1. Revise the 2nd and start the 3rd draft of Beyond Alder Creek
2. As always, try to crack 100K words worth of writing/brainstorming/etc.
3. Focusing more on the more formal craft side of writing/dedicating more time to actually improving my skills, which leads me into the goal I set out for 2024 and didn't finish:
4. Read back through my old NaNoWriMo(/whatever we're calling it now) drafts, both for entertainment and to sort of assess the kind of progress I've made over the past 14 Novembers (with the acknowledgment that November writing emphasizes quantity over quality ofc).

When Winnie's little brother is stolen by the fae, she finds she has no choice but to risk venturing into their home, the Beyond, to bring him back. But in order to protect herself in this topsy-turvy new world, Winnie deliberately crafts a cautious deal with one of its residents, a golden fae with a grudge against her brother's kidnapper.

A fictional autobiography of an elven noblewoman recalling her various, highly publicized diplomatic exploits and warning her readers about the dangers of aggrandizing and villifying figures like herself in the public eye.

Five West German young men work through a year of university in the 1960s, coping with a drastically shifting political landscape as the emerging generation comes to terms with their nation's past and look ahead to its future.

'The spring was short and warm, leading into a summer that promised to be even hotter still. The kind of summer that would leave Isla sweating and unbearably flushed back when she'd been alive. As a spirit, she didn't mind the heat so much, but she'd found herself uncomfortable for other reasons. Namely, Meredith.' (omg just kiss and make up already smh)

• 'It always came back around to Meredith, for some reason.' like??
• She's seriously spending more time worrying about how long it'll take Meredith to forget about her and whether she'll ever forget about her 'friend' (she highly doubts it) than actually anticipating leaving the graveyard
• 'As it was, all she could do was watch the flowers grow and mourn that she no longer had anyone to bring them to.' okay so, see, now i'm regretting not making more gay jokes earlier
• Not really but like, I downplayed any romantic connotations earlier because they were so mild that I honestly thought they'd amount to nothing, but suddenly, we're seeing an emerging attachment that doesn't Have to be read as romantic but Could be
• Like she's daydreaming about all the visits she'd make back here and missing Meredith like crazy and she hasn't even Left the place yet
• A flower literally just fell into Isla's hair. The wind is giving you its blessing

'The statue was where she always was, but something was different. Most nights, when Isla had made her approach, Meredith would be in the stage of dragging herself from her position as guardian. She would wake, stretching out her stiff joints and greeting Isla with a smile. Tonight, Meredith was as rigid as she'd ever been.' (you're not the only one who gets to rest, Isla)

• She leaves the flower at Meredith's feet and drifts back to her grave aww
• She shows up the next night with a daffodil
• Fun fact: I didn't realize that the 'narcissus' is the same as a daffodil until last year, and learning that broke my brain bc I read a lot of books like 'Anne of Green Gables' and 'The Secret Garden' that would reference narcissi and never knew
• Anyways
• 'You're being stubborn,' Isla pointed out.' you're one to talk
• Okay, it's been a week, maybe Meredith Is being stubborn
• Isla's now bringing her entire bouquets and addressing her directly to her face

'In life, there had always been something going on that she could talk about. What was there in death, aside from a string of meaningless days? Well, not entirely meaningless.' (gay)

• Not LAVENDER growing at the base of Meredith's plinth LMAO
• I don't even think I knew lavender's significance with lesbians at the time
• (Tbf, maybe I did, but it also might've just been a random flower choice)
• Omfg not Isla talking about her life and discussing how she knew she was different from the other girls because they would all chit-chat about boys and husbands and she didn't have any interest in all that
• This is getting like too on-the-nose at this point lmao
• 'Then I met you. You were so steady, and so bright.' ffs Isla do you even know what you want?
• (the entire point of this story is that the answer to that question is 'no' lol)
• 'Isla paused here. She felt like she was careening for a cliffside through the fog, unsure of where it was ahead of her and what would find her over the side.' that's what it feels like reading this, too
• 'Isla stumbled forwards, plucking a single piece of lavender from the bunch at Meredith's feet. As she reached up to tuck it behind her ear, a hand suddenly lay on her shoulder.' okay there's no fucking way I didn't know what lavender meant, actually

'Looking up, Isla was surprised to see Meredith smiling down at her. It was a sad smile, a smile that spoke of a heavy history that weighed her down. But it was a smile, and it was the most beautiful thing Isla had ever seen, in life or death. 'Good evening, Ms. Newfield.' Meredith's hand was outstretched, and Isla took it, pushing up from the ground. 'I didn't think you were going to answer,' she admitted bashfully.' (this is why I don't write romance anymore - i s2g i forgot there was meant to be any romance until this final section and then just had to try my best to make it work lmao)

• There's more, but in the interest of it making me feel kinda nauseous, I will be refraining from sharing the next snippet
• Like, this bitch is sitting here trying to remind herself that this is a sad goodbye but is actually thinking of it as a new start smh
• 'Letting go of Meredith's hand, Isla floated until they were even in height again, and plucked the lavender from behind her own ear, extending it until it was brushing against Meredith's face.' okay firstly, that's SO gay, but secondly, seriously, again with the same-height situation

'I suppose this might be a good-bye gift,' Meredith murmured as she held the lavender to her nose. 'It seems so,' Isla agreed sadly. 'Well, I'll remember you fondly by it.' (i truly have nothing else to add)

• The next night, you'll never guess who shows up

'Isla was preparing to head over to see Meredith when a heavy gust of wind sent her back to the grove. Her breath caught, and she struggled against the weight of it as she pinned herself against one of the trees. When the wind had settled a little, she coughed. 'It's good to see a familiar face,' greeted a voice on the wind. The west wind. He had made his appearance at last.' (no waaaay)

• 'The world is wide. I've had a long journey. Let's not talk of my shortcomings.' The wind rustled in the trees, like a parent ruffling their child's hair.' well that's a lot friendlier than the east wind's version of harassing her
• The moment comes for Isla to confirm that she wants to go, and she's suddenly unsure, what a useless lil ghost

'Five.' Isla leaned against one of her trees, wrapping an arm against the trunk and pressing her cheek to its rough bark. Her grove. 'Four.' In her mind, she built castles with moats, and raging rivers filled with crocodiles and man-eating fish. Exciting adventures waiting to happen, just beyond the grave. The west wind could carry her there. 'Three.' Dandelion seeds blew by on the wind, floating past her towards the moor. Flowers and trees, lovely things that could not make a home. They could be found anywhere, but Isla wasn't sure she'd ever care as much for the orchids and baobabs as she did for her dandelions, her daffodils, and her oak. 'Two.' There were kings and queens out there, like the stories she'd heard growing up. Music she'd never had a chance to hear. Inventions that had never crossed into the churchyard. Mankind had been growing, and building, and progressing, and she wanted to see it, to know it, to understand. There were books to read, and markets and courts and wonders beyond anything she knew. Anything she could know, stuck here. 'One.' Meredith. 'Have you made your choice?' Isla looked up and pushed off from the tree. With a smile tugging at the edges of her lips, she stared face-first into the wind and gave a short, decisive nod.' (and roll credits!)

• But what does the nod mean????
• :)

• Spring has arrived, and there's no definitive way for Isla to know whether the work she's done is actually going to be enough for the west wind to take her away in June
• The groundskeeper is digging up a fresh grave now that the ground has thawed, and Isla stops by and muses over the idea of how it could tether a spirit
• AKA Teri musing over wtf her worldbuilding is meant to be here lol

'It was a strange word, away. Even when she was alive, Isla had never given much thought into what 'away' truly meant. It had always been abstract, like the idea of being 'cultured' or 'sophisticated'. All she'd ever known was that her life in the countryside did not fit the description, and she was determined to achieve it, whatever it took. But she would learn soon enough, with miles in-between. And someday, she would return - not permanently, Isla had taken the east wind's warnings to heart - and tell her stories to Meredith.' (yeah that sounds like a great basis to build an existence of perpetual upheaval on)

• For something that's basically a short story, I feel like giving backstory to earlier in Isla's death isn't really necessary idk
• Basically she got depressed. Shocker.
• More time has passed, and the new grave has been fully dug, and the attendants left out a shovel
• A metal shovel ofc
• Isla is hatching a plan
• She gets herself situated and levels the shovel over part of her name carved into the gravestone, and -

'At first, the movement out of the corner of her eye was easily ignored. Just a bat, or some bird that had forgotten that the sun was already down. But the closer the thing got, the more Isla realized that it was far too large to be explained away by a simple confused animal. Looking up, Isla's chest pounded, and her hands grew cold at the sight of Meredith. Meredith. Flying through the air. Meredith. No longer on her pedestal. Meredith. Whose concerned expression was quickly drawing into suspicion.' (remember how you got all offended that Meredith would never ever leave her pedestal for you??)

• Meredith immediately sinking into the mud a little, as opposed to Isla being incapable of leaving footprints, love it

'Meredith didn't need her to explain. 'I wanted to take their word as a mere rumor. Breezes are so fickle with these things. But maybe I should've come sooner.' 'You're here,' was all Isla could say. Her mind couldn't move past it.' (in Isla's defense, I'm sure watching a statue fly is pretty shocking)

• Isla don't try to look confident and decisive rn, you just made a lil fool out of yourself

'I did figure out [the secret to fulfillment]. I've always known that my ambitions led me beyond the confines of some small churchyard, and why should I feel shame for it? Why should I feel the need to follow in everyone else's footsteps, and be content to lay about for eternity? Some of us were made to go out there and see more of the world.' 'Your purpose is not to run away every time you're facing something steady,' Meredith argued. 'And what would you know about finding purpose?' Isla snapped back, feeling a heat rising into her face. 'You were built with a duty, and all you've ever known is how to follow it.' Meredith waved a hand down, presenting herself. 'And yet here I am, standing before you.' (go off green angel lady)

• 'Which of us has more experience talking with the dead?' Meredith lifted an eyebrow.' oof yeah Isla typically avoids the other spirits like the plague
• Meredith accidentally just revealed that she's known how to break free of the grave this whole time oop
• 'You think I haven't heard the east wind's taunts? He doesn't only speak to you.' that still doesn't really answer how you'd know about the Grave, considering you don't Have one to escape from, but whatever
• Isla's Pissed
• Meredith's Pissed
• The girls are fighting
• 'Isla's gravestone split two nights later.' those attendants really just accepted the loss of their shovel ig
• Bro why was nothing blooming in like April?? I'm writing this in mid-March and literally today I went on a walk and saw snowdrops blossoming like out of control
• Oh wait she didn't use the shovel
• They left a pick-axe
• Why tf did they even have a pick-axe??? What are you mining for???
• 'Instead [of Meredith], she would imagine London. And Paris. And the world beyond them. Egypt. India. China. And more, places she had no names for but existed nonetheless.' that idea of there being a world of places you don't know about is gonna reappear in more writing

'If the attendants saw the ruined remains of her grave, they would have another ordered to take its place. But if she moved the rocks, just so. If she scattered them among the grove, and, eventually, the entire cemetery, would they even notice its absence? The thought struck Isla with a chord of sudden loneliness. But she shrugged it off. Loneliness was often the curse of travelers and adventurers, and she knew she would grow accustomed to it. Even if the thoughts stung now, they would ease with time.' (keep telling yourself that)

• Thinking about Meredith maybe hearing the crack of the stone and not caring 'hurt even more than the loneliness.' oof

• So Isla's beginning to try wrecking her own headstone
• 'The work was slow going. Time would one day erode the carved names and dates of all the graves in the cemetery, but, until that day, it seemed stubborn in clinging to the stone.' yk, most people wouldn't be upset about that, isla
• Apparently ghosts can feel the cold
• But also they can't really be uncomfortable ig so it's just a weird sensory experience that's kinda driving her crazy
• Christmas is approaching, and apparently that's the time of year when the other ghosts typically rise from their graves to hang out
• Which, if this is based in like Christian holidays, you'd think they'd be more about All Saints Day or All Souls Day or smth, but sure, Christmas, why not
• Every year Meredith gets a lil wreath as a necklace from the caretakers that's so cute

'[Isla] felt a little guilty, like she was abandoning Meredith to the boredom of her guard, but this was something she excused through constant reminders that, once she was done, Meredith would have to face many nights alone at her post. It was almost enough to make Isla hesitate. But she couldn't allow even the strangely hollow thought of leaving her friend behind to keep her from fulfillment. If Isla was forced to stay in this churchyard for eternity, she would never truly know peace.' (girl is Stir Crazy)

• It's Christmas!
• The first time Isla and Meredith have hung out in a minute, and Isla was late to their usual meeting because she insisted on working until the other spirits began to 'wake up'

'Where have you been?' Meredith asked quietly, barely more than a whisper. A question that Isla had been dreading. She could pretend that she didn't hear, but it was useless. The frown that tugged at the edges of her mouth were giving her away, and any attempts of that sort of deception would've only been an insult. But that didn't mean she was going to tell her the truth. 'I have been tending to a small garden near my plot,' Isla claimed. 'The little place where I found the autumn daffodils. I've also recently replanted a few snowdrops as well, and I'm hoping come spring, there will be a variety of flowers that I can introduce into the small grove to brighten the place up. I think my struggles with the colder months can mostly be blamed on how dour the grove becomes once my trees have lost their leaves.' (surely there is no way that this lie could possibly come back to bite you, Isla, dw about it)

• Not Isla promising to 'pick her a whole bouquet' omg girl you don't have any flowers back there!
• 'Christmas had gone and gone, and the new year had blown in with blustery gusts of wind, fierce and howling as they rattled the trees and tore through whatever gifts had been left behind.' i wanna work more on my atmospheric/nature writing, and this feels like a nice starting point
• For awhile, she still hangs out nightly with Meredith for a few hours, but it starts getting so tense and awkward as she clearly wants to go back to her grave that she eventually gives up and cuts it back to like once a week
• Isla absolutely refuses to confide in her because she knows Meredith will be against the idea, but Meredith's not an idiot, she knows something's up

'Meredith turned her head and opened her mouth, as though to say something, but she looked away again. 'What is it?' Isla asked, though she knew she wouldn't want to hear the answer. 'Nothing.' For being a guardian of the cemetery, Meredith had always been the kind to avoid difficult confrontation. Isla couldn't blame her, she was the same way, but it meant this awkward, prolonged conversation that led nowhere. 'You can tell me anything, you know.' Meredith's voice was so sudden and so gentle that Isla almost mistook it for the wind. 'I don't know what you're hiding, but you can let me know.' I wish I could, Isla thought. But she said, 'I'm not hiding anything, Meredith. It's just been a long winter.' Meredith sighed. 'Well, hopefully the spring will renew you.' It wasn't said maliciously, but Isla internally flinched away from it all the same.' (There's so much I could build into this relationship that simply didn't really happen in this draft)

• Winter is passing quickly man, it's already March
• March being the deadline for when she has to wreck her grave, if she wants to join the west wind in June
• She's getting desperate and frustrated and is fully blaming the east wind for it lol
• The problem is, I don't think I'm emphasizing enough in this that Isla's restlessness is not necessarily meant to be like an aspirational, ambitious, positive thing. But it's not wholly a stubborn denial of her situation either. It's meant to fall somewhere in between. She's driven, but not necessarily for the right reasons

'A breeze kicking up blew through her hair, and it fell into her face, obscuring her vision. Isla brushed her hair back, turning her head to embrace the gust. 'Your brother thinks he's fooled me, but I'll figure a way around his trickery,' she whispered into the wind. 'The next time the east wind blows through this churchyard, he won't find me here.' The breeze said nothing. Isla wasn't even sure it heard her, that there was anything there to hear. But her declaration refueled her determination, and she nodded to herself.' (idk man i don't have commentary, i just love the wind being a character)

• It's now been a fortnight since Isla has gone to see Meredith smh
• 'When she had first started ignoring her traditional visits, it had been easy to blame Meredith for not being supportive, or remind herself that, once she left, she would need to grow accustomed to her friend's absence. But the longer time went on, the hollowness that Meredith usually filled wasn't closing, wasn't even shrinking. If anything, it was growing larger.' :(
• 'If there were only some way to convince Meredith to join her and leave her post, then everything might've worked out fine. But Meredith - loyal, stubborn Meredith - would never leave St. Mary's. She wouldn't even leave her pedestal.' :( :(
• She's strolling along the back fence of the cemetery when she stumbles over a broken slat - literally
• Where there's a gap, she steps through, and manages to get her entire body out of the boundary of the graveyard and onto the moor - except for her foot, which won't move and keeps her tethered
• And that momentary near-freedom will only make her work harder to earn the real thing - if that's what leaving the grave actually means for her

• Here we go!
• 'Isla Newfield lived in the small churchyard of St. Mary's, and she was weary. Only 'lived' wasn't the right word, exactly, because she'd been dead for nearly half a century. And 'weary' wasn't the right weird, either, because it implied a body that could grow tired.' and we're right back into my usual style, love to see it

'It was October, which was unfortunate, because Isla had never enjoyed autumn, with its dreariness slipping over the countryside like a damp, cold, grey blanket. Somehow, it fit perfectly snug, and she had to admit that the bordering moor and autumn seemed almost made for each other. But Isla didn't like the overcast skies, and the dark evenings, and, worst of all, she didn't like the rain. The fact that she had died on a rainy, dark evening in October just made Isla like the season even less.' (what a lil grump, i love her)

• Despite her grumpiness, she skips off to find her one friend - the cemetery's angel protectorate statue, Meredith
• Wtf is up with me and writing about statues instilled with life?? Taliesin, Enid, Meredith, there appears to be a trend here lol
• 'In fact, the statue, Meredith, was Isla's only friend in the whole churchyard. The other ghosts often preferred their eternal rest to be just that, restful.' imagine that
• Meredith greets her formally and Isla points out they've known each other for forty-six years and it's totally unnecessary
• 'The exchange had been the same for as long as they had known each other. Meredith would always greet Isla with the same propriety, and Isla would always ridicule the idea of being treated so formally. But though she would never say it, Isla took a small thrill in being given the dignity that she'd never received in life. And though she'd never let her know, Meredith was well-aware of this.' awww
• Oh, right, Isla's still grumpy
• 'Isla sighed; October was nearly over, which meant what little pleasant there was about autumn - the leaves, the cool breezes that had yet to build into terrible gusts - was prepping to make way for November. Soon, the east wind would blow through, and Isla would have to endure the taunts of restlessness once again.' okay i do love autumn but also the restlessness once it gets cold is real
• Meredith trying to comfort her is sweet, but clearly not working

'With a gentle lift, [Isla] let herself be carried by the breeze, floating over Meredith's head. After circling a few times, she lay against the air and let it hold her aloft. Her gown and loose hair both billowed beneath her like she was drifting through water, rippling out until their pale shimmer mingled with the empty air and dissipated into nothing. 'If you are here to tempt me, it will not work,' Meredith warned. 'I cannot leave my post.' 'Perhaps my purpose is to teach you to trust in yourself,' Isla suggested as though she hadn't heard. 'You have never even given your wings a chance. How will you know if you can fly, if you merely keep them tucked in?' 'Wings of stone are not meant for flight.' 'And ghosts are not meant to wander, yet here I am.' Isla circled her again before settling back to the ground. 'I don't think making the walk from your little grove to the cemetery entrance is considered 'wandering',' Meredith pointed out. 'But it's just as well. I would have a much more difficult job keeping you safe if you left.' (interesting choice to use apostrophes for dialogue, but regardless, this style of writing seems to much better match this type of story than when it opened Beneath Alder Creek)

• 'Quiet fell between the two, but silence could never find a foothold in the rural cemetery. The breeze was rustling through what leaves had managed to keep hold of their branches. The bugs that Isla had dreaded in life had thinned with the cold, but those that remained buzzed and chirped with a fervor. Beyond the distant church, a babbling brook laughed as it ran along towards some distant river.' using distant twice in the same sentence was certainly a choice, but generally, i'd love to hang out here
• Isla got a lil upset at the joke ig and has decided to go back to hanging out by her own grave
• 'back through the rows of family plots and individual graves, until she reached the far corner, where her own small headstone sat all by itself amongst some of the trees.' :(
• She's still grumpy the next night
• She's stomping around in the dormant garden tucked into the back of the cemetery but she's a ghost, so the best she can do is rustle leaves together lol
• 'Thoughts of her life seemed forever burned into Isla's mind. It was how she knew that she wasn't ready to rest, not yet. Her entire life had been spent waiting for the big moment, the day that would change everything. What exactly that would look like, she didn't know, but what she did know was that she'd recognize it when it happened. Some beautiful stranger, a mysterious inheritance, a chance encounter with someone of importance. The thoughts encouraged her on better days, and comforted her through the worst - for of course, heroines often had to feel stuck before they were given their out. And if anyone in the small, backwater town she called home was a heroine, it would be her. Isla Newfield had never meant to live a small life of insignificance.' she's ~not like other girls~
• But then she got struck with some mysterious illness that involved fatigue and changing appetite and brain fog and dry mouth and weight loss and -
• - I gave this bitch diabetes omg
• I remember writing this out actually, specifically because I needed more words for the day and had nothing else to add
• So voila, a way to describe the horrors of diabetes in an era before the discovery of insulin
• And that bitterness of not having accepted reality until it occurred is part of what makes her feel such denial over the state of her death, even nearly half a century later
• Uh-oh! The wind is talking!

'What a marvelously awful night, isn't it?' the east wind greeted with his terrible chuckle. Isla held back the urge to recoil from him and dipped her head lightly. 'It always is when you come through this way.' If the east wind recognized this as an insult, he did not seem to care. There was a proud gust that rustled through Isla's hair, and she reached up to smooth it out. 'And yet the world could not go on without me. You know that as well as the rest.' 'I suppose an imperfect world must allow room for suffering,' Isla retorted. 'You wouldn't want perfection if it were offered to you,' he hissed in her ear. 'You would rather bask in the balance of it. Without defeats, your triumphs would never have meaning. But, then, I don't suppose you would be the one to recognize it. You never really knew the world, for all you wanted to.' (omg this wind is Mean)

• (i kinda love him)
• He just shook a leaf free from a tree and settled it down to tuck it behind Isla's ear and she Immediately shakes it out, she is not putting up with his shit

'Come now, don't be so fragile,' the east wind taunted. 'You are hardly the first to feel such longing for the world. I have met a thousand others like you in a thousand other graves, wishing for a second chance at life. But what is life but extended suffering? If it is merely the world you want, you hardly need life to see it.' 'That's easy for the wind to say.' But Isla had stopped urgently aiming for her grave. 'The wind doesn't have a life to miss, only glimpses into others.' 'Do you miss the illness? Or the sorrow? Or the aches and pains? The heartache is said to be worse in youth, do you remember it? Or is it that all you conjure when you mourn are the thrills - the dreaming and the sunlight? Don't forget, dreams and nightmares are not so different at the start, and the sunlight was never an offering of kindness. It makes no difference to the sun whether it shines and warms or blinds and burns.' This was exactly what Isla had dreaded about being caught out in the east wind. He was miserably cold and indiscriminately cruel, somehow reading on Isla's face her very thoughts before she had a chance to interpret them herself.' (bro he kinda went off there though)

• Oh great, now he's offering her a way to be free of her grave
• I totally trust this guy, for sure
• 'How do you know this?' she asked breathlessly.' Isla, nooooo don't listen to him
• 'If the east wind could smile, he was grinning from ear to ear. 'I know little of death. I have no need for it. But I have been around the world, and I know many of its secrets. Being tethered to the grave is not the only path for a spirit to take. As far as I can tell, it's far easier to have never made the bond to begin with, but for those who already have it established, there are ways to break its spell.' this is promising and not at all ominous
• Isla cracks and asks him to tell her, and he immediately makes a show of violently blowing through the trees and her hair and like dragging her along and then disappearing. Definitely not a metaphor for anything.
• But he does come back because, and I quote, 'Besides, you're so depressing that, really, something must be done about it. I can't come through here year after year and witness your misery.'
• The east wind really said 'your vibes are Rancid so i'm gonna hand over secrets of the universe so that at least when everything gets worse for you, it'll be entertaining'
• The answer is pretty simple: essentially erase all parts of her grave tying her to it (vandalize her own headstone and have nobody stop by for a visit for awhile)

'Before you make your decision,' he warned. 'You must know that you will not be able to return. Your spirit will be free to roam, but it will not return to the grave.' 'I understand.' And Isla truly thought she did. (I love when a narrator is like 'yeah they're full of shit')

• She goes to visit Meredith the next night and immediately Meredith clocks that something's up
• 'Isla had assumed that she would confide in Meredith about her plan with the east wind. She told Meredith everything - even to her own detriment, when her friend would look on her moping poorly. But, standing in front of her, Isla felt a sudden surge of doubt, and she started babbling about seeing a bloom of autumn daffodils before she could even consider whether she wanted to tell the truth.' girl... she already knows something's up, just Communicate please
• She thinks Meredith is gonna try to talk her out of it
• No duh

'She left early that night, after a short and stilted conversation. Meredith did her best to fill in the gaps that Isla kept leaving, but there was only so much she could do to fight the awkwardness of it, and, in the end, both of them were slightly relieved as Isla walked away. Which only made them both feel even worse.' (oof)

Isla Newfield has lived in the churchyard of St. Mary's for nearly half a century. Except 'lived' isn't the right word, exactly. You see, she died over forty years ago. In that time, she's spent every night haunting the grounds of the cemetery, refusing to let herself rest. refusing to accept the state of things. Her goals of leaving behind this small town never having been fulfilled, she mopes nightly of being tied to her grave to her only friend, the cemetery's guardian angel statue, Meredith. Meredith, in turn, does her best to comfort the lost soul, gently encouraging her to come to terms with her death. One night, a miserable eastern wind blows through, whispering promises of away to break the tethers of the grave. Though Isla vows to follow through with the task, she finds herself embarrassed by the idea of bringing it up to Meredith. Instead, she works in secret, anticipation building in equal measure with an odd sense of dread.

Isla Newfield lived in the small churchyard of St. Mary's, and she was weary.

Isla Newfield: Dead. Always wanted to break the mold and move out of her small hometown to travel the world, got as far as St. Mary’s on the edge of town. Never wants to be satisfied, even when she is. Meredith: Never alive, so isn’t technically dead. Watches over the cemetery and all its residents, especially one in particular. Patience incarnate. Almost as satisfied as she can be. The East Wind: Mischievous (Derogatory). Can read you like an open book and willing to use what he finds. Usually brings cold rain and leaves sickness in his wake. The West Wind: Mischievous (Affectionate). Just here for a good time. Less oblivious than he lets on, but only threatening when threatened.

I don't think, outside of skimming through the story for my wrap-up at the end of 2021, I've ever read back through this piece. Which might be because I still don't feel quite prepared enough as a writer to tackle the project again. Writing this was hard. I remember feeling like there were swathes of sections that just went nowhere, that the same scenes were being written over-and-over again to justify the passage of time. I don't think I had a strong enough grasp of what the idea was to convey it well, and honestly, even now, I have a hard time putting it into words without droning on about what it's not. The idea for writing this actually came about because a friend of mine and I very nearly took a spontaneous trip to England in the middle of November that year. Like, 'would've booked everything and flown out within two weeks' kind of spontaneous. I already knew I wanted to write two different novellas for the month, rather than concentrating on hitting 50K. I knew the first was Downstairs, 4 Hawthorn Rd., but I needed a second. And when my friend suggested we take a sudden trip overseas, I knew I'd still want to write. So I came up with a story that I felt would be appropriate to write through the gloom of late autumn in England. But we didn't take the trip, so instead I wound up writing it in the warm, sunny Kansas heat. Maybe that's why I felt like it was so tough to write.

• Case of the Blank Page Syndrome - Ellie McNamara
• This is the first short story I actually started writing for this project! Technically, the first couple paragraphs were written back during November of 2020, back when I initially came up with the idea
• It's also one of the closest-to-life recreations I wrote up for this novella. With a couple of minor tweaks to some of the finer details, me and two of my housemates lived through pretty much this exact scenario

'Blink. Ellie drummed her fingers rhythmically over her keyboard, staring at the taunting flickering of her cursor. Words swirled loosely through her mind, fragments that either could not or stubbornly would not form a cohesive whole. Blink. Inspiration followed a similar pattern. The more she sought it, the more evasive it became, until she was chasing the horizon and always finding it out of reach. In her own work, Ellie could content herself with the waiting game. But there was no time to wait. Blink. Deadlines hung like the sword of Damocles over Ellie's head, held back by an ever-weakening stretch of weeks that had slowly begun to untangle into days. She wondered if this was not a worse fate; it was one thing to fear the unknown, but her execution date had been set, and it was inevitable. Nothing, barring some unthinkable catastrophe, could prevent it. Blink. Anything would do. A sentence. A word. Any sort of progress that gave a purpose to the thirty minutes she'd been sitting at her desk, staring at a blank page. But even her grasp on language itself seemed to slip away, like the memory of a dream on waking; all that remained were pieces of a concept and the unsatisfied itch that it was something worth remembering. Blink. Ellie snapped her laptop closed, shoving it to the opposite end of the desk.' (this could also be retitled 'Teri's Experience with Writer's Block' lmao)

• Good timing! Slamming your laptop shut just before two of your housemates (Morgan and Claire) burst into the room!
• "Guys, I was just about to start writing!" you liar lmao
• But they bring news! News that Stewartstown (the town the Five are from) has a high school production of 'The Music Man' running this weekend
• And Number Three's sister/cousin/relative is in a leading role
• They're trying to convince Ellie to go, but she wants to work on this project - a script that's due the following Wednesday for the '10-minute play festival' (a real thing our school had)
• "What if I miss a perfectly ideal strike of inspiration, because I'm sitting in a dark room, watching a bunch of teenagers try to act? I'm not risking it." that's the way to get through writer's block - add pressure to it

'So after what felt like an hour (but was probably only a few minutes) of arguing the point, Ellie stood up from her desk chair. "Ellie's ready to go!" Claire cried out. "I'm not going anywhere!" Ellie snapped, towering over her friends. "I don't want to see some stupid high school play! Now get out of my room and leave me alone." It came out a bit harsher than she intended, but the irritation building in her chest wouldn't ease up.' (jeez ellie lighten up)

• 'Okay, now where was she? Oh yes. In the pit of despair.' alright Princess Bride, get your laptop out then
• 'Another twenty minutes had gone by with nothing, and, worse, Ellie was beginning to feel a sinking sense of missing out.' well that's just too bad loser
• Ellie not particularly wanting to go but recognizing that it matters more to her friends that they all experience it than it does to her to miss it - she can be mature, guys!
• 'So, saving her blank document, she closed out the tab and sent her laptop to sleep.' saving the blank document is sending me lol
• She casually goes to Claire and asks about the price of admission ($7, which I can't remember if that's similar to what we paid for our version of this story, but I think we paid more lmao)

"You know I couldn't miss the chance to watch number three's sister perform!" Glancing at the entrance to the hallway, she confirmed that Morgan hadn't heard the commotion yet, and continued in a whisper. "How else are we going to weed it out of Mo that she definitely has a crush on that guy?" "Oh, don't," Claire protested as she shoved herself away, loyal to a fault. "She'll figure it out eventually." But after a beat of silence, she looked back over her shoulder and whispered, "She totally does, though! She tries not to talk about him as much, but you can just tell she's holding it back." (lil sweeties)

• Morgan driving a truck and being from Boston is such a wild combination that would only ever work with a character like Morgan

"So you decided to stop being a dick?" "Morgan!" Claire swatted at her arm. But Ellie simply flung some water at her. "Yes. I mean, we have to figure out if acting talent runs in number three's family!" (love a lil confrontation)

• Ellie, don't go back to staring at prompts while you wait to start getting ready, that's the devil talking
• She's back to dreading the mini roadtrip by the time they leave, but it's too late to back out now soz

'Nearly four hours later, Morgan's truck was slamming over the curb on its way back into the driveway. It rumbled over the divot where Ellie's watermelon had once met its end and rolled easily over the patch of ice into the back lot. Ellie sat in the back, as she had on the way to Stewartstown, but she was transformed. Leaning into the center, she no longer had to worry about being unable to participate in the conversation. Because it had been fixated on the show since before they'd even left the massive auditorium. "Okay, okay," Ellie said as Morgan parked. "What was your favorite bit?" "The sets!" Claire called out immediately. "Probably the cast, they were incredible," Morgan admitted. Ellie laughed. "Definitely the pit band for me. You'd never have heard anything like that at my high school." All of it had been perfect, from the multi-story building set pieces, the brilliant costume design, the community band performing. And the actors! Ellie had been all-too-glad to tease Morgan about number three's sister/cousin/relative, but her performance had been nothing short of jaw-dropping. Ellie was sure she'd done better than the Rutherford theater production of 'Into the Woods' she'd seen freshman year, and that had been half-filled with music majors!' (verbatim the conversation we all had in the car ride home that night lol)

• They stopped by Taco Bell on the way home bc of course
• "Avery is going to be so sorry she had to go home for the weekend," Claire announced as she stripped off her scarf.' had to explain her absence - one of our friends was also out of town the weekend this story took place
• 'And to think, she'd wanted to spend her evening inside, pouring through website full of prompts without actually considering any of them. As though creation was reliant on a spark of genius, rather than building meaning out of something that may first appear inconsequential.' oh you mean This Entire Novella? casual reference there, Teri

"So, are you glad you came with us?" Morgan asked cheekily as she offered Ellie her pink lemonade. "Shut up." Ellie considered shoving her, but she was still carrying her own drink. "I already told you I'm glad you guys dragged me along." Morgan popped a paper straw into her drink lid and took a sip. "I really thought I'd have to at one point there. Take that dumb wheelie desk chair of yours and just strap it to the back of my truck or something." Ellie rummaged through the Taco Bell bag to find her order. "That'd have really sucked at red lights." (sillies)

• And, because she's a Mature College Student, and it's still relatively early, Ellie goes back to her work

'After saying her goodbyes, Ellie stepped into her room and shut the door, dramatically turning around to greet the dark screen of her laptop. Drawing it out of sleep, she plugged in her password and watched her blank Word document pop up. Blink. The weight of her deadline began to sink on Ellie again. She had no real ideas. The night, while fun, had hardly filled her up with writing inspiration. Blink. But, with a heaving sigh, Ellie settled her hands into the familiar position on the keyboard. Blink. And with a shake of her head, Ellie began to type.' (honestly? probably my favorite of the 13 shorts)

• So in case it isn't obvious, I was the Ellie in this situation - I was studying for an exam rather than working on a writing assignment (though it is based on an assignment a friend of mine had in a Creative Writing elective she wound up taking) and basically I got real pissy when my friends suggested we go see a high school show a few towns over. But I decided to join them, and this super rural random town's high school had the most decked-out auditorium and incredible combination of set design, costuming, pit band, cast, the works. It was insane and 100% worth the cost of admission + gas
• The Shrine in the Kitchen - Avery Schofield
• And now, onto a story that is a heavily fictionalized lol I've got ~range~
• 'Avery tore through the apartment as soon as she got home, desperately searching for anyone to share her news with. It was incredibly important - the most important - if she couldn't share it soon, she would just combust with the importance of it.' i love when i get to write moments of Avery showing Big emotions, she's usually much more of a dry wit kind of person (which is also fun! just a different kind of fun)
• Ellie isn't home, and Claire's not home, and Morgan -

'But before she even reached Morgan's door, it opened a crack, revealing a bleary set of hazel eyes glaring out at her. "What?" Morgan asked, voice gruff like she'd just woken from a nap. "So I went to the thrift store with some of my new lab partners," Avery said quickly, like if she didn't get it all out in one breath then it'd be trapped inside her forever. "And I spotted the absolute best find." "That's great," Morgan mumbled, and, shifting out of sight, her door began to close.' (lame of you, Mo)

• dw, Avery wouldn't let her

'Though she had been hoping for something a little more momentous to reveal her new, most-prized possession, Avery pulled the long tube from her bag and unfurled the ends to reveal it. Morgan blinked. "Is that... Colin Firth?" "In his most iconic role," Avery confirmed. The hints of a smile crinkled around Morgan's eyes. "I think Ellie might have something to say about that." (wow i'm so glad we have such a clear picture of what this prized possession is)

• It's impressive enough to get Morgan to fully leave her room to admire it

'The poster wasn't massive, maybe a foot-and-a-half at its longest, but it was large enough to capture the fabulous essence of Harry Bright, striking a pose in his blue-sequined suit, the deep V cutting nearly down to his waist. He was framed by a cream faux-movie-poster border, listing 'Mamma Mia!' and the movie's basic details: runtime, director, etc. The colors were disgustingly bright, Colin's expression shamelessly smug. Overall, the poster could be summed up in a word as 'gauche'. It was also the best thing Avery had ever seen.' (the way I painfully wish this was a real part of our lore)

• In case you were wondering, the cardboard Christmas tree is still hanging on Avery's door, so obviously they can't hang Colin up in the living room, where he could get outshone
• Instead? The kitchen. Obviously. Read the title of the short story, loser. Keep up!
• Reference to a 'tiny Santa-hat-wearing Mothman' made out of cardboard, which is the 4 Hawthorn Rd. equivalent to our Locke Ness monster made out of cardboard that hung up over our kitchen table
• Morgan casually knowing everyone's schedules despite feigning disinterest in her friends' goings-on is so directly lifted from one of my friends lmao I love that clown

"Fine," Avery said. "But if we're waiting until the end of the week, it's gotta be for something big. Not just throwing a poster on a wall, we need a whole initiation ritual. We've got to establish this shrine properly." "I wonder if we can find hauntingly mellow ABBA covers to fit the vibe." Morgan ducked back into her room as Avery drilled her with a withering stare.' (see, we just hung up our art, but in my heart, this is what we would've done with the right time and preparation)

• A shoutout to the Walmart clearance aisle, a place we would go literally every time we went to Wally World
• They picked up cloaks, Ellie laid out her candles, Morgan actually found a creepy cover of Lay All Your Love on Me that sounded 'like something from a synthesizer-obsessed cult.'

"We are gathered today to..." Avery cut herself off. "Does that sound too much like a sermon?" "Ah, yes," Ellie snickered. "All praise our lord and savior, Colin Firth!" "Shhhh!" Morgan turned up the volume on her video. "This is supposed to be serious!" Ellie opened her mouth like she was about to interrupt, but she apparently thought the better of it, because she closed it again and dipped her head for Avery to continue. "Today, we memorialize the finest actor to ever step out of the British Isles," Avery started again. "He's not dead!" Ellie whisper-shouted. "And you're really going to do Britain dirty like that?" Claire added. "I mean, Julie Andrews? Ian McKellen? Idris Elba? Need I go on?" "Give him some years and Colin Firth could've killed as Gandalf, but Ian McKellen as Harry Bright? He could never!" "Umm, yes the fuck he could!" Morgan was so emphatic that she nearly blew out one of the nearest candles.' (I would just like to go on record and say that I agree with Morgan here, Ian McKellen would absolutely own the role of Harry Bright, also absolutely no hate to Colin Firth, I just needed some bickering)

• Also fun fact, I think that might be the only time I've ever used the word 'fuck' in my writing
• It would never fit in with the vibe of like 99% of what I write
• Never fear, Avery has amended her assessment and dubbed him 'one of' the finest actors to ever step out of the British Isles

'The picture hung askew and leaned forwards when Avery let it go, so that she was afraid it might fall off the wall. But a quick adjustment by Claire centered it, and, after giving it a second, the frame held. Somehow, the garish shade of blue making up Harry's suit was even uglier in the candlelight. "Beautiful," Ellie whispered, wiping a fake tear from her eye.' (this was SUCH a fun series of stories to write, guys)

• 'And Avery whole-heartedly agreed, until taking a few steps back, she reassessed with a sigh. "I just wish we had more to fill the space. He looks so lonely up there." if only!
• Morgan cuts the music, turns on the lights, and Sprints out of the room
• As she figures her shit out, we get a lil reference of what's covering their kitchen table: a bag of potatoes, several reusable shopping bags, half of a filed-down broken plate, and wilting flowers. which is more or less what we also had!
• Ellie is Ready to move things back to the living room to begin their watch-through of the 1995 Pride & Prejudice

'Morgan reemerged, obviously trying and failing to hold some sort of fabric behind her back. "Okay," she said, slightly out of breath. "I thought Avery might have some doubts about her little poster on this giant wall, so I found something to join our beloved Colin Andrew Firth." "Colin Firth's middle name is Andrew?" "It fits." "Yeah, somehow that feels right." Morgan cut them off with a stare. As she fumbled to catch some of the bundle as it slipped out of her grasp, Avery couldn't hold back her curiosity. "Okay, Morgan, what is it?" With a satisfied, Morgan whipped the fabric around, unfurling a massive Union Jack flag. Even holding it over her head, it hung down to her knees, with the ends hanging limply, too long for Morgan to reach end-to-end. Once again, they all shouted out at once. "It's perfect!" "Where did you find that?!" "That thing is as big as our fridge!" (fun fact: our fridge was actually painted with a vertical Union Jack for reasons that were never explained)

• This ending - Morgan revealing a British flag, them deciding how they'll put it up, and then ultimately heading into the living room to start watching the miniseries - was actually a later addition to the draft. The initial ending was much more abrupt, and I always knew I wanted to add something to it, but this didn't come to me until I was looking at old photos and saw one with our fridge and decided it would make the perfect reference for something like that
• The All-Nighter - Morgan Garrett
• Remember how Morgan had never had an all-nighter before?
• Sounds like Claire's wish is coming true, after all
• 'Well, somehow, Claire had managed it.' lmao exactly
• Morgan it's literally only 12:42AM, why are you already lying down on the floor smh
• 'Avery and Ellie were still wide awake - with insomnia and a caffeine addiction between them, going to bed now would be considered an early night.' our house really did have quite the range of sleep schedules lol
• Ellie going on a rant about Lord of the Flies, such an English major smh

'When Morgan shifted her arm, she caught sight of Ellie and Avery smirking down at them from where they were standing in the middle of the room. "They're never gonna make it," Ellie taunted. That challenge was enough to make Morgan sit up.' (she can do all things through spite - she was the one who spontaneously cut herself bangs on a whim because someone said she wouldn't)

• Had to give the 80s 'Anne of Green Gables' miniseries a shoutout since it helped inspire me to write this book
• Man, I should watch that again
• (I literally watched it last October)

"Why do you need to see pretty views so badly anyways?" Ellie wondered aloud. Morgan winced, knowing that this was the very question Claire had been waiting for. She'd fallen victim to the bait herself, so seeing the dramatized agony cross her best friend's face was both familiar and a little comical. "Because it's April!" Claire insisted, grabbing at her face. "It's April, and the snow has mostly melted, and there are still no signs of spring yet. I just want to see something green, and we'll probably be waiting all month before a single thing sprouts." (my chance to rant and rave about springtime in the north)

• Shoutout to Planet Earth and also to Moulin Rouge!
• I should rewatch Planet Earth
• Also Moulin Rouge!

"Would we rather see Great Plains or Seasonal Forests?" Claire asked, scrolling through the episode list. "Ooh, what's at the bottom there?" Avery crouched beside Claire to point out the last episode. Ocean Deep. "That's gotta be super cool." Claire shuddered. "No way. The deep ocean freaks me out." (same)

• Time jump to 4AM and they're all still awake, but now even Ellie and Avery are kinda drifting
• But it's fine, Ellie's gonna go make food and everything will be fine

"Just hold on," Claire insisted. "Maybe we can go outside and watch the sunrise or something to celebrate." Some mornings, Morgan already got to watch the sun rising through her window. But she didn't argue. It was too late and too early to be arguing.' (yeah it's hard to be snarky when you're that exhausted)

• Oof Avery's insomnia sounds brutal - apparently the last time she was up at 4AM was, "Probably about a week ago?"

'Morgan considered getting up to double check that Ellie was being true to her word about holding out for the all-nighter, but it would've required far more effort and energy than she had stored up. "Eh, I'm sure she'll be fine." (famous last words)

• It's been forty minutes and Ellie has yet to reappear in the living room, so they actually do have to go check on her
• Apparently the housemates have forgotten that they are literally just down the hall from her and also they all have phones so they get up and walk over to the kitchen

'The three young women stepped into the kitchen to find their housemate sprawled out on the kitchen table, staring up at them. "I'm tired," Ellie greeted. "Join the club," Morgan muttered back. Sitting up, Ellie looked between her friends. "What are you guys doing in here?" Avery lifted her wrist, revealing her watch. "It's 4:45. You said you were going to make food nearly an hour ago." Ellie jutted a thumb over at the oven. "I tried to preheat it. But I'm pretty sure it's either broken or taking its sweet time to warm up, because it hasn't gone off yet." Morgan was pretty sure she would eventually have to thank Avery for all the initiative she was taking. Crossing the kitchen, she opened the oven and waved her hand around the front of it. "Yeah, that's broke." Everybody started groaning at once.' (yeah that happened too rip)

• One too many mini-fires attempting to make garlic bread ig
• It just lights so quickly!
• Not Avery with the practicalities of suggesting they make pasta, or eggs, or use the microwave
• Everyone else is like 'nah, snack time'
• '[The cabinets] were mostly empty. No, not empty. There was plenty of food, except most of it was either stale, expired, or ingredients that had been optimistically bought and never touched again. The few items of actual interest were placed precariously at the front of each shelf, mere inches from toppling over every time someone opened the cabinet door.' your honor, i plead the fifth on how accurate this may or may not have been
• Another time jump to 6:17AM
• They've gone out into the back lot wrapped up in blankets and boots

'The lightening sky was dotted with clouds, and neighboring trees stood in the way of their view east, but visibility was still pretty good, considering. Any moment now, the sun would crest over the horizon, and the day would officially begin. Not that Morgan could sleep until 7:30. Claire had made sure to make her promise to stay awake for the full 24-hours. But it would be a lot easier to stay awake with light out. At least, that's what Morgan kept telling herself.' (hey, they're getting a better view than we did - we drove halfway across town and our view got obstructed by trees and buildings)

• Oh, to embrace a chilly April morning waiting for the sunrise with your best friends
• Thank God I'm doing mentally okay rn, this book would've sent me into a spiral a couple months ago

'Just at that moment, a beam of light burst across the horizon, nearly blinding Morgan as she blinked against its intensity. Most days, Morgan lamented the way 4 Hawthorn Rd sat on a hillside, between the awkward driving and torture of climbing it walking home from classes. But watching the sun paint the sky with gentle pinks and purples, it was almost worth it.' (awwww how sweet)

• A lot of the rest of this book is about to turn very sappy, you've been warned
• Morgan looking at her friends and being like 'aww we're all gonna be at each other's throats before we even get in the door, how sweet'
• 'Wrapping an arm around Ellie and Claire, she motioned for Avery to join the group. And together, the four housemates huddled closely and watched the sunrise.' cute
• The Meth Oven, and Other Stories - Claire Weston
• Yes, you read that title right, don't worry about it
• Their cooking is down to one functional burner on the stove rip

'The Landlord was contacted, and, with a promise that he'd get them a new stove as soon as he could carve out the time in his schedule, downstairs 4 Hawthorn Rd began to fall into line with their new normal. All except Claire. Every morning, she would greet the others with an optimistic hope that their new fixture would come in. And every night, she'd go to bed feeling as cynical as Claire could possibly be.' (claire is about to go ballistic)

• Avery is a little more practical about the fact that they live in the middle of Absolutely Nowhere, and buying good kitchen appliances is gonna take more than an afternoon
• Claire accidentally lights a little residue on the burner and gives up on trying to cook
• You know what that means! Taco Bell time!

"Do you want anything?" Claire called out as she fetched her scarf. "Can you get me the Cheesy Gordita Crunch?" Avery leaned back in her chair. "With the-" "Beans instead of the beef," Claire confirmed. "Got it." "Thank you!" (there's something so precious about memorizing each other's go-to orders for places)

• Ofc the Landlord shows up with the new oven while Claire is out
• He apologizes for taking so long due to family circumstances, and Claire's like 'it's fine!! we weren't worried!! all of us were totally normal about it!!' lol okay girly

"Well, I've gotta say, it was about time this thing gave out. It's been on its last legs for awhile. I was looking to replace it this summer, if it had held on that long." "How old is it?" Avery asked between bites of her meal. Grabbing sheepishly at the back of his neck, the Landlord admitted, "I... don't know, actually. It wasn't exactly new when I got it." Claire had been unwrapping her own order but stopped as he said this. With a glance at Avery, she frowned. "What do you mean? When did you get it?" "Well, years back, we needed a new oven for the place - back when I co-owned with another guy. So anyways, we were in the market for a replacement when the two of us ended up at an estate sale - you never know what kind of gems you can find at estate sales, especially when you're trying to liven up an apartment. And, well, there it was." Silence filled the kitchen.' (i need it to be clear that this and the following story are 100% true)

• Ellie you can't just ask who the guy was that died and left it to you omg

'Claire wasn't sure she had ever seen the Landlord look so put on-the-spot before. He laughed self-deprecatingly. "Well, he didn't quite die." "Oh, God, please don't tell me you snatched up the oven of some poor man who got evicted!" Claire pressed a hand to here mouth and stared at the broken fixture. The Landlord was still hesitant. "He didn't exactly get evicted, either." (okay, pal, then what happened??)

• Morgan you can't just ask why they were selling off all his stuff
• The owner got arrested, chill

"What did he get arrested for?" Ellie wanted to know. The Landlord deadpanned. "We're in rural New Hampshire. Take a guess." Morgan leaned against the counter, shaking her head. "Some kind of drug thing, huh? What was it, do we know?" Clicking his tongue, the Landlord pointed at Morgan. "Bingo. And actually, a funny story about that. We learned a little about his arrest while we were there, most of the other buyers knew him. And apparently it was because he was making meth." "Like, in a lab?" Ellie's eyebrows shot up. "Like, in his house." (yepyepyep!)

• Not Claire staring at the oven like it's gonna confirm or deny the story lmao

'Morgan, on the other hand, seemed to have caught onto something. "Wait a minute. Isn't meth usually cooked?" "Watched a lot of 'Breaking Bad', have you?" the Landlord laughed. "I've seen like maybe two episodes total." Morgan rolled her eyes. "But if meth is supposed to be cooked... what was he cooking it in?" All eyes turned to the oven.' (oop!)

• "We owned a meth oven?" i should specify, i'm sure that if that oven was actually involved in any way (it probably wasn't) it was maybe like part of the heating elements or smth, i don't think you get a baking tray and just start cooking shit up
• But this way of telling it is more fun
• Ooo the Landlord has more stories
• These are interspersed with real and fictional stories for what could've happened at this house
• "I'm not even sure where to begin," he admitted, looking around their front room. His gaze caught a few times on the remaining cardboard on Avery's door, and the printed-and-framed photo of a lemur on the wall they'd gotten Morgan as a birthday gift, as though adding these details into his collection of strange anecdotes.' i like to think our landlords remembered some of our oddities
• The Landlord's stories include: a pot garden in the backyard, a tenant who'd go out onto the porch naked, a fire from an unattended candle that left a scorch mark on the floor, all classics

'Claire took in the living room, head spinning. For most of their time there, she'd given little thought to the people who had come before, to the previous residents that had once called 4 Hawthorn Rd home. But these water-damaged floors, these chirpy smoke detectors, these green walls had all once been someone else's. All that remained now were imprints of memories, and stories that lived on through the Landlord. What about when they left? What stories would be passed on to the next residents, and those after? Tales of the girls that left a divot in the driveway? The girls that taped up a cardboard Christmas tree and left it, slowly peeling away, until April? And what of the stories that were forgotten? When Claire had asked about the small carving of a letter 'E' in her closet - a tiny mark she'd discovered over a month after moving in - the Landlord had only shrugged. Was 'E', whoever they were, a part of this strange house's legacy, too?' (as i said: sappy)

• Claire's going into an existential crisis about memories and how to hold onto them
• Her solution? To just jot down a list of various exploits and inside jokes

'She didn't bother going into detail. Those could come later. But, marking a list down one side of the page, Claire began to write. The neighborhood cats Morgan's impulsive hair choices Ellie's watermelon Ninja mice The Best Friends Game Building a desk Seeing 'The Music Man' in Stewartstown Morgan's French Duolingo fiasco Cardboarding Avery's door The Frat Guys in Walmart Singing duets Finding Avery's Ex-Boyfriend on Bumble (his profile sucks) The Great 'Mary/merry/marry' Debate of 2018 The meth oven, and other stories ' (I did literally write out a list of things like this, which was massively helpful in finding references to make in these stories - this is a mix of stories from this book obvs, fictionalized inside jokes for 4 Hawthorn Rd, and real inside jokes from my college apartment <3)

• A Spring Afternoon - The Residents
• And that brings us to our final story!
• 'The sun was shining down over Fairview one early May afternoon, and the four tenants of downstairs, 4 Hawthorn Rd were celebrating the end of classes on their front porch. Finals had been looming over them like a dark cloud, but, just now, it was easy to ignore the call of textbooks and papers out in the fresh air.' spending time outside in spring always really hit its peak around late April/early May due to the weather - this is actually referencing a specific afternoon where we did exactly this
• Omg guys, Claire is feeling optimistic and content, that's so out of character for her! /j
• She's officially gotten an internship for the summer, her ceramics project is done, and everything is in bloom - she couldn't be doing any better

"Has there ever been a day as perfect as this?" she murmured, closing her eyes. A hand swatted at her shoulder. Morgan chided, "You just said that a week ago, when you spotted your first blue jay of the season." "It was true then, too!" (and she's real for that!)

• Morgan nooo don't bring up finals eww
• Avery said basically exactly that^ lmao
• Aww a Fitz appearance in their yard (he was also the gray cat Claire saw in the first story)
• Morgan's summer plans are babysitting and being a life guard

"And what are number three's plans?" Claire asked innocently, eyes closed again. Morgan started to stick out her tongue, but stopped herself. "Staying up in Stewartstown and doing his thing, I guess. Lots of fishing, probably. He hasn't got a job lined up yet." There was no use in pretending that she hadn't talked with him about it. Much to Morgan's mortification, the jokes everyone had been making about her and number three had become a lot less funny and a little more real. At least, that's what it felt like. Morgan hadn't quite mustered up the guts to confront him about it yet, but the easy camaraderie and friendly banter that had always been there had started growing into something a little more direct over the past semester. Something to worry about next year, she'd decided.' (2021!Teri's way of saying 'i'm not writing about my friend's relationships, this book isn't about them thx' lol)

• Ellie's turn! She's nannying and writing in her free time

"Isn't playwriting a bit of a dying art?" Avery teased. "It has been. But theater hasn't met Ellie McNamara yet!" It was an exaggerated display of confidence, but Ellie was inspired. And an Ellie with inspiration was one who would not be dissuaded from pursuing it.' (her 10-minute play that she was so stressed about at the start of this section was a success <3)

• 'But thinking too much about heading into senior year was equal parts exhilarating and terrifying. And this bright spring afternoon was not meant for heavy thoughts and sowing fears.' i don't have commentary, i just wanted to include this line
• And finally, Avery!
• She's doing remote work for one of her professors and having a crisis about it being their last real proper 'summer break'
• 'They might've continued to sit there undisturbed, conversations about nothing that fell away into pleasant thoughts and that familiar nostalgia that came with the end of the year.' bro if i could bottle that feeling??
• Omg guest appearance by Upstairs Neighbors
• They're just coming back from a walk and passing them on the porch with some brief niceties but wow i'm starstruck

"Graduation's on Saturday, so we'll be sticking around." "Oh, of course!" This time, it was Claire joining in. "Congratulations!" Upstairs thanked her, and then confirmed that Downstairs were all juniors. "Well, it'll be your turn soon enough." "Seriously," the second young woman emphasized. "You'll never believe how fast senior year goes. I feel like we just got back a week ago." "Are you guys staying here next year?" the first asked. Though technically it had been confirmed a couple months ago, Ellie had just finally corralled everybody into signing the paperwork a few weeks ago. But their lease was extended for the next school year, and downstairs was theirs until they graduated.' (the pain of reading this and knowing about Spring 2020 is brutal)

• Upstairs making reference to sitting out on the roof later and they say their goodbyes and go inside - we had so many people in town that would do that, just lounge or set out furniture on the section of roof over the porch and hang out and chat with people walking by
• 'It looked like fun, and also incredibly scary. Claire was pretty sure she preferred the porch.' that makes one of us Claire, i always thought that'd be so fun
• Okay, one last section to wrap everything up!

'When the conversation picked up again, it was like a lazy river, calm and winding without any urgency. There were old stories to tell, jokes to make at each other's expense, and castles in the sky to build. "I'm excited to go home, but part of me wishes we could just stay," Ellie sighed. "Well, at least we'll be back in the fall," Avery offered. "But I know what you mean," Claire cut in. Morgan leaned her head against the siding, just under the metallic '4' hanging by the door. "I never thought I'd get attached to this dumb house." The others all shifted to look at her. Morgan smiled. "But, yeah, I did. I'll miss it too." Laughing, they all counted out its flaws that they couldn't help loving and embraced one of the last chances to spend a few hours together, untroubled and hopeful for whatever came next.' (as i said: sappy 😭)

• Response Roulette - Avery Schofield

‘Avery‘s phone rattled against the coffee table as it alerted an incoming text. With an angry grunt, she let herself slouch down in her armchair, stretching out with her foot to kick the phone onto the floor. “Avery?” Morgan asked from the couch. “ everything good?” “That’s the 10th text you’ve gotten in two minutes,” Ellie added. “One more and it goes out the window.” Avery reached to grab one of the couches decorative pillows, and threw it over her face. With a muffled shout, she doubled over. “ I can’t believe he’s doing this again!” (I wonder who could be texting her!)

• “I can’t believe you haven’t blocked him yet,” Ellie said with a click of her tongue. “Please tell me you’re not actually responding to this dickhead.” ellie is not here for this guy
• Not Avery being like ‘but when I don’t, he just blows up my phone’
• Girl please
• ^that’s basically the reaction of everyone in the house
• The only reason Avery entertains it is because her mutual group of friends with her ex is still closer with him, so she feels like to be their friend, she has to acknowledge him

‘A loud thud echoed in the spacious living room as Morgan tossed her textbook onto the ground. “That’s it. Here’s what we’re going to do.” Morgan's plan was as chaotic and bold as only she could dare to be. Something about calling his mom.’ (honestly yeah do that)

• Avery is not down
• But she is willing for them to help her craft a text

‘Avery had always known that keeping in contact with the ex-boyfriend was a mistake, but it wasn’t until she saw the judgment on her friends faces that she realized just how weird it was. Thankfully, the judgment wasn’t for her. “I always knew he was a little annoying from practice,” Morgan said, “but, God, this guy is the worst.” (yes, he is based off an all-too-real guy)

• ‘Ellie pointed at something on the screen. “Look, here. He texted you nothing but ‘Avery’… twenty-six times in a row before you responded and asked him to stop because you were in class. And then he responded immediately to ask about lunch plans!” also devastatingly real
• Avery revealing this started a month after their breakup bc he’d decided long enough had passed for them to be friends again - NOT accurate, the Second this guy and my roommate broke up, he decided they were friends, regardless of what she said
• This guy was also friends with me and another of my housemates, which complicated things bc he started relying heavily on us to handle his breakdown from the whole situation
• It ultimately culminated in my housemate (his closest friend of our group) having to send him like a friendship breakup text, thus this story
• Avery being confronted with the ‘do you want to see your mutual friend group or you wouldn’t mind seeing them?’
• Her actual story revolving around this relationship really was fictional, though - a group of friends who considered her more the girlfriend of a friend than an actual friend
• :(
• Morgan being the first to draft up a text is a choice for sure

“How’s this? ‘Hey moron, stfu before I send Morgan over to kill you. Never message me again, I literally can’t stand you, XOXO Avery’ He’ll know what it means.” “Are there other meanings?” Ellie smirked, while Avery dove for the phone. “Come on, Avery, here’s what I actually wrote.” Morgan passed it over. Avery stared at it for a second. “That’s… exactly what you just said.” “Yeah, I think it’ll work!” (as I said lol)

• Avery chose not to go with that one
• But everyone is insisting she be direct god bless
• Ellie is next in the draft

“Here’s what I got. ‘I appreciate the offer to participate in Friendsgiving, but I won’t be able to make it. It’s safe to say that I won’t be available for any future events, so don’t worry about reaching out.’” A beat. “Ellie, that sounds like an email.” “A little formal, don’t you think?” “How is that any better than my idea?” Morgan demanded. “At least I told him to leave you alone!” (and she’s the English major smh)

• And finally: Claire, who actually works with Avery to draft something up
• “‘Sorry, but I’m not going to make it to Friendsgiving. If I’m being real, I don’t feel comfortable at hangouts anymore, because you keep ignoring the boundaries I try to set. I’ve tried to give you extra chance chances whenever it happens, but you’ve made it clear that you’re not interested in respecting them. Please stop sending me random texts, or my next move is going to be blocking you.’”

• Classic case of moving to delete the text but fumbling and sending it instead
• Avery freaks out but they’re so happy for her 💕
• The clear way to calm her down is sharing their least favorite things about her Ex
• ‘Morgan ultimately won out. “How about the time Avery traveled three hours to watch one of our races, and after he’d gotten fourth, he completely ignored her and went out with our teammates to get plastered?”oh this dude Sucks
• That story also coinciding with the first time Avery and Morgan spoke 🥹
• ‘She couldn’t wait to never talk to him again.’ Yeeeeeeeeahh good for her
• A Cardboard Christmas - Claire Weston
• Waking up to classes being cancelled is better than literally any drug

'6:10AM. Definitely too early to be getting out of bed. And beneath the time, there was a new message from the school. 'Due to inclement weather, all classes at Rutherford University are cancelled today, Friday, Dec. 7.' Claire nearly leapt out of her bed at the sight of it. She would've, if not for the threat of bare feet on freezing floorboards. Rutherford never cancelled classes during winter. No matter how much snowfall or bad windstorms or whatever else threatened the students on their way to classes, they had to be there just the same. Maybe once or twice a year or so, they'd get delayed due to ice on the roads, but in her nearly two and a half years in Fairview, Claire had only ever once seen a full day of classes cancelled. And that time it was for a blizzard that made news across the country. And on a Friday!' (yeah that was the vibe at our school lol although we did receive snow days maybe once or twice a year for the ice)

• Fun fact: the town that I went to school in couldn't use salt on the roads because it'd get so cold that the salt was ineffective, so instead they had a mix of dirt/sand that they'd scatter over the roads to help with traction
• Aww a shout-out to Pillsbury sugar cookies
• Also a shout-out to Star Trek, which was definitely me flipping my love of Star Wars for the story lol
• Claire actually sleeps until 9:30 dw she's not jumping out of bed at 6AM
• And guess who else is up?
• 'Morgan burst into the room. "Did you see the text?" dw she did knock and get permission to enter
• Morgan wants to fully take the opportunity to celebrate the holiday season, Claire is a little less eager

"We are not putting Ellie's fairy lights on the trees outside. We'd manage to burn everything down again." Morgan pinched the bridge of her nose. "For the last time, we didn't burn anything down with the watermelon. It barely even counted as an explosion." "Tell that to my tires!" "The dent has basically been filled in anyways-" "-the crater around the dent, on the other hand-" "-anyways, we can just hang the lights up in the living room, then." (love a call back)

• Morgan insisting they go to the store, Claire just staring out the window at the snow and ice

"Are you suggesting we go out in that?" "It's not that bad." "They cancelled classes!" "Well, not everybody has four-wheel drive on their cars," Morgan shrugged, as though that was the only reason the administration would've cancelled an entire day of school. "Come on, you know I can drive in snow. I'm from-" "Being from Boston does not automatically grant you the ability to drive in snow," Claire interrupted. Morgan crossed the room to throw herself next to Claire. "Come on! I'll drive slow, I promise. And Walmart isn't even that far." Claire sighed. The idea of decorating the house was tempting, and, really, if the plows had come through, it couldn't be that bad. "Fine." (just a PSA to not be stupid, kids!)

• They get there and back just fine but also rip to those Walmart employees that had to go to work that day
• A shout-out to the micro-spikes my friend got us for Christmas one year, only for me to immediately lose them
• 'The result was what looked like an explosion of holiday spirit, spilling out over their coffee table, couch, armchair, side table, ottoman, and every other surface in the room. White paper with scissors to prep snowflakes. Red and green ribbons to make scarves on popsicle stick snowmen. Two of the leftovers sat next to the empty planter that had once held Claire's small, now dead, succulent. With a couple googly eyes and a red marker, it could pull off a decent Rudolph.' what's funny about this is that my friends and i literally never decorated for Christmas. we Did decorate for Halloween, though, but it was pretty lazily putting up some cut-out bats and owls and spiders lol
• They spend awhile working on everything, with Avery and Ellie both still in their rooms past 1PM

'With everything else done, there was only one thing left to do. The back corner of the kitchen was empty. Had always been empty. Aside from a few windows that overlooked the back corner of the house, it was free of counters or cabinets or tables. Which had made it the perfect place for four young women moving into a new house to store their extra cardboard. Every few weeks, someone would complain about the clutter. More often than not, it was Claire, but she'd had a vision as Morgan described her ideas in Walmart. Suddenly, the bane of her messy little home would be the centerpiece of their work.' (this is accurate, except make it the mudroom instead of the kitchen)

• Ellie steps out of her room (which is right off the kitchen), sees her two housemates tearing into cardboard boxes, stares blankly at them, makes her coffee, and goes right back into her room lol
• After crafting all of their pieces in the kitchen, Claire and Morgan hurry into the front room to put it together, and then run back to their rooms to feign innocence
• And Avery emerges like moments later

"Very funny, guys!" called Avery. "Who taped a cardboard Christmas tree to my door?" Claire peeked out her door to find Morgan up the hall doing the same thing. "A cardboard what?" Morgan asked, turning to wink at Claire. "Hilarious, Morgan, I know it was you!" Avery almost sounded mad, but when the whole house had gathered into the front room, she had to admit that the overlaying pieces of cardboard and colorful decorations really added to the ambience of the room.' (make the Christmas tree my friend's first initial, and this did in fact happen. I was Ellie in this case, stepping into our front room to see the two of them crouched by our roommate's door and finishing assembling a mural of cardboard)

• They all are gonna sit around and watch Christmas movies, lovely
• Morgan is a mint chocolate chip ice cream girly, which she inherited from me for sure
• Her devastation over running out is also my own

'Morgan had broken free of her paralysis. "Well, I need to go get some more. Anybody coming with?" Avery emerged from her room, throw tied around her shoulders like a cape. "You're going out?" "Well, I can't not have mint ice cream," Morgan answered, like that was all the explanation they needed. "Mo, we just went out in that blizzard for all this, and we barely made it back." Claire waved a hand around the room. "You're seriously going to go back to Walmart just for a carton of ice cream? In a blizzard?" Morgan stared blankly. "Is that a question?" Claire was still looking for the words to respond when Ellie cut in. "I'm down." The room swiveled to face her. "What?" Ellie shrugged. "I could use some more Rocky Road." (this is also a very real thing that happened - my friend and I did in fact go out in a blizzard to drive halfway across town to get ice cream. in our defense, it was far superior ice cream to anything Walmart stocks)

• Claire dramatically thinking back on all the adventures they've had over the years, stretching out the silence, and then thinks for one brief second about the humiliation of being dragged across the ice on their back lot and immediately goes, 'nah, have fun though!'
• Game of Cat and Mouse - Ellie McNamara
• "This isn't exactly the welcome back I was anticipating." i wonder what that could mean!

'Ellie had been back in downstairs, 4 Hawthorn Rd for all the time it took to walk three steps into the kitchen, and she was greeted with the sight of Avery and Claire standing on chairs, horror etched onto both of their faces. "Get up on something!" Claire shrieked, crouched just low enough to slide one of the other chairs across the floor. Ellie leaned her suitcase against the shoe rack. "Why?" "They're back!" For a moment, Ellie was about to ask who, but then the realization hit her. Without another word, she dove for the chair and scrambled up to join her friends, even ignoring the light smack of her head against the low ceiling as she stood up.' (yk this might be more intriguing if i didn't give the short story that particular name lol)

• Yeah, they have mice
• Welcome to their Spring Semester!!
• And the mousetraps are all the way across the kitchen, whatever will they do!

'Ellie repressed a sigh. The price to pay for being the tall friend. "Fine, I'll check. The oven [where the mouse was seen] is on the other side of the room, so it should be fine. But keep an eye on it, just in case?" "Don't be a martyr, Ellie," Avery cried out from her position nearest the oven. Whipping around, Ellie gave a stiff nod, and jumped to the floor.' (🫡)

• 'Ellie got very little sleep that night. Between the fear of hearing mice in her walls and the reality of having had way too much caffeine after 8PM (or was it meant to be 6PM?), there was no chance.' classic ellie and her caffeine addiction
• Ellie dropping a book onto the floor to warn the mice before hopping down is actually a move I used throughout college, whenever we'd get the pesky little dudes
• Opening your door to see your housemates terrified is probably not a good sign

"Did we get one?" [Ellie] asked as she blinked hard against the bright fluorescents. "You put peanut butter on these, right?" Avery clarified, ignoring her question. "Yeah," Ellie took a few steps closer, but couldn't see the trap over their shoulders, "why?" Backing up in unison, Avery and Claire retreated until they were even with Ellie, halfway across the kitchen. Where they'd been crouching, the trap sat, untouched, as it had been prepped last night. "I don't get it," Ellie said. "Look closer." Claire put a hand on each of her shoulders and moved her to the cabinets. "Does anything look wrong about this to you?" It must've been the fatigue, because it took Ellie a solid minute of studying the mousetrap to put two-and-two together. "Where'd the peanut butter go?" "Exactly!" Avery peered over her shoulder. "Exactly." (read that last line in Adam Driver's voice lmao but also this did in fact happen to us at least once)

• Like, absolutely no peanut butter left - not a speck - as clean as if it'd never been there

"What do we do now?" Avery asked, standing back up. "My vote goes to forfeiting the apartment as a peace offering and moving in upstairs." "Or you could move upstairs, and we could let Pumpkin Spice and August have free reign of the kitchen," Ellie teased. (the kind of throwback references are what make me confused as to whether this would be classified as an anthology of short stories or a proper novella)

• Claire coming in clutch with having one of their neighbor's phone numbers (listed as 'upstairs')

"It's strange to think how they're probably just as attached to this old house as we are," Ellie mused. "I love 4 Hawthorn Rd - I mean, besides the mice - but we've only ever seen half of it. I couldn't even tell you half our neighbor's names." "Oh, theyre-" "-Got it!" Avery held up her phone triumphantly. "The Landlord said he'll bring some kind of trap later this afternoon. Something that worked better for previous tenants, I guess." (classic interruption before you can learn the forbidden lore of other character names)

• "Am I still going to have to stare into their dead eyes just to grab my cereal?" this happened to me once, and it changed me forever
• Finally, Morgan returns to the apartment! Getting back the Sunday afternoon before classes start up again is Wild
• A 'Pride and Prejudice' shout-out AND a 'Community' shout-out, love to see it
• Ellie and Avery trying to intentionally keep Morgan out of the loop while making jokes about the ninja mice, and Claire runs into the room and immediately spills the whole story

'Over Claire's shoulder, Morgan smirked. Ellie rolled her eyes. "Good to have you back, Morgan," she conceded. "Good to be back!" (pfft)

• Dismantling the Five - Morgan Garrett
• Morgan storming into the house and throwing her scarf with a fury just to accidentally make eye contact with Avery
• I love how Avery is literally constantly trying to get out of doing her work, I swear she actually does participate in her classes lol

"Okay, so you know of the Five," Morgan began. Avery nodded. "Sure." It was a tale as old as time. Morgan had been at freshman orientation, meeting new people and sitting through boring lectures on various school policies. The faculty was so serious, but the information had either been common sense or forgotten as soon as it'd passed through her ears. And in one of the talks about the political science department (which was blended with public policy and international relations at Rutherford), she'd met them. Five guys, the epitome of northern New Hampshire isolation and oddity. Hailing from Stewartstown (somehow, the weirdos had found a hometown ever farther north than Fairview), the tight-knit friends shared just about everything. They'd gone to the same schools, bragged about the same hunting grounds, decided on the same major. Two of them had even fought over asking the same girl to prom. All five of them somehow managed to fit the role of Morgan's least favorite person in the room. She wanted to be their friend so badly.' (this might be lightly fictionalized, but one of my friends did have a group of guy nemeses who by-and-large fits this description)

• She finds out one of them was shit-talking her, and immediately decided it was 'her sole aim in college to tear the Five apart.' also true of my friend lmao
• 'Admittedly, she'd had very little luck so far. Halfway through their junior year, and the Five were as close and obnoxious as ever. They'd all joined the same fraternity, and three of them were living in a frat house with a bunch of their brothers. The other two carpooled for the forty-five minute commute from Stewartstown.' honestly?? icons in their own right
• Avery knows one of them from the cross country team and hates his guts, so she's down to help ruin lives
• Various antics of the Five: 'the Incident of the Model U.N. Theft', a month of getting a cold shoulder after beating number one in debate class, number four making that comment on how she couldn't pull off bangs, number one attempting to cheat off her during a mid-term and nearly getting them both kicked out
• And this latest crime?

"I was talking with number three before class, and he brought up last weekend." A confused frown crossed Avery's face. "Weren't you here all last weekend?" "Exactly! That's the... okay, so when I asked what he did, he told me that some of 'the guys' went to see some local theater production." Morgan pinched the bridge of her nose. "Apparently, our Law and Society professor was in it. He was in it, and apparently, he rapped! I would've killed to see that show! But I guess last weekend was the end of its run." (one of my housemates and I did in fact go see a local theater production where one of our professors rapped, and it was as incredible and iconic as Morgan suggests - I would've been equally pissed to have missed it)

• Avery's like, 'that sucks but like why would they invite you anyways if you hate each other???' and it's simply not that simple bc Morgan thought she'd convinced number three they were friends
• "And this is worse than the time number one nearly got you sent to the dean?" Avery clarified.' she's so real for that LMAO
• But, see, number one Would do shit like that, number three is supposed to be the Chill one

'Morgan kept talking - to fill the silence, of course. "I really couldn't believe it of him. Number three sits behind me in, like, half our classes, so he usually spills everything. I mean, I wouldn't know half of what I do about the Five without his inability to shut up. He was also the only one of their group to actually compliment my bangs. I know that was back in September, but come on! You're not supposed to exclude me! You'd think - hey, if you can tell me about your dog's vet appointment, you can tell me how our professor is in a ridiculous musical! So, what, am I not good enough for you -?" So that was probably too much. Morgan let herself trail off and glanced over at Avery, who was staring at her from over her new pair of blue-light glasses. "Got it." (oop)

• Morgan snatches Avery's paper from her and it just says 'convince number three to ask out Morgan' lol
• 'Light on her feet, Avery looked ready to run back into the safety of her room as soon as things went south. With her hands outstretched in front of her, she spoke calmly. "Just think about it: what better way to tear them apart than have one of them date you, their collective enemy? It wouldn't even have to be for very long, just a couple dates. That'd probably be enough to drive a wedge between the guys trying to support number three and those against him." yk, she does make a good point there, Morgan

"Besides, it would only work with number three," Avery continued. "You know, he's probably the only one we can convince to ask you out. Plus, he's the only one you have a crush on." She bounded away, already in her room with the door closed by the time Morgan had processed what she said. "AVERY SCHOFIELD!" Morgan yelled, leaping across the room to pound on her door. "Get out here! I do not!" "I think you do-o," Avery sang, her voice muffled through the door. "Do not!" "Do too!" "Do not!" "Do too!" A squeak of old hinges, and the front door opened to reveal the Landlord, peaking his head in around the corner. "Is now a bad time?" he asked with a grin.' (i promise we were marginally more mature, also our landlords would actually knock but for the drama yk lol)

• The immediate switch back into mature adulthood will always get me
• Avery has to leave the conversation to show the landlord whatever issue they're having with their bathroom sink, and Morgan Cannot handle thinking about this plan anymore, so she opts for going for a jog to clear her head
• So this story wasn't really based on any real moment, but as I said, the rivalry was real, the professor in local theater was real, and it's a little mix of a couple things of ~boy drama~ so it's not entirely fictional, either