July 12th 2015, Tuesday

"Mother! I was just coming downstairs to prepare us food."

"Seems like I beat you to it. Besides I owe you remember?" She said, handing me coffee and sitting me down.

"It's been so long since you're not rushing out of the house, God I'm so excited for today. There's this new movie out that I know you'll love. Oh and a new roller skating place is opening up at the mall today actually. We should go since it's so hot today." I exclaimed.

"All that is fine honey, but I need to take two hours of our time to go to the Home, the fact that there's only four kids left doesn't make our job easier believe me. I hope you don't mind, you can always come with me and then we can go together."

"It's fine mum, but I'll meet you there. Grace wanted me to upload a video for her today and I know if I don't do it she'll kill me when she gets home, so I'll go to her house whilst you do that."

"How is she, Grace? Tell me truthfully."

"Utterly irritated that her mum won't listen to her but she's not doing anything about it, I don't understand why. If it was me and you-"

"It's not me and you honey. Grace and her mother have a different relationship to ours, and in her own way, her mother is just trying to secure a nice future for her. Grace is immensely talented in the piano, the whole town probably knows this. And just like how it makes sense for Devon to pursue a career in art, it makes sense to Grace's mother that she should pursue a career in music."

"But it doesn't make sense to Grace. I know her mum's looking out for her, but it doesn't mean she shouldn't listen to Grace. She's never seen Grace perform, ever. If she bothered to show up to any of Grace's plays, which she's always the lead in, then she'd understand that if Grace is amazing in piano, she's incredible at acting."

"El, I know you care for her, but you need to give her time."

"She literally has until August."

"Yes, and so do you. And so far you have not responded to any universities, not that I know of. You have worked hard all your life to remain at A grade level for all your work, don't waste it all away now. I'm not saying you have to choose now, of course not, like Grace, you still have until August. But, you at least have to respond to one or two."

"I know I know. I'm just waiting for Grace to come back and we'll sort through everything together. By the end of the week I'd have responded to at least all of them."

"What about the interview process? I'm alright with the ones in the UK but what about the universities outside of the UK?" She asked, handing me my plate of food.

"Oh that's fine, they do those interviews online via webcam for the people who can't actually travel, so yeah. Don't worry mum I will respond."

"God to think in about two months' time, you'll be off in Uni and I don't even know if you're staying within the UK or going to a completely different place."

"If it's any consolation mum, neither do I."

"And Devon? Where is he off to?"

"Um he wants to leave the UK actually, his apprentice thing is gonna sort everything out for him I guess, but I think he's most likely going to go to California."

"And you're alright with that, I mean long distance?" I smiled, thinking of the conversation I had with him and the way his heart had beaten when I'd told him I wanted us together forever.

"Um yeah it'll- we'll be fine."

"Your smile when anyone talks about him or when you're with him is different you know." She said.

"Mum, when did dad tell you he loved you?" I asked. She laughed, putting down her fork.

"Liam was probably the weirdest person I'd ever known in my life and I loved him for it. We knew each other for three years, and three months into dating he took me to a beach where we first met on probably the rainiest day all season. You see when we first met, he'd wrote "hi I'm Liam" on the sand as introduction. So I sat there for about ten minutes soaking wet whilst he repeatedly tried to write something on the sand in pouring rain on a beach.

Just imagine the looks we got, two eighteen year olds on the beach on a rainy day. One frantically trying to write on the sand and the other sitting there and watching him completely endeared. Finally, after I started sneezing, I asked him what he was trying to write and he wouldn't tell me. Then he literally started begging for the rain to stop and I don't know what magic was on his side, but two minutes after that the rain literally stopped Elaine.

And he finally wrote what he wanted."

"And what did it say?" I asked her. She gave me a sad smile, eyes downcast and for a moment I saw her eyes tear up.

"Hi I'm Liam and I love you." I reached out to squeeze her hand and she looked up at me as if she even forgot I was there.

"I would have loved to meet him." She nodded.

"And he would have loved having a daughter like you. Anyway, enough about me and my love life back when technology wasn't everything, did Devon tell you he loved you? Is that why you're asking?"

"Mother! We haven't been together for long you know."

"You've known him for seven months basically, and in those months he liked only you and you liked only him. You guys were basically together all these while, it just wasn't official."

"As much as I love that logic, it doesn't work that way." I said, standing up to get my phone which had been going crazy with text messages.

"Ugh Grace is reminding me to go and upload her video. Can't believe it's almost two." I said.

"We both needed a lie in honey, I know I did. So we'll both go get ready now and you can meet me at the Home whenever you're done with your work. By five latest, we'd have left and we can go to the movies."

"Perfect! Remind me to buy tampons and stuff please, Mother Nature visited me this morning and we barely have anything left."

"Oh no." She said as I stood up to get more juice for us.

"Oh no what? Am I leaking or something what?"

"You are the nicest human being on this planet I know. But whenever you're on your period it's literally like you just crawled out of hell for five days. You'd snap at a child if they annoyed you."

"Wow, amazing description mum, when you stop being a social worker, make sure to take up writing, you're apparently very good at exaggeration."

"See? My point exactly, you become a lot more sarcastic and irritated easily."

"Like every other girl."

"Yours is excessive."

"It is not. Anyway, I'll go get ready, Grace is being a pest."

"I pray for whoever annoys you today, may God help them. Amen." She said, clearing away. I laughed going up to my room to pick an outfit.

"Who could possibly ever annoy Elaine Preston on this planet?" I shouted. I grabbed a burgundy dress and black doc martens. I rummaged around until I found my choker necklace before finding my deep burgundy lipstick. I sighed, noticing a giant spot on my forehead. I quickly changed before finding a red bandana and tying it in a way that it covered the spot.

I went downstairs to find my mum already ready.

"Aren't you preppy today." She commented.

"Haha. I'm not feeling one hundred so I'm allowed." I answered, putting on my locket.

"I'm not taking my car so you take yours. I'll see you soon." She said, hugging me and I made my way out.

"I'm going to post your freaking video stop attacking my damn phone God." I sent a quick voice note to Grace before speeding off to her house. When I got there, I checked to see she'd replied.

"You're on your period aren't you?" I read rolling my eyes. I took the spare key before entering and checking to see that no one was home. Which was understandable since her dad usually worked night shifts. I went straight to her room, and started on the upload, which turned out to take longer than I thought. By 3:30 I was finally out of her house, half speeding towards the Home.

I could spot Devon sitting with Ethel when I parked, both deeply immersed in whatever they were doing. Knowing how particular he got about art, I decided to try and sneak in through the back door instead.

"Elaine, what are you doing?!" He called to me and I sighed, waving at him. Even from the distance, I knew Ethel was not giving me a friendly smile.

"I didn't want to disturb your work, but apparently I'm not James Bond either. So I'll just go find Ellie and leave you guys to it." I noticed Ethel shuffle just a bit closer and moved her hand so her fingers would touch Devon's in the most convenient way. She then looked up slowly to give me a small smile.

"Hey Elaine." I raised my eyebrow, completely unfazed. I wasn't the type to get jealous, nor would I ever be, I also knew Devon didn't care, that was enough for me.

"Hey Ethel, nice seeing you yesterday. I hope me taking him away didn't put you behind on your work." I answered and she shifted closer to him.

"No, no he's here with me now and that's all that matters, right devs?"

"Right well I'll just leave you two to your art. Devon where's Ellie and the others? Is my mum here yet?"

"Yeah she's with Ellie, they're talking about her not wanting to leave. I don't know if they're done though, your mum's amazing. She got Ellie talking within two minutes."

"That's my mum for you, I'll go check. Maybe I'll come out with Ellie in some time." I said, making to leave.

"Elaine, no offence, but like I said, he's with me right now and not you, so can you not be a disturbance?" Ethel asked. Normally, I would have ignored something like that, but apparently my mum was right because I did get deeply, deeply irritated. I turned around and smiled, and from the way she shifted away from Devon she definitely knew I wasn't being friendly.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry. Of course he's with you right now, I'll stay inside with Ellie, you take all the time you need with him. After all, he won't be with you all your life; that spot's already taken. Bye now." I left, and went straight to the playroom where I found Suzie looking at something on a laptop.

"Elaine! Yes, come here! Come help me choose!" I laughed pulling a chair beside her.

"I feel like I help you choose something every time I come here. What are we looking at?"

"Well, John's family is Indian, you know like Devon? Anyway, they wanted to do some traditional things before the wedding, and there's a henna ceremony that they're holding a day before the actual wedding. And because I know everything will get super hectic I'm picking out the designs right now so I won't end up crying over that later. I have five designs to choose from, Annie and Annabelle are no help. Artist boy looked like he wanted to drool over the patterns so you are my only hope."

"Okay show me what you got." I said and she handed me the laptop.

"Hey Suzie where did you put my paintbrushes, the ones I wanted to dry?"

"Jesus Christ, shut up artist boy don't break her concentration." Suzie said as Ethel trailed behind holding a massive sheet filled to the brim with graffiti. I had to admit it was amazing, but definitely didn't look like Devon's normal style.

"Oh I thought you guys were working on it together?" I asked, not really concentrating on them.

"You know? Just by looking at it?" Ethel asked

"I know what?" I asked, actually raising the laptop to the light to see one design better.

"That Devon didn't actually do anything on this at all? He just gave me inputs."

"Well yeah, I know how Devon paints I guess. Like with his brush strokes, he always starts from the right for some random reason, but those lines are definitely not started from the right. It's weird, I'm weird. Anyway Suzie, I love this first one. It's amazing. Look at it with the light."

"Oh God you're right. How did you think of looking at it like that? I didn't even see the flowers before!"

"Um will anyone tell me where my paintbrushes are?" Devon asked again.

"For God's sake Devon, it's in the back garden near the vegies. Why are you so annoying?" Suzie said, getting up and dragging him out. Leaving me alone with Ethel.

"Look, I'm not going to pretend to like you." She said.

"Well I like your honesty." I answered, smiling.

"And I'm gonna need you to drop this fake ass over nice girl thing you put on. You obviously dislike me too. And why not? You must feel threatened by me." I genuinely wanted to laugh.

"One it's not fake, two I don't dislike you and three it's more pity I feel for you, rather than feeling threatened but okay."

"I don't buy it. I don't know where you came from but I've known Devon for seven months, I know everything there is to know about him. Whatever spell you've cast on him I can take away in three seconds."

"Yeah, everything there is to know about him right? Okay then one quick question, what's Devon's favourite song and why?" She smiled, rolling her eyes.

"Oh please, at least try to make it harder. Small bump by Ed Sheeran duh."

"And here I thought you knew everything about him, but nah you're wrong. His favourite song's actually my favourite things from the sound of music. I won't tell you why, ask him yourself. But look I don't want to argue with you or have you hating me either. I'm not saying we should be best friends but I'm not gonna start acting like a little bitch towards you either. Flirt with Devon all you want, I really don't care, just don't pretend to like me in front of him and then show your true colours when he's not here. That's petty and stupid and I'm not about that life."

Just then Devon and Suzie came back both arguing.

"God I will kill your boyfriend Elaine. I will kill him. He wasn't this annoying seven months ago, you know what I blame you." Suzie said, grabbing her laptop and glaring at Devon. I laughed.

"I'm sorry Suzie, Devon stop being annoying to her."

"Devs, what's your favourite song?" Ethel interrupted.

"My favourite things from the sound of music, why?"

"I'm going now, see you later. Bye." She replied, and promptly left.

"What was that about?" Devon asked, looking at me.

"She probably found out she's hardly competition." Suzie muttered as Ellie came rushing in to hug me with my mum and Annie following along with the other children.

"Elaine! Elaine!"

"Ellie! Ellie! How are you today huh?"

"I love your mum!" She said. I laughed ruffling her hair.

"I love her too. Are we leaving soon mum?"

"In ten minutes. I'm going to discuss something with Annie and then we can go."

"Alright. And in the meantime my darling Ellie, we can play tag like you wanted the last time. Suzie come out with us and come make sure Devon doesn't cheat."

"And you're assuming I'm playing with you guys because?"

"Because Ellie wants it, right Ellie?" I asked her and she nodded.

"Elaine's right as always devy you have no choice." We got outside and after we all nominated Devon to be 'it' and him glaring mostly at me, he finally started chasing Ellie around. I realised just as I was about to start running that it was probably not the best thing for me to do, especially with the cramp I was starting to develop.

"Oh the joy of being a girl." I mumbled, relaxing on the grass instead.

"Okay so you make me run around and then relax, how nice." Devon complained, lying next to me as the children raced around us.

"Believe me Devon I would love nothing more than to run around in Doc Martens but seriously today is not the day. What I really need is Ben and Jerry's. Or a sundae, yes, a freaking sundae." I said, as my stomach started hurting. I didn't exactly want to tell Devon I was on my period so I tried my best to ignore the pain.

"Elaine, you're hurt. What happened?" He asked, sitting up to look at me. I smiled, briefly touching his arm.

"Try to know me a little a little less please. I'm fine."

"Are you sure? Because you're not even dressed like yourself today."

"I thought red was my colour." I replied, rubbing at my stomach slightly to ease the pain.

"It actually is, but you know what I mean. And you got irritated at Ethel even though you normally wouldn't."

"And I'm starting to get just a teensy bit irritated with you, I'm fine honestly." I answered.

"You know I won't let this go." I sighed, sitting up and immediately regretting the decision. I almost shouted as my entire stomach felt like it was being pricked by needles. I started breathing in and out like my mother told me to, already feeling tears well up in my eyes and feeling faint. Devon looked at me, completely confused.

"Oh God no, get my mum Devon." I said, causing him to go from being confused to being worried.

"Elaine, are you okay?"

"Get my mother Devon. Please." I said, and he ran off to look for her. The children running around started to make me feel even dizzier and I stood up, trying to simultaneously check for whether I was leaking and trying to walk in a straight line.

"Elaine?" My mum suddenly appeared in front of me and I literally felt like crying from happiness.

"I didn't bring any pain killers for it, I wasn't expecting it to start today, and it usually comes a day after. Do you have any?" Even I knew I wasn't making any sense, but with how I felt like puking and everyone crowding around me, I didn't care. My mother, as always, understood what I meant perfectly.

"Yes, of course. But you need to lay down you know that. You have your spare pump don't you?"

"Mum, I don't wanna stay outside, it's making me feel dizzier." I said, trying to desperately and pathetically shield myself from the sun.

"What's going on Annabelle?" Annie asked, and I felt bad for the worried expressions on everyone's faces, especially for Devon's. My mum glanced at Devon before answering.

"I'll explain later, all that matters is she needs to lay down somewhere but I don't think she can walk properly." My mum said as Suzie came rushing out with a glass of water; she handed me the pill, slowly making me take it.

"She can rest in my office." Annie said.

"I'm fine to walk seriously." I said and she raised her eyebrow.

"And what about the stairs?"

"Mother I am not feeling any better by standing around in the sun." I complained, instantly feeling bad for snapping at her. She was about to reply when Devon stepped forward and promptly carried me up, leading the way inside. If my stomach didn't feel like it was about to explode, I probably would have turned bright red. Suzie took the children away whilst my mum took Annie to the side, obviously trusting in Devon.

"Aren't you strong." I mumbled and he looked down to glare at me. He carried me past Suzie's office and straight into his room, laying me down gently on his bed, taking my shoes off and then covering me up.

"How forward Devon. There's people around you know." I said, laughing as he glared at me again.

"Elaine you are going to shut up and tell me what just happened." I pulled his covers over my face.

"Remember I told you I have a poorly oxygenated brain? Well, um, ugh."

"Well um ugh what?" He asked, trying to pull the covers away. I held on even tighter.

"Well when I'm on my um, period, I always have severe pains a day after, which leads to me getting dizzy and faint, and very sick, and um I wasn't expecting it to happen today because I just got my period today so yeah. That would also explain how irritated I've been all day." I trailed off, and silence filled the room. I slowly took the cover of my face to see him staring at me.

"What?"

"Why didn't you say so? Ellie actually has Ben and Jerry's in the freezer, I'm sure she wouldn't mind me giving you the rest. It's cookie dough though."

"You don't care and hey that rhymed."

"Why should I? Actually I do care El, why didn't you tell me?"

"Now that you ask I literally don't know. I do things sometimes and you make me question them. You tell me why since you know me way better than I know myself apparently." I finally allowed him to take the covers off completely and he climbed in next to me, pulling me closer and rubbing at my stomach a bit.

"Elaine, I might be your boyfriend, but you and I are also incredibly good friends, you shouldn't ever be embarrassed to tell me anything, ever." I nodded.

"Yeah well I am a girl. There goes my day with mum, and to think I wanted to go roller skating today. She's probably gonna come get me now and we're driving straight home where she'll make me rest for the rest of the day. What's the time?"

"Almost five." He answered as sure enough my mum entered Devon's room. I see her take in her surroundings and his paintings before she finally looked at me and him sprawled on his bed. She didn't even bother trying to hide her knowing smile as Devon got up.

"Elaine, you know we're going straight home right?"

"We can still go to the movies."

"We'll buy one on the way, me and Devon, you're staying in the car."

"You and who?" I asked her.

"Oh yeah, Devon, Annie said it's alright for you to come over for dinner tonight. You can stay over too actually, the spare room next to Elaine's hasn't been used for some time. I wanted to bring Ellie along, but she wanted to spend some time with Chelsi, you know she is leaving tomorrow."

"Is she alright with me going?" Devon asked her.

"Yeah. So I'll go downstairs and you two come downstairs after Devon's packed." She said, leaving the room as Devon started rummaging around his wardrobe.

"You're meeting Grace tomorrow. She's coming back and she's heading straight to my house. Oh my God finally." I said, sitting up with some difficulty.

"And I can actually watch the sun rise with you tomorrow."

"You can disturb my sleep in person. Don't forget your sketchpad." I said and after a while we were ready. We made our way slowly downstairs and after he said by to Ellie, we were off.

"What's your favourite dinner food Devon?" My mum asked me as she made a little detour towards the supermarket.

"Steaks." Me and Devon answered at the same time. She smiled, looking at me through the mirror.

"Okay then we're having steaks tonight. Elaine stay in the car, I'm pretty sure I don't need to ask you what movie you want, Devon probably knows." She said and they left the car as I sent a quick voice note to Grace.

"You're meeting Devon tomorrow you know. Mum's invited him over for dinner and he's staying overnight. Call me when you can Grace I need to know how everything went."

It seemed like forever before they both finally emerged with some bags, talking deeply about something. Which they continued to talk about even after they got back and we drove off.

By the time we got back home, they were still talking and I was bored out of my mind.

"Do you need help getting out honey?" My mum asked.

"No, it's subsided a bit. I'm gonna go change real quick and I'll come help you make dinner." I said, as we entered.

"I'm not letting you do anything and you know that, and you either Devon, don't ask. Go get settled in for the night and I'll do everything else." She commanded and I shrugged, dragging him upstairs.

"Okay, spare room's there, I am feeling like crap in this I need to change. Make yourself at home and all that, I'll come there in like three minutes." I informed him, going into my room and heading straight to find my most comfortable pj's.

After changing and washing my face, I found my glasses and headed to the spare room.

"You wear glasses." Was the first thing Devon said when I entered and sat on the bed.

"Hmm yeah, but I obviously don't wear them often. They're reading glasses, after all the countless times I kept reading in the dark, I had to get them. I don't actually need them that much so." I replied as my phone started ringing.

"Hola." I said putting it on speaker and helping him to unpack.

"Tell Kelsi to stop asking if I'm alright." Brad says and I sighed.

"She thinks you're heartbroken or something. If you'd just hurry up and tell her, everything will be fine."

"I just wanna do it in person you know, she deserves that."

"Yeah I know. But if one more person messages me and asks me to take a picture of my boyfriend and send it to them I will honestly lose my shit. Do you know some idiot is trying to set up a page where people can vote for either you or Devon?" I asked and Devon stopped unpacking to look at me.

"Don't worry, you'll be put out of your misery as soon as I get back. Heard from the writing thing yet?"

"Nah, but hopefully by tomorrow, that's what Ms Smith said anyway. Call Grace when you can, maybe you can convince her to stand up to her mother, she sure as hell ain't listening to her best friend."

"I'll call her now yeah. Talk to you later, bye."

"Bye bro." I mumbled and he laughed.

"Elaine come on now, don't friend zone me like that."

"I will kill you." I said and he ended the call still laughing.

"Explain please?" Devon said.

"That was Brad, my entire school wanted us together. Kelsi must have told Clarisse about you and Clarisse would have informed everyone else because that girl's mouth is bigger than the Atlantic Ocean. Anyway, go to my room and pick out a book from my shelf; I'm still annoyed you don't read that much. Meet me in the living room when you're done." I said, going down the stairs and turning the TV to the Disney movies before anyone could protest.

"Oh the joy of Mulan two!" I shouted, wrapping myself in a blanket. Minutes later, Devon came inside holding a book and reading the back.

"Move out of the way you're blocking Shang, he's just about to propose to Mulan." I exclaimed and he came to sit next to me, tugging a bit until we were both covered with the blanket.

"Do you have an obsession with Mulan then?" He asked, looking around my living room. It was then I finally remembered he'd only come to my house once and he had been in my room the entirety. He picked up a picture on the table, of me as a child, grinning as I held on to a bag of bagels.

"December 6th 2004." I mumbled, thoughts of Jaden rushing back to me. He seemed to understand and he put the picture back pointing to another one. I laughed, getting up and taking it.

"God no, I was thirteen then and I thought I was so grown up. Look at my hair please. I genuinely thought packing it like that was the epitome of fashion. And that big ass zit on my forehead, never again. That thing hurt like hell." I said as my mum entered the room bringing an album with her.

"I give you the embarrassing pictures of Elaine, volume one." She said handing it to him and going back to the kitchen.

"Volume one? You could have spared me and given him volume three!" I shouted sitting down next to him and going back to concentrating on Mulan as he opened it up.

"Seriously?" He asked, showing me a picture of when I was nine and I thought it was clever for me to wear my mother's halter neck dress and her heels. I realised it was incredibly stupid when I fell down and half way my mother took a picture of me, dress everywhere and my face looking utterly terrified.

"And she took a picture instead of trying to save me. What parenting right? Look man, I looked hot don't even judge me. Now shush. Or better yet please make me popcorn."

"Um, I would, but I don't know your house. And I'm not sure if your mum would be alright with it."

"Oh please Devon, mi casa es tu casa. And we keep the popcorn in the first drawer, as soon as you enter the kitchen it's there."

"The things I do for you." He mumbled, getting up as I snuggled further into my blanket.

"Yeah well you love me." I said, not even paying attention to what I was saying myself.

"Can't argue with that." He replied, going to the kitchen. I smiled as little droplets of rain started falling outside.

"Only the UK." I muttered.

"You know I've actually never watched Mulan." Devon said, coming in with a bowl of popcorn.

"That was impossibly fast."

"Oh your mum made it for us, she said she knew you'd end up demanding for it sooner or later. There you go mi cariño, any other demands?" He asked, placing the bowl on the table and sitting down with me.

"No, no just stay right there and cuddle with me, you're very comfortable. And since you've never watched Mulan, we're watching both of it today right now. I bought it off the sky store." I explained, navigating to the first movie.

"Is it your favourite movie then?"

"No actually, my favourite movie is freedom writers. Now shush, it's starting."

"Are you really making me watch this?"

"And the sequel too." I muttered, shifting to rest on his shoulder.

"And what about the movie me and your mum bought today?"

"We'll watch it tomorrow." I whispered, feeling drained and exhausted all of a sudden.

"You wanna know something mi cariño."

"What Devon?"

"You're incredibly beautiful." I smiled, holding on to his arm.

"Thank you. Now focus! I'm gonna go get water, I'm thirsty." I said, getting up to go into the kitchen where my mum had started grilling the steaks.

"You feeling better then?" She asked.

"Much better, thank you. And sorry for snapping at you today."

"I know how you get on your period, it's fine."

"Mum, why- why did you invite Devon over all of a sudden? Not that I mind of course but it's so sudden you know."

"Three reasons actually, he managed to get you smiling even through the pain, even I've never done that. I want to get to know my daughter's boyfriend just a little bit more."

"And the third reason?"

"He looks at you the way Liam used to look at me. Now go watch your movie with him honey, I'll call you when food's ready." She whispered, though I knew I was far from her mind.

I walked back into the living room to see Devon's full attention diverted on to the movie and his sketchpad untouched.

"I thought I'd come back to you sketching something you know." I said, sitting back down and snuggling closer to him. He started playing with my hair, making little patterns, which managed to relax me way better than I thought it could.

"No, you obviously love this movie so I'm going to give it all my attention."

"Even if you hate it?"

"Even then." He replied, completely sincere.

"Why?"

"Because it makes you happy mi cariño and that's all I ever want for you." He answered. And if my mum hadn't entered the room at that exact moment to tell us to come and sit at the table, I knew I would have told him right there and then that I loved him.

*

a/n: so after years and years i finally upload, i know it's bad. but i'm on holiday so i'm kinda trying to relax you know. but i managed to find time since i was itching to write, so i hope this chapter's long. also i haven't proofread or edited so there might be some mistakes but eh. comment your thoughts on this chapter and don't forget to vote!