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Meeting Invitation
Meeting Invitation


    Wendy Minore wendy_minore04
    Just me writing my little story! It's a coming of age story about a girl graduating from high school and not being sure where to go from there. Her family and friends help her out with a little bit of chaos and a lot of luck!

    “T! Can I borrow your notes for French?” Hailey fluttered her eyelashes at me and gave me her most winning smile, knowing that my notes were at least twenty times better than hers. I rolled my eyes and reached for my bag. I was ready for the French exam later, it was on my study schedule to be way beyond prepared. I started studying months ago so that I could get all of my sleeping in. Of course, Hailey almost never sleeps.
    “Oh my gosh, girlie hand them over,” speaking of not sleeping, Evelyn had just walked over and was holding her hand out to me. I’m not sure how Evelyn ever slept, since she ran with me every morning at 5 am and she was on every sports team that she could fit into her schedule, plus some advanced classes.
    “Hey, hey, no! I asked first!” Hailey gave a pouty look, her lip out and her eyes big. With her tiny frame and overly stunning blue eyes she looked adorable, but I knew that Evelyn probably needed the notes more. She struggled with French, and Hailey had had me and Cardan there to help her all year. Evelyn and I had only become friends a couple of months ago, despite having run the same route together everyday for the past four years.
    I shoot Hailey a sympathetic smile and pull out my red notebook with Iron Man stickers coating it and hand it to Evelyn.
    “Eek! You’re the best!” She planted a kiss on my cheek, which earned me a jokingly jealous look from Hails. Honestly, I couldn’t blame her either. With her perfectly clear brown skin and her hair always done up in some sort of cute braids, Evelyn was one of the prettiest girls in our grade. Of course, she was also a sweetheart and therefore sat down on the couch next to Hailey so that they could review together. Hailey started chattering with Evelyn about something or another as I closed my eyes, drifting off to sleep.

    “Pencils down!” Madame Saker’s yell startled me awake and I heard a small, stifled chuckle from Cardan, who was sitting next to me. I wiped the little bit of drool off of my face and shot him a quick glare, but by the time I looked over, he was already staring at his exam again, his lower lip firmly stuck between his teeth. Honestly, at this point it’s a miracle that he still has lips with how often he gnaws on those things. We start passing our tests forward and I toss my pencil onto his desk to get his attention. When Cardan looks over at me, his brow is furrowed and he looks moments from a panic attack. I throw him a thumbs up and a questioning face and he gives a despairing shrug. Cardan is actually one of the smartest kids in our grade, but he never believes he did well on literally anything. I know that the five seconds between our tests getting to her and Madame dismissing us could be vital to Cardan’s mental state, so I reach over and grab his hand. It’s shaking, but he intertwines his fingers with mine and takes a breath deep enough that people across the world could have seen it. He squeezes my hand right as Madame calls that we can leave. The bell won’t ring today because it “disturbs the mind of a studying student”. Basically, the headmaster thinks that anyone who is currently studying and not in an exam will be startled really badly by the bell, even though we are all expecting it.
    Cardan releases my hand with a small smile and grabs his bag. No one else in the room has theirs except for Hailey who is already pulling out her dance notebook. I grab my pencil from Cardan’s desk and tuck it into my ponytail as I walk over to Hails, Cardan trailing behind me.
    “So, T, how did you do? Cause I think that I messed up the conjugation of être on the fifth question, but it was a fill in the blank, and if that’s all I messed up, we’re totally fine… Do you think that I could run tendus twice today without some of the younger kids getting annoyed? It really helps their turnout, but they also complain sometimes…” Her tongue appears between her teeth as she scribbles in her notebook, completely lost to the rest of us now. Cardan and I exchange an eye roll over her head. Surprisingly easy, considering that she stopped growing in like fourth grade at 4’ 10”.
    “Thanks for the notes Tiana, they really helped!” Evelyn bumps my shoulder lightly as she walks past and I wave goodbye to her before placing a gentle hand on Hailey’s back and scooping up her bag, steering her in the direction of the common room. She continues mumbling under her breath as Cardan pulls out a book and follows behind us, already lost to the world as well.
    By the time we reach the common room, I’ve had to steer the two of them to avoid five different people rushing around and at least three people who tried to talk to them about the exams we’ve taken. Of course, neither of them know this, and both collapse on a couch to continue what they were doing, giving me the room to climb between them and take a nap with my head on Cardan’s lap and feet on Hailey’s.

    It’s Hailey who wakes me up about an hour later in order to remind me that we need to change for the parties later tonight. Since we’re seniors, we kind of get a free pass to go to every single end-of-year party, and Hailey is also friends with everyone, so she has people to see at all of them. Cardan takes this as his cue to leave, and kisses both of us on the forehead before heading upstairs to his room. He’s probably packing up his cat’s supplies for the trip home tomorrow. I’ll have to leave hails at some point tonight to check up on him before he gets too in his head about going home.
    “So, what are we thinking? I know that the soccer girls always wear their jerseys, but like cropped or bedazzled or whatever you guys do to them, but I don’t think that you can wear that to every party… Or maybe we could stop back here and change between that and other parties. Well, I wouldn’t want people at the parties to notice you changed, since that might be a little weird. Oh! Can you do my hair for tonight? I can’t just wear it in a ballet bun like usual, since that is what I do all the time. Oh my gosh! Did I send out the message to remind the kids that classes are canceled tonight?” Hailey continued rambling, thankfully remembering that she did actually send out the reminder, several of them actually, as I steered her to our bedroom. She flopped back on my bed, still talking, as I slipped out of my leggings and tank top and into a pair of ripped skinny jeans with my purple and red jersey that Hailey had stitched into a crop top and bedazzled the number 8 on the back. She was still talking as I shoved my clothes in my laundry hamper, so I grabbed one of her decorative pillows that was on the floor and threw it at her.
    “What?” Hails sat up, and finally looked at me, a cute blush coloring her cheeks as she realized I was already changed. “Are you gonna take that pencil out for the party?” That was her only verbal acknowledgement of my clothes change as she headed over to her closet and grabbed a cute purple dress and white ballet slippers, slipping in for five seconds before coming out already changed.
    “Hair?” She threw me another dazzling smile before plopping back on my bed. I grabbed my hairbrush from its place on the dresser and climbed on the bed behind her, listening to her ramble about everyone’s summer plans and pretending that it was okay that I had absolutely no clue what I was planning to do once summer ended. I had no college plans, no job plans, nothing prepared for my life.
    “Done!” I finally said, cutting Hailey off a little, but she barely noticed as she pranced to the mirror to look at her wraparound braid.
    “You’re an angel! Thank you!” Hails ran back and kissed my cheek before grabbing earrings off of the mess on her dresser and sliding them in as I pulled out my phone. I had a text from Cardan asking if I was done with the book he lent me and double checking the dates I was staying with him, a text from Evelyn that was just a picture of her jersey that she had cut holes into the side of and made slimmer around the waist to fit her, and a few texts in the soccer group chat about who was bringing what. I ignored the group chat, sent Evelyn a thumbs up and a selfie and shot a quick reassuring text (or seven) to Cardan before tossing my phone down and shrieking when I found Hailey standing an inch from my face.
    “Ready?”
    “You’re a pain,” I mumbled as I stood up, reaching for my phone again and tucking it in my back pocket. “Let’s go.”
    “YAY!” Hailey pranced from the room, leading me to the first party of the end of my high school life.
    28 0

    Millie Zemlak Millie_Zemlak
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    Since the latter was a priority, each and every building product used was screened for a comprehensive list of more than 900 chemicals of concern. Using solid timber helped avoid the unhealthy volatile organic compounds (VOCs) found in laminate glues. Thanks to those efforts, the house has been certified LEED Platinum - the U.S. Green Building Council's highest ranking.

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    "We regularly specify domestic, sustainably harvested hardwood floors," she says.

    "When paired with a non-VOC finish, a hardwood floor helps maintain healthy indoor-air quality while allowing us to support local business and overall environmental health."

    Such was the case with a house she recently designed for a client who wanted an exceptionally healthy and comfortable living environment in a traditional neighborhood. By installing quarter-sawn white-oak floors, and selecting other durable materials and finishes with low or no VOCs and no added urea formaldehyde, Horowitz was able to achieve LEED-platinum certification for the house and, more importantly, ensure that its inhabitants can breathe easy.

    Visit www.hardwoodinfo.com for more about sustainability and healthfulness in relation to home applications and products using American hardwoods.

    Ref: Decoration - in Blogs
    44 0

    Tabbie wismer tabb111e
    posting a short story on here... go easy on me!
    ---
    It’s a lot easier to get away with listening to music in class when the teacher doesn’t even realize you’re there. Which is most of the time. Sitting in the back, you can have the Diskman on the desk and everything. They don’t see. Maybe in freshman year they’d care. But a senior with such little time left? They don’t even bother to say hi when you walk in the door. Fine with me, though. I have more on my mind than some teacher who wouldn’t know me from Cynthia in their fourth period.
    I had just pressed play on my music when Brandon walked into class, taking his normal seat next to me– as much as I wished he’d sit somewhere else today. He settled into the seat, the desk almost comically too small for his long, tall frame. He looked over at me with a smile, his blue eyes as vibrant as ever. “Hey, Val,” he greeted.
    I could not share in his enthusiasm. I simply nodded and replied, “Hey,” before turning my attention back to the window.
    “Uh… what’s wrong, man? You seem… sad.” I couldn’t see his face, but he sounded confused, and that probably meant he was doing that ******, pathetic, adorable head tilt he did when he didn’t get something.
    I force myself to look over at him again, shaking my head as if that would convince him. “Nothing, nothing… really.”
    Brandon opened his mouth to reply, but then Carli walked in and that would prove the end of the conversation for now. She took the desk next to him, his eyes lit up as he greeted her, gently pulled the baby pink backpack off of her shoulders and slung an arm around her when she settled in her seat.
    I watched out of the corner of my eye. And I told myself I didn’t care. But I cared. A lot. I turned to stare out the window again, hurt but slightly relieved– at least I didn’t have to explain myself, because now he was preoccupied with his girl. I pressed play on my Diskman again, not caring about whatever the teacher was going to yap about.

    Golden Valley High School was already **** as a school, but it was only amplified fifty times over now by the fact that Brandon had essentially abandoned me for Carli. At least before he would come sit behind the stairway with me during lunch… Now I’m just alone, hoping nobody would spot me. I wasn’t even eating, just hiding from the student body of idiots. By now, usually Brandon would’ve made me head out behind the school while he smoked, but… those days were gone, I guess. He was probably sitting with Carli instead now.
    Suddenly, the light from the windows was blocked, and there stood Carli herself and some of her girl posse. I forced myself to look up and meet her gaze, which was rather taunting.
    And I really couldn’t do much about it. Nobody would believe me. Carli had perfect grades and was up for valedictorian, wore bright clothes, and had the sweet girl act down flat. I didn’t say anything because I simply felt I had nothing to contribute, and I’d just let her do her bragging.
    “Hi, Valencia. I had a question… Do you have a date for the prom?” her grin is wicked, and I know she’s just trying to rub it in, or whatever.
    “I don’t think I’m even gonna go, so what do you care?” I reply, trying to stay cynical and cold, but knowing she’s got the better of me.
    “Oh, that’s a shame. I’m going with Brandon, but you know that already,” followed by Carli’s nerd chic girl gang breaking up into giggles.
    “Awesome. Have fun,” I stand up, slinging my bag over my shoulder, trying to give her the coldest shoulder I possibly can as I walk away.
    To my surprise, they don’t follow me. They continue to laugh and ridicule me in the stairway, but they don’t trail after me. I cross my arms, staring down at my Doc Martens instead of being responsible and looking where I’m going. I start to wonder why he didn’t choose me. I mean, we were a thousand times closer than him and Carli were. Sure, she helped him do calculus homework, and she would call him at LEAST three times a week– often when we were on the phone together– but I understood him better. We spent more time together.
    The bell rang and interrupted my wallowing, and I realized I was supposed to have gone to my history class by now. And I decided that sounded torturous while I was already brooding over my losses, so I decided to go hide. Maybe I’d ditch the rest of the day. It’s not like we had much longer before graduating and getting the **** out of here anyway.
    The halls were mostly empty save for the occasional guy or girl scurrying hurriedly to class. I passed by the various classrooms with my head down, still thinking… until I almost slammed myself into a locker from being so spaced out. That managed to snap me back to reality. I recollected my head, reminding myself that this is the last time and place I need to have a grievous injury.
    Then I heard someone else slam into a locker, and I had to check myself to make sure I hadn’t accidentally hit my head. Reassuring myself I had no cuts or bruises or missing teeth, I looked over to see if I could find the source of the noise, and my eyes might as well have burst out of the sockets to see Brandon and Carli going at it against the shiny red metal doors. Like, tongues shoved down each others’ throats and everything. I wanted to die.
    I concealed myself behind an adjacent wall, but I wasn’t strong enough to resist, and I peeked out at them again. It was cliche, but I had a mix of emotions inside at this– disappointment (because I’m jealous), disgust (because it’s school and they should get a room), exhaustion (because I hadn’t slept more than four hours a night after this entire situation started). I turned back around, becoming one with the wall again as I considered my options. I was ready to walk away until I heard the click-click-clack of heels on the speckled linoleum, and my heart sunk. A teacher.
    But as I caught a glimpse of said teacher– it was Mrs. Chamberlain, my creative writing teacher– I realized I could game this to my advantage. As she passed, she smiled and waved to me.
    “Hello, Valencia,” but before she could continue, I pointed towards the public display. “Hello… uh… there’s a situation.”
    Her brown eyes followed my finger to the couple kissing passionately against the locker, and her jaw genuinely dropped.
    “T-thank you for letting me know, Valencia. I’ll see you in class tomorrow,” and she immediately headed towards the pair. I watched with a barely-restrained mischievous grin on my face, feeling rather vindicated as she chewed the couple out and forced them to follow her to the office. They walked off with an air of absolute shame, and it was enough to console me for a while longer, and I finally turned to walk out.

    I had ditched that hellhole for the rest of the day and headed home. I could take advantage of the fact that nobody was home and wouldn’t be for a while. I had probably watched about four hours of South Park reruns until I heard the doorbell ring. I groaned– I was feeling too lazy to get up– but I hoisted myself off the couch and trudged to the door.
    It was Brandon. My eyes widened, and I wondered if he knew I was behind the makeout incident.
    All I could do was try to be cool. “Hey man,” I greeted him, my disposition nonchalant and almost bored.
    He looked ******, and it almost freaked me out. “I ******’ hate that place, Val,” he answered.
    “Yeah, nice to see you too. I’m good, what about you?” I replied, my voice dripping with sarcasm. A hello would be nice, y'know?
    Normally he would at least crack a smile, but his expression only soured. “I got ******’ detention for a week, dude. ‘Cause that ***** Mrs. Chamberlain caught me and Carli kissing in the hallway during class.”
    I wanted to laugh, because the entire situation still thrilled me, but I choked it down and simply nodded. “****, that *****. Hope you didn’t have any plans.”
    He scoffed and shook his head in irritation before pulling a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. “I was supposed to help Carli pick out matching outfits for prom tomorrow, but I guess we’ll have to reschedule,” he grumbled while lighting the slender white stick.
    “Bro, you probably shouldn’t smoke on my porch. Not after last time. You almost burned my house down,” I smirked, my tone teasing.
    Brandon rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, whatever,” though he did move off onto the driveway. I shut the door and followed, my eyes tracing over his baggy jeans and worn out Offspring T-shirt, the combat boots, the backwards hat of some baseball team that I couldn’t be bothered to keep up with.
    He stopped somewhere by the garage and took a drag from the cigarette. “So, Val. I was wondering. If you could take anybody to prom, who would you choose? I feel like I haven’t asked since, like, sophomore year, and I think it would make more sense to ask when prom is, you know, a few weeks away,” he chuckled, the grey smoke filtering out of his nose and mouth as he laughed softly.
    I knew my answer, but he couldn’t, so I gave an alternate answer. “Uh, Billy Corgan. But not current, bald Billy… but, like, Gish-era Billy with the long hair. He was super hot,” I grinned. “Or, if it can include fictional characters, Todd, the, like, ****** video store clerk from Dr. Katz.”
    Brandon laughed again. “Yeah, I know you’re into that. But I meant, like, a real person. Like someone from school or whatever.”
    Now it was my turn to roll my eyes. “Uh, how about nobody? I hate that place and all the people in it.”
    “Oh, come on, Val, nobody? I knew you were picky, but there’s really not a single dude you’re hoping to score a date with at Golden Valley?”
    I shook my head. “Nope, not any of them. They’re all weird. In a bad way.” Technically, I was telling the truth– I wouldn’t go with any of them, but I’d go with him… but that wasn’t an option, I suppose.
    He let out yet another huff of laughter. “Fair enough. I just figured maybe you’d find someone you could put up with for at least a night. Like how I found Carli.”
    Hearing him mention Carli made my smile drop. Before I could think, I responded. “Hm, yeah, well, why aren't you with Carli now? Since you’ve been inseparable lately.”
    His eyebrows raised, probably in surprise at my somewhat bitter tone. “Oh, uh, she had to go home for dinner or whatever.”
    I nodded, accepting this information begrudgingly. “Good to know. So, will you be heading out soon to see her?”
    He nodded. “Yeah, she’s pretty shaken up about this whole incident, so I guess I should go… comfort her and all that.”
    Of course he was ditching me to go check on her. I crossed my arms, trying to play it off as a casual movement. “Yeah, yeah, cool. Guess someone like her isn’t used to a thing like that.” There was a moment of tense silence until I spoke up again, ready to get rid of him. “We should probably get out of the driveway, my mom’ll probably be home soon,” though that was a lie as far as I knew.
    He nodded, dropped the cigarette and stomped it out. “Yeah, I should probably head over to Carli’s anyway… see you later, Val,” he half-smiled with a wave before walking off just as fast as he’d shown up.
    I had taken a few steps toward the front door, but stopped to look back and watch as he walked away, presumably toward Carli’s. I leaned against one of the porch’s columns, my arms crossed as I watched his tall, slender figure grow smaller and smaller into the distance… and I started to feel sort of sad again. I guess the rush of making him and Carli suffer had already worn off. I sighed heavily, walking back inside with a sense of defeat.

    Inside the house, a voicemail awaited me from Mom.
    ‘Hi, Valencia. Just calling to let you know that I’m not gonna be home until tomorrow, since your Aunt Maureen asked if I could watch the dogs for her while she goes to some party over in Greenfield. You know how she is about those dogs… so, please, dear, make sure to eat, and please try not to mope around anymore. If you want money to order or anything, feel free to go into the bedside drawer in my room. Love you, sweetie! See you soon!’
    I picked up the phone, but I didn't call Mom. Instead, I called the only girl I could count on.
    “Hello? Val, is that you?” her voice echoed through the receiver.
    “Aysel, you should come over,” I replied. “My mom isn’t here. Also I kinda need to, like, not be alone right now.”
    “Is this about Brandon?” Aysel sighed. “But yeah. I’ll be there in a minute.”
    “Cool, see you soon…” I trailed off a bit before hanging up the phone.
    The cool thing is that Aysel really was there in about a minute, because she only lived a street over. And as she walked in, wearing the winking kitty cat tee I had helped her pick out at the mall a few months ago, her tanned skin darkened by the house’s dim lighting, I felt a wave of relief cross me. When all else failed, I had Aysel.
    “Yo, Val. So, is this about Brandon or what?” She raised an eyebrow at me, but she had a barely there smile.
    “Yeah… it’s been… a weird day,” I stuttered out.
    Aysel sinks down into the couch. “Tell me… let it out,” she pressed, as discussing the Brandon situation had been commonplace these past couple of weeks.
    “I’m just… ******, I guess,” I flop onto the couch beside her, staring up at the ceiling. “Like, I’ve been the one that’s there, but he still goes for that Carli *****,” I gritted my teeth a bit, growing more irritated. “And today, oh my god, you should’ve seen it, Aysel. They were straight up making out in the hallway. And nobody else was around, I was the only one seeing it until my creative writing teacher came out of nowhere. I was really mad, right? So I snitched on them and she made them go to the office,” I smirked, chuckling darkly. “It was actually pretty awesome.”
    Aysel shared my amusement and laughed loudly. “He deserved it!”
    “Right?! And then he had the audacity to show up here and complain to me after abandoning me for her for days.”
    “He’s an idiot. If I was a man, I’d be terrified of ever losing you.”
    “I really don’t know what I’d do without you. Probably kill myself.”
    Aysel chuckled again. “You cannot kill yourself over this. Don’t let that lanky idiot or that psycho mathlete win.”
    “I wish you were still at Golden Valley. It ****** at least slightly less **** when you were there.”
    “Yeah, well, my dad was pretty ****** after the Mark Johnston incident, so…,” she smirks. “Alternative school for me…”
    “But it was Mark’s fault,” I rolled my eyes, ready to rehash the same drama that we’d been discussing for the past year– but I digressed. “Man, senior year has been so *** without you there. Seriously. All I had was ******’ Brandon and he abadoned my *** for Carli.”
    “Maybe we could hit him with my brother’s car,” she grins.
    “Maybe we could put cyanide in all of his cigarettes.”
    “Maybe we could slash his tires.”
    “Or maybe… we could brainstorm while I order takeout?”

    It was a good night. Aysel knew how to make things better. I had done it when she broke up with that ****** Eric, and now she was comforting me. She stayed over, and we both ended up ditching our respective classes to get breakfast. And, over shared gossip and chocolate chip pancakes, things felt less gloomy. As we discussed our plans for the day– the record store to search for CDs, sitting in my room and pondering life, and of course, no class– I noticed ****** Carli and her right-hand-woman, Tiffany, walking in. I put my fork down, my eyes narrowing.
    Aysel followed my gaze, then scoffed. “Oh look, Miss Congeniality has graced us with her presence,” she rolls her eyes.
    I watched as the pair sat down across the cafe and looked down at the menus. Carli looked like she had been crying, and Tiffany made sure to state over and over again– loudly, mind you– ‘It’s not your fault, girl.’
    “More like it is your fault, girl,” Aysel whispered to me. I half-smiled, staring at them a bit longer before turning back to my plate.
    “Fighting over a guy is ****** usually. Except for this. I think I’m totally valid.”
    “I mean, you are. They’d, like, never spoken until they had calculus together this year, right? And you’ve been into him way longer.” She paused as she cut off another piece of French toast. “Actually, I bet his parents paid him to pick her as a date. You said he originally didn’t want to go at all, right?”
    I nodded. “Yeah, he told me he wasn’t gonna go up until maybe three weeks ago. Maybe he is being paid,” I snickered.
    Aysel shared my laughter. “I mean, it would make sense, considering they never really started hanging out until a few months ago, right? Maybe he’ll use the money to buy you an apology present.”
    I chuckled at the thought. “Yeah, right. A girl can dream, I guess.”

    Hours later, against the warm April sun, my mom confronted me as I sprawled across the couch.
    “C’mon, Val, you have to go to prom. I get that you’re sad about this Brandon thing, but you only get one chance, and you have to take it. What if you regret it later?”
    I shrugged. “I don’t care. I don’t have a date. Plus, why would I really wanna spend more time with these ******** I hate?”
    Mom grimaces slightly at my harsh words. “Because maybe it’ll still be fun…?”
    I simply shook my head.
    “But think about it, sweetheart. You can dress up! And so what if you don’t have a date? Why don’t you bring Aysel?”
    “I dunno,” I shrugged again, feeling completely apathetic to the idea. “I think after Brandon chose Carli, I just don’t care anymore.”
    “Oh, honey, he didn’t ‘choose’ anyone. Just because he’s going to prom with her doesn’t mean he likes her more than you.”
    I let out a small laugh of disbelief. “I think that’s exactly what it means.”
    I hear her sigh with defeat, yet she makes one last attempt to convince me. “You know what, Val? I’ll make you a deal. I’ll take you dress shopping right now. And if you see a dress that you really, genuinely love, no matter the price, I’ll buy it for you– but you have to go to the prom. Deal?”
    Something about this bargain struck a chord, and it’s not like I had anything better to do that night. So, I sat up and looked her in the eye. “Deal.”
    She raised her brows as if surprised her negotiations worked, and a grin crossed her face. “I’ll get my keys.”

    The mall was, surprisingly, not particularly busy for a Friday night, but it still had all the classic elements– the irresistible soft pretzel and Cinnabon scents lacing the air, teenage friend groups representing every and all cliques, moms trying to make their small children cooperate while she picked clothes for them. Pop songs echoed through the wide, store-lined corridors. Mom pulled me into that store that has all the pretty, fancy, shimmery formal dresses, and I was honestly a bit overwhelmed at the sheer amount of options.
    “Go crazy, girlfriend,” Mom encouraged me, sort of pushing me towards one of the racks. Before I could reply, she walked away, settling onto a bench near the storefront. I sighed softly, turning my head towards the various dresses. Digging through my size section, there was so much variety– satin, tulle, cotton, spandex, pink and yellow and white and red and rainbow… and yet none of it was something I wanted to wear. Initially, I felt sort of relieved, because then I didn’t have to go. That’s when I saw the dress.
    It was floor-length, with a red satin material under a black, mesh-type outer layer, adorned with velvet swirl designs and a spaghetti-strapped halter neck.
    “Guess you’ll be going after all,” Mom’s voice echoed behind me, and I could hear the ‘told you so’ smirk in her tone.
    “I- uh… yeah, I guess you’re right…” I huffed out defeatedly, my eyes still glued to the dress.
    “Why don’t you go try it on? Just to make sure it doesn’t need to be altered or anything like that,” Mom smiled softly, taking hold of my arm to lead me towards the small dressing room area.
    Like it was some cheesy high school movie, it was a perfect fit. It accentuated… everything… very nicely. I actually felt sort of pretty. I walked out of the room to show Mom, feeling a bit shy but overall pleased.
    Her face lit up, and from the looks of it, I think she was happier than I was. “Oh, Valencia… you look so beaut—”
    “Woah, Val, you look great!” A deep, familiar voice cut off Mom’s gushing. Imagine my shock to see Brandon standing nearby, carrying what was presumably a tux over his arm. “Seriously, that dress is like… you. In dress form,” he chuckled out awkwardly.
    I cursed internally– this must’ve been the time he and Carli rescheduled their prom shopping to.
    As if Mom wasn’t aware of the entire prom fiasco, she immediately began bombarding Brandon with her attention. “Oh, Brandon! Hi, dear! I haven’t seen you in a little while, how are you?”
    He answered, but I tuned them out. I walked back into the dressing room, and suddenly, despite the dress looking the exact same as it did before, I felt less pretty. If I was pretty, he would’ve asked me to go with him instead of Carli. If I was pretty, he probably would’ve asked me out long before that. If I was pretty, I wouldn’t be here right now.
    I unzipped the dress, hanging it back up on the hanger. I started feeling like I should just tell Mom, ‘Thanks, but no,’ and retreat back into the solitude of home, continuing with my plan to skip prom. But just as I walked back out, Mom scooped up the dress into her arms and immediately headed towards the register. My fate was sealed. I was going, whether I liked it or not.
    Brandon was still there, much to my chagrin. He smiled, and that smile made irritation bubble up in me. As unreasonable as it was, there was something about the fact that I was hurting and he was grinning innocently like nothing had happened that made me want to scream.
    “So… guess you’re coming to prom after all, hm?” His smile morphed into a teasing smirk.
    I crossed my arms, looking over at where Mom was paying for the dress. “Yeah, she’s makin’ me go. I guess if the worst comes to worst, I can Irish goodbye everyone and go somewhere else. Or I could fake being sick.”
    “Yeah, guess so,” he laughed a bit, a light, almost imperceptible laugh. It was more of a huff of air than anything. “Honestly, I think you should go. I mean, I’m going, and I said I wasn’t for the entirety of high school.”
    “Yeah, I know you did… but now you have Carli,” I sighed.
    “Well, fair enough. She’s the one who convinced me to change my mind.”
    “I’m guessing she’s here somewhere?” I gestured vaguely towards the racks of dresses.
    Brandon nodded. “Yeah, she decided on blue for our prom outfits and now she’s freaking out and running around the store to find the right shade of it or whatever.”
    “Cool, cool… I’m sure you’ll look… nice,” I force myself to give him a supportive grin.
    “Thanks, Val. I’m glad you changed your mind about going. It’ll be fun.”
    As the words left his lips, I wondered if he had even listened to anything I had just said. I stared up at him for a minute, and it truly felt like time had paused. I tried to regulate the tension I was feeling before fabricating another fake answer. “…Yeah, it’ll be cool, hopefully.”
    “Brandon!” Carli’s voice called loudly from the other side of the store, and I could see she was holding a slinky, royal blue evening gown up, probably wanting his opinion on it.
    “Be there in a second, okay, babe?” He yelled back to her before shooting me an apologetic look. “Sorry, Val. Gotta go help Carli. See you later, okay?” And before I could open my mouth, he was rushing off to Carli’s side.
    I probably looked ****** standing there, staring after the pair with my mouth agape. It was Mom who finally snapped me back to reality as she walked back towards me, my beautiful prom dress in one of those nice, striped shopping bags. She saw my staring and looked towards Brandon and Carli, then gave me a sympathetic smile. “Oh, honey. He doesn’t know what he’s missing. Let’s go get pizza.”

    The pizza was good. I spilled Pepsi on my pants, but they’re black so it was whatever. I successfully swallowed my tears until we got home, and I finally spilled them into my pillow. I tried to bully my mind; remind myself that crying over a boy was dumb, but it didn’t do the trick like it usually did. After a few minutes of soaking the red silk pillowcase, I looked up to the posters plastered all over the wall, my vision bleary from the tears. Most of them were guys. Guys who were much more accomplished, much more interesting, much more handsome than Brandon. But still I cried. Because, in that moment, what did it matter? He was still my guy, even if that wasn’t factual anymore.
    I jumped when the phone began to ring, and without even really thinking to check, I picked up the receiver.
    “H-hello?” my voice was shaky as I mumbled into the phone, trying to sound as put-together as possible.
    “Hey, Val,” Aysel’s voice spoke up on the other end. “I just got off the phone with Brandon. Said he saw you at the mall,” I could practically hear the smirk on her face. “So I wanted to ask what happened. He didn’t say much about it.”
    I swiped at the tear tracks on my cheeks as if she could see them. “Y-yeah, I saw him. My mom is making me go, so I had to get a dress. And he was there with Carli. He saw me trying on the dress and said I looked good or some ****, then he got all buddy-buddy with my mom,” I responded. “It ******. A lot. I kinda wanted to engage in some self-immolation.”
    Aysel snickered on the other end. “Clearly. I can tell you’re… displeased.”
    “What gave it away? The sniffling? The shake in my voice?”
    “No, that you didn’t totally fly off the handle and start talking five miles a minute at the mention of his name.”
    “Okay, you got me there.”
    “So, you’re being forced to go to prom?”
    “Yep. Mom was all like, ‘you’re gonna regret it when you’re my age,’ or whatever,” I sighed, doing a half-assed imitation of her voice.
    “That *****. Want me to be your makeshit date?”
    “Don’t you mean ‘makeshift?’”
    “No, makeshit. I want to cause problems. I have some unfinished business with Mark Johnston.”
    “Sounds fun. Guess you’re my plus one.”
    “Hey, that rhymed!”
    “Maybe I should start a rap career.”
    “That Carli diss track is going to be legendary.”
    “More like Brandon diss track at this rate. Or both. Something about two birds, one stone.”
    “Should we pull a Carrie and pour pig blood on both of them?”
    “Nah, pigs are too good for that. Maybe just food coloring? Or used tampons.”
    Aysel cackled on the other end. “Yeah, the tampons. Perfect.”
    “Yeah, it’d be satisfying.”
    “When’s the prom, anyway?”
    “Day after tomorrow. Saturday.”
    “And all three of you waited this long to find outfits?”
    “Yeah, well, I wasn’t going, and Brandon and Carli had the whole detention thing, plus apparently she was being really picky about finding the perfect dress.”
    “Guess I’ll just use what I wore to my school’s prom. And that should be indicative of what she’ll be like if he marries her.”
    I snorted a bit with laughter. “You’d think. Sorry for the short notice… but it’ll be sick now that you’re going.”

    Prom came quickly. The thought of it was a little less dreadful with Aysel by my side. She came over, we got ready in my room, playing albums and reminiscing on high school as a whole. We almost twinned, her purple dress heavily complimenting mine. Of course, Mom insisted on several pictures that she’ll probably forget about by next Tuesday. We went to dinner beforehand. Mom insisted we go somewhere nice, so we did– and in the dim, red velvet plastered booth, I was actually sort of happy I went. I looked cute, I was with my best friend, and I wasn’t thinking about Brandon for the time being. We got to eat steak and pasta and those chocolate lava cakes. We probably disturbed the other customers with how much and how loud we laughed. It was the best I had felt since Brandon had decided to go with Carli.
    Prom was being held at some banquet hall not too far from the school. It was moderately upscale, probably appropriate for a high school prom. Some radio hit R&B song with suggestive lyrics that the teachers obviously did not pick up on pumped through speakers inside. Even the rocks-for-brains jocks were dressed up.
    “It’s honestly kinda weird to see everyone looking so… nice,” I mused, trying to make sure Aysel could hear me over the booming music.
    “Yeah, usually they dress like wannabe gangbangers or like they rolled out of bed, so… I’ve gotta give them some credit,” Aysel said, her expression showing genuine awe.
    “Y’know, I’m really not gonna miss these people. At all.”
    “No ****. They’re idiots.”
    Then I spotted Brandon and Carli. They were getting their picture taken in front of one of those typical prom moon things. “Don’t look now…”
    And, despite my words, Aysel turned around to look over at them. “Ha! They look… fashionably challenged.”
    “You think we should go take pictures too? We’d outfashion them for sure.”
    Without a word, Aysel was up and heading for the line. I followed suit, but I was unable to tear my gaze from the couple. They held hands as they walked out of the photo area, giggling and sharing ******, sickly sweet smiles. Now, instead of wanting to die on the spot, I wanted them to die on the spot.
    “Hey, Val, stop pouting and come take a photo,” Aysel waved me over behind the camera. As we posed together, you could see the mixed reactions on the other peoples’ faces– confusion, shock, judgement, disgust, even amusement. It took me a second to realize that we were apparently the first non-couple to take a picture here, and they thought we were genuinely each others’ dates.
    “Ewww, lesbians! Disgusting freaks!” a voice called from the line.
    “Is that MARK JOHNSTON?!” Aysel yelled, and I realized **** was about to go down until a chaperone came over to reprimand him– so I seized the opportunity for us to sneak away and outside.
    The stone steps served as our seating, and only a few other attendees littered the courtyard– mostly kissing couples. Aysel and I watched and made fun of them– maybe it soothed our singleness.
    “Okay, maybe I’m a little glad I went,” I finally admitted. “But not that much. We’d still be having fun somewhere else. But also, I kinda am happy.”
    “I think we’ve made the most of it,” Aysel nodded.
    “Yo, Val! Aysel!” Brandon’s familiar voice called to us from behind.
    “Wow, he knows *********** a moment,” Aysel scoffed, low enough that only I could hear.
    We turned to face him, watching as he sat down by me and lit the tip of his cigarette. “Guess you didn’t play sick.”
    I shook my head. “Nope. I was a big girl and showed up,” I responded with a nice helping of sarcasm.
    Brandon chuckled. “That’s the Val we all love.”
    Even if it was innocuous to him, it stung inside. Love? Then why Carli and not me?
    His eyes made their way over to Aysel, who was absentmindedly checking out her nails. “And I see you brought Aysel. It’s like the group’s back together.”
    “I mean, not quite. There’s no Mark, and I doubt Aysel would ever allow that to happen again,” I smirk, elbowing her arm lightly to emphasise my teasing. She grumbled something about wanting to stab him, which made Brandon giggle.
    “Okay, true. No Mark. But close enough, right?” He took a long drag before offering the cigarette to us. I shook my head, but Aysel reached out and took it, bringing it to her burgundy lips.
    “So… where’s that Carli, Brandon?” Aysel raised an eyebrow, ever the instigator.
    “The bathroom. She went with some of her friends and you know how long that can take,” he grinned before taking the cigarette back from Aysel.
    “Hm. How’s she working for you as a date?” she pushed.
    “Actually…” Brandon trailed off. His tone was unclear, and his emotions sounded mixed. My heart might as well have stopped in its tracks. Is this it? Is this the moment where he decides Carli isn’t for him? Where he realizes it was me all along?
    “Actually…?” Aysel echoed, trying to get him to provide a real answer. I held my breath. I tried to look nonchalant, brushing some hair out of my face, but I could feel my hands shake. I was finally getting my fairytale ending…
    “…pretty good. She’s really sweet. I like her a lot. I’m glad I got to go with her. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m happy she convinced me to come! She’s awesome,” he flashes a smile, and it’s the most genuine I’ve ever seen.
    My heart dropped into my stomach, then into my pelvic floor, then fell out of me entirely. I hoped my face didn’t show too much of my sheer, unadulterated disappointment. What about that happy ending?
    “That’s cool,” Aysel responded with a lack of amusement, and I could pick up that she was about as displeased as me.
    Naturally, he had no idea that we were not thrilled for him. “Thanks, guys. I think I really like her, y’know?”
    “Oh, yeah, I feel ya,” Aysel nods, her voice almost mocking.
    “I should probably go find Carli. I bet she’s out of the bathroom by now, and I don’t want her to miss the slow dance. Catch you two later,” he threw the cigarette into a nearby trashcan like the complete idiot he is, then scurried off like the rat he is back into the banquet hall.
    I normally would’ve cried, but I think by then I was out of tears. I was just… numb. Dull. Void.
    “What a ****,” Aysel huffed. “You good, Val?”
    I looked up from my spaced-out state. “Hm? Oh, yeah… I guess. As good as I can be, I think.”
    “Honestly, Val? I thought you were gonna crack and confess.”
    I shook my head a bunch. “Nope, that’s a secret I’m taking to the grave.”

    16 0

    Rebecca Ebert Rebecca_Ebert


    85 0

    Millie Zemlak Millie_Zemlak
    (NewsUSA) - How much will I need for my kid's college education? And how the heck will I pay for it?

    With the cost of a four-year degree rising nearly eight times faster than wages since the 1980s, those two questions are enough to give today's parents a serious case of night sweats. You can argue about the reasons for the disconnect -Administrative costs? Fancy amenities? - but you know there's a problem when a writer at Education Week is incensed.

    "Madness," she decried.

    Which is all the more reason to mark May 29 down on your calendar.

    Otherwise known as National 529 College Savings Plan Day -Get it? 5/29? - it's the perfect time to consider setting up one those tax-advantaged 529 plans, as they're called, to help sock money away to cover tuition, books and other education-related expenses at most accredited two - and four-year colleges, universities and vocational-technical schools.

    "It's a way of keeping your son or daughter from being saddled with too much debt when it's time to jump start their careers," explained Melissa Ridolfi, vice president of retirement and college products at Fidelity Investments. "Plus, any investment earnings compound on a tax-deferred basis, and qualified withdrawals are entirely free from federal and state income taxes."

    And now to the big question: How much?

    Two factors are mainly at play:

    * Public vs. private schools. The cost difference can be about as mind-boggling as "Avengers: Endgame's" record $357.1 million opening weekend domestic haul: an average of $21,370 a year at the former, according to the College Board's latest figures, as opposed to $48,510 at the latter.

    * The percentage of the bill you plan to foot. If you were counting on scholarships and other grants to pick up all or most of the tab, you should probably rethink that unless your kid is either a bona fide child prodigy or football star. Sallie Mae's "How America Pays for College" 2018 report found that both categories combined paid for just 28 percent of college costs.

    One guess where 47 percent of the costs came from. That's right, "family income and savings," with another 24 percent covered by borrowing.

    In other words, as Ridolfi said, "any way you look at it, the family is on the hook to pay the lion's share of college expenses." Which probably helps explain why a recent Fidelity study found that parents are increasingly starting to save before their child even reaches the age of two.

    To see where you stand, try using what Fidelity calls "the college savings 2K rule of thumb." Simply multiply your child's current age by $2,000 to figure whether your savings to date are generally on track to handle approximately 50 percent of the College Board's $21,370-a-year average cost of attending a four-year public college.

    Or, especially if you want a more customized estimate - one that lets you play around with percentages and switch back and forth between public and private schools - the firm's free online college savings calculator takes the angst out of doing the math yourself.

    Fidelity provides 12 savings ideas to help reach your own goal, and offers a choice of two different investment strategies in the 529 savings plans it manages - including an age-based portfolio of funds that automatically becomes more conservative as the beneficiary nears college age.

    Hopefully, armed with all that info, you'll be sleeping better at night.

    Ref: Family - in Blogs
    53 0

    Millie Zemlak Millie_Zemlak
    (NewsUSA) - The Bible is one of the most studied texts in existence, but a new book reveals a previously unrecognized encrypted message in the Old Testament that foresees the birth, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus.

    In the book, The Chamberlain Key: Unlocking the God Code to Reveal Divine Messages Hidden in the Bible, author Timothy Smith describes how he discovered the message by cracking a code in Genesis 30:20-24 in the oldest form of the Hebrew Old Testament.

    Smith, an appraiser and restorer of fine art and antiquities, was researching his family history and became intrigued by the Torah after learning that his matriarchal ancestors were in fact Sephardic Jews, and early Christians of Jewish decent. He said in a statement that he was drawn to the specific passages in Genesis because of parallels between descriptions of the family of Jacob, known as the father of the House of Israel, and his own family.

    Smith assessed the passages using an equidistant letter skip decryption method inspired by the Hebrew spelling of his name (the nine-letter Timotheus). He discovered not only his own name, but also biographical information that reflected other members of his family

    As he reviewed the passage in Genesis using the code, Smith found details about the birth, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus. He also identified references to religious images, including the Rocio Madonna, clues to the location of the contents of the Ark of the Covenant, and warnings of the spread of anti-Semitism, hate, and violence.

    Smith's research methods and conclusions have been reviewed by experts, including Dr. Robert Jahn, dean emeritus of engineering at Princeton University, and Dr. Eugene Ulrich, chief editor of the Biblical Dead Sea Scrolls and professor of Hebrew Scripture and Theology at University of Notre Dame.

    "Never before have so many high-level language and scientific experts agreed that the encrypted structures we have detected in this section of the Hebrew text, and the other structures logically predicted from this key code, are a very deliberate attempt by the Author of the pre-Christian text to make 'contact.' No other published 'Bible code' discoveries impress us in this way," Smith says.

    The Chamberlain Key takes readers through Smith's journey of discovery, including his personal account of the spiritual experiences that inspired him to pursue his research into the Torah.

    In addition, a history documentary series about the book and Smith's story are in production and scheduled to air within the year.

    For more information, visit http://chamberlainkey.com.

    Ref: God - in Blogs
    63 0

    Aric Feeney Aric_Feeney


    79 0

    Millie Zemlak Millie_Zemlak
    (NewsUSA) - Fans of wholesome television have a double treat in store, as the UPtv network launches its new series, "Design Twins," on Valentine's Day.

    The reality series makes its debut at 8 pm Eastern time (ET) on February 14, and features twin sisters, Heidi and Heather, who team up to start an interior design business aimed at providing families with creative, beautiful and functional spaces. To get the new venture off the ground, the twins move their families in together to save money and increase efficiency.

    Viewers can empathize with their challenges as the twins, together with their husbands and a total of seven children under the age of 6, work to nurture both their families and their growing business, aptly named "Joyful Living."

    The Atlanta, Georgia-based UPtv makes it a full night of love for Valentine's Day this season by also airing the much-anticipated wedding of Josie Bates and Kelton Balka at 9 pm ET on the popular series, "Bringing Up Bates," following the premiere of "Design Twins."

    The wedding features a picturesque outdoor country setting and plenty of family participation in the festivities.

    "At UPtv, we celebrate family and life's biggest moments," says Amy Winter, general manager and evp. "We are excited to add 'Design Twins' to our Thursday night lineup as we continue to bring viewers uplifting and inspiring stories."

    Valentine's Day is a time to celebrate love and romance, but the network keeps heartwarming stories upfront year-round with new episodes of UPtv's hit series on Thursday nights, movie premieres on the weekend and fan-favorite acquired series throughout the week.

    UPtv continues the themes of love and family in 2019 with UP Faith & Family. The streaming service offers a variety of commercial-free, faith- and family-friendly entertainment anytime, anywhere. UP Faith & Family offers endless hours of movies, drama series and kids' programming. It's also the exclusive home for past seasons of UPtv originals.

    In February, UP Faith & Family will be adding the wedding-themed reality series, "Our Wedding Story," and "Crazy Beautiful Weddings," as well as other romance-themed programs, including the movies, "Bridal Bootcamp" and "Love's Last Resort." New titles are added monthly.

    Prospective viewers can enjoy a 14-day free trial of the service by downloading the UP Faith & Family app or visiting Upfaithandfamily.com.

    For more information about UPtv, go to UPtv.com or check for updates on Facebook at facebook.com/Uptv, Twitter on @Uptv and Instagram at UP_TV.

    Ref: Humor - in Blogs
    149 0

    Allura Music Allura
    Allura music store offers you everything you need to create professional music sessions, tracks, and complete cd albums. If you're a music producer, or simply play music as a hobby, come to see us to be delighted.

    What we need

    We're looking for influencers for the launch of our new product line. We need you to post invitations to invite followers to visit our website to see our new product line, via a story with pictures. We'll send you $300.00, or 30,000 gift-points once the post is done. If you're interested, simply say you're Interested in a comment below this post.

    CONDITIONS

    Audience
    United-States, UK, Australia

    Language
    English

    Channels
    Lifestyle, Fashion, Beauty, Travel

    Minimum Followers
    1000

    Age Group
    18-65

    Genders
    Any

    Post Type
    Story with the images included here

    Pay Per Post Amount in Money
    $300.00

    Pay Per Post in Points. 100 points = $1.00
    30,000

    Commission Per Sale
    $0

    Item Shipped For Review
    None

    Must Create a New Creative From Scratch
    Yes

    Must Use The Images And Video Supplied
    No

    Must Follow Some Specific Guidelines
    No

    Must Avoid Saying or Showing Specific Things
    No

    Content Must Be Approved Before Posting
    No

    Delivery Delay in Days
    5 Business day

    Delivery Exact Date
    None

    Our Website URL
    Allura


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