okay, so i'm really, seriously, really glad we've decided to be friends, that's why i'm giving you my email," he exclaimed, jabbing at the small paper square in her hands, "i'd give you my phone number, but i use my email more often, and i'm not so sure your boyfriend would appreciate some weirdo nerd guy giving you his number, you know?" finn still wasn't finished but he took a second to recompose himself and suck in a few lungfuls of air, "since we have latin in like an hour, i'm gonna head off to grab a bite to eat. you're welcome to come 'cus i was seriously enjoying spending time with out, and i seriously wouldn't wanna run out of here on you like i kinda almost did. so i guess if you're up for it, and you're boyfriend won't mind, i'm gonna head to café 451 and get some grub. you wanna come? i mean, then we could walk to latin together or something?" finnigan was just on a roll today. he couldn't wait to text connor later about how suave he kept finding himself, when you know he wasn't falling into the sidewalk or crashing off chairs and into the library floor.


(aw man, sorry it took so long for me to edit this. i had too much hw today. anyway i wanted to say café 451 is actually a real place on UCLA campus and it's where bradbury wrote his book man. c:

[winterwonderland.]

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xxxxxxWas this really who Finnigan Marshall was? A frank, exasperating, stubborn comedian with straight A's and nerdy obsessions? She thought she had him figured out, but each joke and every grin changed her mind. Her judgment vanished and was gradually replaced with something she could not name. It was possible she had a newfound respect for her companion, or it was the mundane feeling of getting to know someone. Could it also be escalating compassion for this stranger? No, wait. They were friends. Friends. Hollie liked the sound of that. With every passing second, she could not imagine being anywhere else with anyone else. It was like someone flipped on the light switch. Nonetheless, she had the occasional urge to have a conversation with Scientist, but she fought them, convincing herself it was foolish to fall in love with someone she had never met. After she set aside her phone, Finn answered, "Uh, no. I actually did get shoved into a locker. I rate the experience two stars out of ten. I don't recommend." The blonde stifled a chuckle. "Whoa there kemosabe, that's actually really cool of you. I mean, you are being serious right? I don't have a dog whistle or anything though. I suppose we'll have to exchange numbers or emails or something before we head off to class later huh?"
xxxxxx"I have a dog whistle; you can borrow mine," she responded jokingly. "Just kidding. We can definitely keep in contact in case you get stuck in a locker again. I have a crowbar, too, in case they lock it." Even though they were going to exchange numbers or emails, she never stopped to consider Finn viewed her as anything more than the lunatic who yelled at him and somehow became his friend. The clueless blonde did not see the way he looked at her. The sparkle in his enthralling eyes and his awkward attempts at flirting were nonexistent to her. That's the kind of person Hollie was. She was not exceptionally considerate of others and only read into the things that were important to her. The individuals that stood out to her were reckless and passionate, so people like Finn escaped her radar. Even if Finn declared his love to her in an extravagant way, there was no guarantee Hollie would accept his feelings. It would not mean much to her, or maybe it would not mean anything at all. The only thought in her mind was, if Scientist was busy, Finn would be an excellent alternative Latin partner and a confidant to talk to when her best friends could not understand. On the contrary, based on the way things were going, a miracle might happen, and Hollie could put others' needs before her own for the first time in forever. In fact, the transformation was already occurring.
xxxxxxShe abandoned her pride and dignity when she unceremoniously probed Finn for information about his love life. Anyone, including Hollie, knew it was none of her business to make assumptions about his personal life. Usually, the only times she inquired about someone's girlfriend was when she liked whoever it was. Even then, Hollie would be lying if she said she never had a crush on someone in a relationship. "I, uh. what? Addie?" Finn echoed in puzzlement. Hollie rubbed her scarlet cheeks, but her futile attempts intensified the vibrant color. Oh, God. Now, Finn would think she was either a. crazy, b. jealous, or c. all of the above. After being asked what superpower she wanted countless times throughout her childhood, she finally made up her mind. At this very moment, Hollie desired, more than anything, to turn into a chameleon or become invisible. "Oh wait, you mean Abby," he stated matter-of-factly with a monotone voice. So, they were going out. The blonde was certain of it. Hollie had probably seen them leisurely waltzing through the school hallways with their fingers interlocked, or perhaps, he possessively wrapped his arm around Abby to inform the world he was dating the most beautiful girl in school. Heck, they were probably engaged. Hollie could see it all. They thought they were going to different colleges, so Finn impulsively purchased a ring with the largest diamond known to man and proposed that very night. Then, Ally—or whatever her name was—agreed to attend UCLA, where they would live in a luxurious apartment together and have a quaint, little wedding. Could they be married now, too? Jeez, Hollie had made such a fool out of herself.
xxxxxxHer crestfallen expression was replaced with a bemused one when a fit of laughter rolled over Finn like an avalanche. Laugh all you want, jerk, Hollie thought. She believed he was somehow making fun of her, but when Finn started talking, she realized she was wrong. Finn explained, "Yeah no. I'm definitely not dating Abby, she's just relevant because she's evil and has practically forced herself into my life." Hollie said something along the lines of "huh" or something equally intelligent. Abby was, apparently, not his significant other but some evil that found its way into his life. Redo image. Abby was probably a meddlesome girl with a boyfriend of her own that tried to help Finn organize his life. Abby definitely was not his girlfriend. In spite of herself, a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Why? She had no clue. When Finn handed her a sticky note with his email written on it, Hollie's grin widened. Without glancing at it, she stuffed it in a random page of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The blonde observed Finn gathered his belongings and packed up because he was either sick of Hollie or, most likely, had to go to class. "Okay, so I'm really, seriously, really glad we've decided to be friends, that's why I'm giving you my email. I'd give you my phone number, but I use my email more often, and I'm not so sure your boyfriend would appreciate some weirdo nerd guy giving you his number, you know," Finn said excitedly.
xxxxxxThe perplexed blonde squinted at him. Weird nerd guy? Boyfriend? What? She was about to ask him, but he continued enthusiastically spurting out information. "Since we have Latin in like an hour, I'm gonna head off to grab a bite to eat. You're welcome to come 'cus I was seriously enjoying spending time with out, and I seriously wouldn't wanna run out of here on you like I kinda almost did. So I guess if you're up for it, and you're boyfriend won't mind, I'm gonna head to café 451 and get some grub. You wanna come? I mean, then we could walk to Latin together or something?" They must have been talking too much because the librarian turned toward them and shot daggers at them. Finn went silent, and satisfaction radiated from the librarian until Hollie defiantly rolled her eyes. Outrage abruptly dawned on the librarian's wrinkly, disgruntled face. The frowning lady stood slowly and pointed a shaking finger at Hollie. Hollie returned her gaze to Finn. Nodding eagerly, Hollie agreed, "Yeah, let's get out of here. I'm starved, and café 451 has the best food on campus." With her phone and book in her hand, she and Finn exited the library. On the way out, the blonde stuck her tongue out at the librarian and smirked. When they got outside, Hollie put her sunglasses back on. "First, I just want to clear something up," she remarked. Café 451 was about a block away, and it was right next to the communications building, where the Latin class was held. They had some time to enjoy a placid stroll before then.
xxxxxx"You know I don't actually have a boyfriend, right?" Hollie asked. She swallowed. What she said sounded mean. Did he really think she was dating someone? It was hard for Hollie to believe Finn would make the same silly mistake Hollie made. Right now, the notion of going out with someone was a ludicrous. Hollie was so enveloped in her Latin class that she had not given dating a second thought. Unless it was with Scientist. Hollie wouldn't mind that. "I'm single right now," she rephrased. Like every other woman in the world, it was almost disappointing to be single, for she felt lonely or nervous about the future. Something mushy like that. Still, it was kind of freeing to be independent that way, but if Scientist asked her out, she would say yes without a second thought. "So, do you have plans for the Homecoming dance? Are you going to ask someone?" Hollie casually inquired to steer away from the awkward topic of her love life. As soon as the words slipped out of her mouth, she realized it may not have been the best thing to ask. It was the first thing that popped in her mind, and it was undoubtedly the worst idea ever. Hollie's goal was not to talk about Abby or her nonexistent boyfriend, yet her question unnecessarily pressed the subject. She sounded like a petty middle school girl asking about the latest gossip. Her cheeks started turning cherry red again. Thank God they were approaching the café. She had never thought a café would be her safe haven, and a library would be the start of something magical.