#thomas more college of liberal arts

[tmcrome]

A reflection of the time spent in Rome, by Tynon Roth (TMC 2026)

A few months I have never flown so fast in all my life. Through the first morning of cappucini and midmorning sun to the last day of rushed espresso and a ride to the airport before dawn, a wild pilgrim’s life was lived. While trying to accurately relate all that I experienced in Rome in one short reflection would be attempting to fit the Atlantic Ocean into a wine glass, nevertheless, here is the best I can give on one piece of paper.

To fully appreciate Rome, you must fully throw yourself into her culture. Get lost in her shops and churches, close your eyes and listen to her bells, and watch the sun light up her many towers and steeples before dusk falls. Rome is a city which teems with life, from the pigeons fluttering among the window sills to the moss crawling along the old stone streets, no matter how long you stay, you will never see all that she has to offer. But my companions and I did not go as tourists, desperately trying to see everything before the dreaded day of our departure. We went as pilgrims to the center of our faith. Unlike the many tourists, when we walked the streets of Rome, we walked with the knowledge, that buried all around us were the bones of those men and women whose holiness we strive to emulate. We walked beneath the dome of St. Peter’s with the reminder of our own small churches back home. We looked out over a city for which those who shared our own faith shed their blood. To visit Rome in the way that we did was not to wander through a foreign country with no feeling of belonging, rather, it was to wander through a foreign country and be welcomed by the ghostly arms of our predecessors. Through the crowds and cars, above the ancient stones and beneath the vines, there was a strange sense of home for us in a place so foreign and old.

Although touching down in my home country once again was surely an occasion of joy, the memory of Rome has yet to be any less vivid in my mind from the day I left until now. And though I may never see that city again, I will never forget her.

#rome #thomas more college of liberal arts #study abroad

[tmcroma]

On Holy Thursday, the students partook in a seven church pilgrimage to the churches of:

1. Sta. Brigid

2. Sant'Agnese

3. Sant'Agostino

4. San Luigi dei Francesi

5. Sant'Ignazio

6. Sta. Ma. Sopra Minerva oppure Sant'Eustachio oppure Stigmate di S. Fra.

7. Sant'Andrea della Valle

#rome #thomas more college of liberal arts

[waateeystein]

Frankenstein Adaptation Review #1: Frankenstein (1910)

Masterpost of my Frankenstein Adaptation reviews

Title: Frankenstein

Year: 1910

Medium: Film

Director: J. Searle Dawley

Produced by: Edison Studios [edit: I went back to the wiki page and realized that this film was produced by the Thomas Edison. Wild.]

Synopsis

Kicking off my adaptation reviews with the very first of its kind! This 13-minute silent film is the first-ever film adaptation of Mary Shelley’s novel. Admittedly, I know very little about turn of the century film/silent film, so my analysis might be missing some added context (film students please pardon my ignorance on the subject). Fun fact, because this film is over a hundred years old and in the public domain, you can watch it at the Library of Congress.

Full review under the cut!

Grading

Faithfulness to the Source Material

Despite its very short run-time, and it's being silent, the film actually does a really good job of summarizing the broad strokes of the story. And it is self-aware of this fact, the first slide of the film calls itself “a liberal adaptation” of the novel. So being “liberal”, they chose to focus only on Victor’s perspective of the story, which means we do miss out on seeing how a turn of the century film would attempt to create an arctic environment or how they would adapt the Creature’s story. But in general they stay very true to Victor’s story. They make him an actual young, college-student, ambitious in the art of science. Victor and Elizabeth’s relationship is very wholesome so watch (as one might expect of a film from this period.) However, the ending does choose to stray from the original. After Elizabeth meets the Creature on her and Victor’s wedding night, the creature does not actually kill Elizabeth, but flees instead. Victor chases his Creature, but ultimately loses him in a very vague yet symbolic manner through a mirror (they got that symbolism y’all.) I’d like to point out that not one single person dies in this version, but conversely, there is a lot of fainting. And even without all of the death, Victor is still horrified by his creation and the general themes still translate here. Total Category Score: 8/10 points

Production Design 

I was genuinely very impressed with how this film was designed. There were a ton of really impressive scenic painting elements, like giant wooden doors in Victor’s laboratory, or the beautiful countryside outside the window of his family’s home. Obviously films of this time period had fewer resources to work with, but they were very strategic in how many individual settings they used and I think it really paid off. My absolute favorite setting was Victor’s study with the giant mirror. The mirror was genuinely the star of the show, I'm not even joking. They used it to create some really impressive reveals with the creature, and used it again for his symbolic escape at the end. My other favorite was the giant vat of acid that Victor uses to create the creature. I love that he is literally just ladling acid from a bowl into a wooden tub, with a full human skeleton just vibing in a chair next to him (absolutely camp.) At this point I must address the creature effects, because I think they were genuinely very smart. The scene of the creature taking form was genuinely spooky and honestly a bit horrifying. Both because of how they created this melted shape of a being that literally waves hello at Victor, but also because of how long the scene drags out this creepy imagery. When the creature comes into full form, he is truly a sight to behold. Being the first to create Frankenstein’s Creature on film, one can absolutely see where future adaptations took inspiration from it (namely the elongated forehead and tattered clothing.) He was also much more hairy than I expected him to be, which is an interesting choice considering he was reverse-melted into being in an acid bath. Extremely hairy is not how I generally imagine the creature to be, but it absolutely added to the monster factor in this version.  My last point on production design is that I am obsessed with Victor’s striped wedding trousers. It is hard to judge period accuracy here because the book is set in an undisclosed period in the 18th century, with the book being published in the early 19th century. This interpretation seems to have gone in a late 18th century/early 19th century direction, and although not perfectly accurate, it got the job done and was generally effective in alluding to the setting of the book.  Total Category Score: 8/10 points

Entertainment value

Silent films are obviously kind of goofy when watched with modern eyes, and maybe it’s my individual eagerness to watch these adaptations, but I did find myself actually entertained. A few scenes did drag a bit, and I probably won’t find myself re-watching this film anytime soon, but it was also not the worst film to watch in the name of research. I’d recommend giving it a go if you’re also Frankenstein obsessed like myself.  Total Category Score: 6/10 points

Bonus Points

Character(s) included/mentioned (1 point each): - Robert Walton and/or Henry Clerval: no. - The DeLacey Family: no. - Justine Moritz: no. - William and/or Ernest Frankenstein: no? Victor(y) points (1 point each): - Is Victor aged 18-26 years old: technically, yes. - Is Victor a college dropout: also technically yes. - Does Victor have an accent that is not American or British: n/a because it's a silent film. Miscellaneous (1 point each): -Setting is primarily in Switzerland: unknown - Are there homoerotic undertones: no, but Victor’s mannerisms were a bit flamboyant and I was eating it up. - Does the Creature have intelligence: maybe, but I'm interpreting yes. Total Category Score: 3/10 points

Final Score: 25/40 points

#Frankenstein #mary shelley #frankenstein or the modern prometheus #victor frankenstein #frankenstein movie #movie review #frankenstein adaptation #waateeystein reviews

[hypolimnions]

/ˌhīpəˈlimnēän / noun : the lower layer of water in a stratified lake, typically cooler than the water above and relatively stagnant.

open starters. memes. wanted plots. wanted opps. inspo.

guidelines :

be 18+. minors & personals please do not interact.

this blog fluctuates from low-medium activity with possible periods of absence. writing is a hobby & i try to let myself be relaxed about it.

i ship based on chemistry. i need to get a feel for the dynamic between our muses first! also, many of my muses are on the ace spectrum. please respect that.

i'm not comfortable writing smut on tumblr. a fade-to-black works fine.

i use small text & photo line-breaks. many of my muses are gifless. i truly don't care how you format. this extends to xkit — i cut my posts, but it's not a big deal if you don't. i'm more concerned with writing than aesthetics.

banned fcs : anyone who has passed away, is under 18 in the source, or has explicitly said they don't want to be used. beyond that, if i have a concern i'll approach you.

mun :

i'm rudy. 22, they/it, cst timezone.

i also write oliver quick from saltburn @fawnworked.

feel free to ask for my discord if we're mutuals!

muses :

canons :

brian lackey. mysterious skin. 19. cis male, he/him, sex-repulsed asexual. community college student, mama's boy, blossoming small-town rebel who looks like an incognito boy scout. trying to find an identity outside of his trauma, which sometimes means making questionable decisions. easily plied with liquor &/or chocolate cake. sweet as pie, usually. fc: brady corbet.

tommy gnosis (to family & the government, thomas speck). hedwig and the angry inch. 21. cis male, he/him, struggling with internalized homophobia. up-&-coming pop-rock superstar, alleged plagiarist & perpetual tabloid headline, formerly devout christian going through a very public crisis of faith. self-destructive habits are just part of the "tour lifestyle", okay? fc: michael pitt.

dexter morgan. dexter. 35. cis male, he/him, demisexual. blood spatter analyst with the miami metro PD, hobby bowler & sport fisherman, friendly neighborhood serial killer with a moral-superiority slant. adopted as a toddler; doesn't know what happened to his birth parents. has his own boat, the slice of life. fc: michael c hall. gifs by firetfly.

amalthea. the last unicorn. ageless. cis female, she/it, unlabelled. traveling in search of her long-lost family, finding her footing as a newly transfigured human woman along the way. believes she is actually a literal real-life unicorn & will talk candidly about it. aloof, naive, otherworldly. not prone to indulging in earthly pleasures, unless you count rolling around in the grass. fc: devon aoki.

alan zaveri. russian doll. 32. cis male, he/him, bisexual. ball of anxiety white-knuckling it through life, getting by on sheer determination. well-meaning & sweet but tightly wound with little interest in fun. fundamentally unsatisfied, prone to existential crises and depression spirals. reconsidering everything. fc: charlie barnett. gifs by hannahcommissions.

fandomless ocs :

elliot (ell) winslow. 29. nonbinary, he/they, demisexual. grocery store assistant manager, avid hiker, indie acoustic singer-songwriter struggling to break out. dual US & UK citizenship; was born in england & grew up there until their parents' amicable divorce when he was 12. has a (spoiled) rescue dog, louise. fc: caleb landry jones.

megan tilki. 21. cis female, she/they, straight. liberal arts student, barista, ‘cool aunt’ friend. recent big-city transplant originally from rural minnesota; transferred to a private university in the city in search of independence. really into fiber crafts. close with dax, her older sibling. fc: shannyn sossamon. gifs by stannyramirez.

dax tilki. 25. agender, any pronouns, queer & polyamorous. librarian, zine hound, musician playing basements & friend's houses. vested interest in finding & building local community, whether that be through the underground music scene or the queer scene. quiet but genuine. fc: will toledo.

andrea (andy) edfeld. werewolf. 24. nonbinary, she/it, lesbian. comes from old money owing to a successful family distillery. wanders the country on its parents' dime despite not being on speaking terms with them. non-committal, emotionally volatile. loves westerns, high fashion, & getting into pointless fights. hates full moons, old men, & anything minty. fc: mia goth. gifs by jofridapettersen.

arthur cox. vampire/flesheater (original composite lore). appears mid 30s, actually 1000+. cis male, he/him, unlabelled. ancient malevolent entity incapable of remorse & empathy. given to wild debauchery, positively brimming with joie de vivre for someone without a heartbeat. originates from ancient roman italia. can turn into an eagle-owl at will. fc: jude law. gifs by stannyramirez.

[evoldir]

Fwd: Job: UAlabama.DeptChair.EvolBiol

Begin forwarded message: > From: [email protected] > Subject: Job: UAlabama.DeptChair.EvolBiol > Date: 15 November 2023 at 06:51:53 GMT > To: [email protected] > > > The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, invites applications for Chair of > the Department of Biological Sciences. Applicants must have a Ph.D. and > obtained the rank of Associate or Full Professor at their current > institution. Evidence of significant intellectual contributions to > their field of research, a strong record of publication and extramural > funding, and a demonstrated commitment to teaching are required. The > successful candidate is expected to foster, lead, and manage an > integrative department with consideration of institute policies and > procedures. The successful candidate should also demonstrate a commitment > to the promotion of diversity and inclusion among faculty, staff, and > students. While there is no defined research focus for the position, > the successful candidate’s expertise should complement and advance > existing research within the department and university. Candidates > with prestigious achievements in their field and exceptional national > and international reputations will be eligible for consideration > for significant endowment support through appointment as a Shelby > Distinguished Professor https://ift.tt/8x2mkuq. > > The Department of Biological Sciences has approximately 1,800 > undergraduate students pursuing BS degrees in biology, microbiology, and > marine science. In addition, the department currently has 130 graduate > students enrolled in Biology MA and MS, Marine Biology MS, and Biology > PhD programs. > > The University of Alabama, part of The University of Alabama System, is > the state’s flagship university. An R1 top-tier research institution, UA > advances discovery, creative inquiry and knowledge through cutting-edge > research in more than 30 research centers.  The College of Arts and > Sciences offers an exciting and dynamic environment for faculty seeking > to make an impact in their field and in the lives of the innovators and > changemakers of tomorrow.  The largest college, Arts and Sciences houses > over 8000 students and 1000 faculty and staff across 25 departments. The > College is committed to the liberal arts philosophy that fosters creative > thinking and a lifetime of learning. > > Questions about this position should be addressed to the search > committee chair, Dr. Steven Thomas ([email protected]). To apply, > visit https://ift.tt/m92whdB.  Start date is August 16, > 2024. For additional information about the Department of Biological > Sciences and this position, visit our website at http://bsc.ua.edu. > > > > Michael McKain

#IFTTT #Email

[qu-film-history-to-1968]

Public Confidence Actually Matters, Here's Why

Julia Merolle

     After reading “Fifty Years of Declining Confidence &  Increasing Polarization in Trust in American Institutions” written by Henry E. Brady and Thomas B. Kent this week, I can see the obvious connection between occupations and political affiliations. For example, the first paragraph states, “Everyday life depends upon confidence in institutions. We trust the military and police to protect us, businesses to deliver safe products at reasonable prices, educational institutions to instruct our children, the media to transmit truthful and useful information, doctors and lawyers to cure and defend us, and government to act in our best interest. But confidence in these institutions has declined and become politically polarized in the past fifty years.” (page 43). This quote points out that we are dependent on all of these different institutions in our lives, but in recent years, these institutions have become politicized.

     Further diving into Brady and Kent’s reading, an important quote came up that I found to be very relevant. It states, “We found that highly religious people, police, bankers, and military generals are seen as typically conservatives and Republicans, and college professors, journalists, labor union members, public school teachers, and scientists are seen as liberals and Democrats. Only doctors and lawyers were seen, on average, as neither Republicans nor Democrats. Most institutions appear to be politicized.” (pages 58-59). This quote is very important because it shows the institutions in our modern-day society and how they have become affiliated and put into categories since they have all been politicized.  When connecting these institutions to others, it seems that doctors and lawyers are better because they aren’t bringing politics into the picture, unlike many other institutions, which have. It’s not politics are a bad thing to discuss, but that they just shouldn’t be affiliated with other means.

     When relating these industries to myself, my family, and my future, I can say that I have been heavily influenced by my parents who work in their respective industries and the industry that I want to go into. These industries have also affected us based on personal experiences rather than just occupational ones. The trends of these tend to be more social than anything else, although fiscal trends come very close, in second place. Lastly, another quote I found explains, “Our survey results show that nonpolitical institutions have become identified with the parties and that these identifications are associated with the polarization of confidence, but they do not provide any insight into the exact way that previously nonpolitical institutions became politicized.” (page 59). This states that these institutions which were once not affiliated have now been identified with certain political parties, and only in recent years. I have seen signs of this. For example, this did not used to be like this when my parents were my age, and because of previous elections and with how politics have progressed, everything is much different now.

     Lastly, I don’t think that I would want to change any plans of work that I want to do in terms of public confidence. I would like to go into a film career, which I think already puts me into the category of more liberal because film is an art. Art is associated more with liberal ideals, which is why I don’t think I would want to change that. I also believe that film has a lot of public confidence already based on how much people appreciate the arts.

 Brady, Henry E., and Thomas B. Kent. Fifty Years of Declining Confidence &  Increasing Polarization in Trust in American Institutions. 

#submission

[classicalmusicdaily]

Florence Price, an accomplished pianist, composer, organist, and music educator, holds the distinction of being the first African-American woman to have a large national symphony orchestra perform one of her symphonic compositions. Her exceptional accomplishments under the oppressive "Jim Crow" era are a tribute to her tremendous talents and tenacity. Florence Price Florence Beatrice Price (April 9, 1887 – June 3, 1953) a native of Little Rock, Arkansas, is credited with being the first African-American woman to have her orchestral composition Symphony in E Minor performed by a significant American orchestra in 1933. Frederick Stock and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performed this work. Florence Price was born in Little Rock. Price's early career was as an educator based in the South, first at two schools in Little Rock after earning two artist diplomas at the New England Conservatory, where she began her studies at the age of 16. Later, she served as the head of the music department at Clark University in Atlanta until 1912 after completing her studies there. Florence relocated to Atlanta, Georgia in 1910 after returning to Arkansas for a brief period of time to teach. There, at the historically black college that is now Clark Atlanta University, she rose to become the department's head of music. She was married to lawyer Thomas J. Price in 1912. She resigned from her job as a teacher and relocated to Little Rock, Arkansas, where he had a medical practice and two kids. In the already racialized community, she was unable to get employment. Florence Price, a member of the Chicago Black Renaissance, started a brand-new and fruitful chapter in her career as a composer there. Arthur Olaf Andersen, Carl Busch, Wesley La Violette, and Leo Sowerby were some of the top instructors in the city where she studied composition, orchestration, and organ. In 1928, she published four piano compositions. Price attended the Chicago Musical College, Chicago Teacher's College, University of Chicago, and American Conservatory of Music while living in the city, where he also studied music and other liberal arts and languages. In the Wanamaker music competition in 1932, her piano sonata in E minor took home first place, while her first symphony took home top honors. Frederick Stock, the conductor of the Chicago Symphony, became to like her music and scheduled the piece. After the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performed Price's composition in 1933, she became the first African-American woman to have a major American orchestra perform her work. Despite the fact that she produced hundreds of works, her discography did not become part of the mainstream canon of the twentieth century. Many of her compositions, such as two violin concertos, may have been lost if they had not been discovered during the reconstruction of her abandoned home. In addition to composing, Price continued to perform as a pianist, organist, and teacher. He also published a number of effective educational pieces. She was hired by John Barbirolli in 1951 to write an overture, and she was scheduled to go to Manchester for the premiere but had to postpone it because of a hospital stay. She was scheduled to return to Europe in May 1953 to accept an award in Paris, but her health once more got in the way, and she passed away at St. Luke's Hospital in Chicago the following month. In her honor, the Florence B. Price Elementary School (also known as Price Lit & Writing Elementary School) was established by the Chicago Public Schools in 1964 at 4351 South Drexel Boulevard in the North Kenwood section of Chicago, Illinois. The majority of Price's students were African Americans. The school was open from 1964 until the 2011 decision by the school district to phase it out owing to subpar academic performance, which finally resulted in its closure in 2013. Price possessed a piano that was located in the school. As of 2019, a local church is housed in the former school building.

The University of Arkansas Honors College hosted a performance in Price's honor in February 2019. The University of Maryland School of Music will host the International Florence Price Festival's debut event honoring Price's music and legacy in August 2020, it was announced in October 2019. Price was the BBC Radio 3 Composer of the Week from January 4 through January 8, 2021. After her passing, a lot of her creative output was eclipsed by new musical genres that reflected the shifting tastes of contemporary culture. Although some of her compositions were destroyed, Price has continued to be recognized for her work as other female and African-American composers have. The Women's Philharmonic put together a CD of some of her work in 2001. 2011 saw the performances of Price's Concerto in One Movement and Symphony in E Minor by pianist Karen Walwyn and The New Black Repertory Ensemble. Florence Price's legacy and music disappeared into history, possibly due in part to the very small number of surviving pieces. However, approximately 200 of Price's manuscripts were discovered in 2009, neatly stashed away in boxes in an abandoned fixer-upper in a Chicago suburb. The finding has resulted in a joyous rebirth of interest in her works. We may all hope that this reconsideration of Florence Price's creativity and musicality will allow her to assume her proper position among the great American composers. After divorcing Thomas Price in January 1931, Florence Price married Pusey Dell Arnett (1875–1957), an insurance agent and former Chicago Unions baseball player who was around thirteen years her older. Pusey Dell Arnett was a widower. By April 1934, she and Arnett were no longer together; it seems they never got married. Price passed away from a stroke on June 3, 1953, in Chicago, Illinois, at the age of 66.

[tagoteenethot]

New Thomas More College of Liberal Arts Custom Crocs Clogs - EmonShop from Tagotee.net 🔥 See more: here

#Merrimack_Uni

[thenoticeblog]

Willow: House of Griots | Friday, June 2nd @ 8:30pm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: [email protected]  | More Info: thenoticeblog.com/willow

The Notice Blog presents

Willow: House of Griots

a Live Stage Reading of an Afrofuturistic  Thriller "Willow" at HERE Mainstage 

NEW YORK, NY- The Notice Blog, (aka The Notice Foundation) an award-winning NYC-based production company is presenting a live stage reading of "Willow", an Afrofuturistic time-traveling thriller by Emmy Award Winning Producer, Paul A. Notice II at: 

Willow: House of Griots Friday, June 2nd @ 8:30pm Here Arts Center | 145 6th Ave, New York, NY Doors open at 8:00pm.   Buy Tickets here 

CAST

Ashley Noel Jones .......................... Willow David J. Cork …................................ Chegge Kelly Thomas .................................. Vanessa Cameisha Cotton ............................ Diane *Suzanne Darrell ............................ Janet Capri *Kirrin Tubo .............................…...... Taina   D. Malik Beckford ............................ Kalief Diallo *James Edward Becton III ............... HNIC Glenn Quentin George ................….. Cece Paul A. Notice II ............................... Marc Aware 

*These Actors are appearing courtesy of Actors' Equity Association

"Willow: House of Griots" is an Afrofuturist, Anti Capitalist, Womanist Horror Film set in the alternate reality of “Moja One,” where a successful 1811 German Coast Slave Revolt leads to a multi-ethnic near-utopia, outlawing White Supremacy and most systemic instruments it uses. However, in this reality, consuming others grants one electrical power, regenerative healing, and the memories of their victim - a metaphor that viscerally reveals capitalism’s inherent violence, and toxic allure. Desperate to pay rent, or risk being eaten alive, Willow, a brooding elected observer of alt worlds & timelines, better known as a Griot, navigates her way to Power.

""Willow" is my practice in radical filmmaking: meant to push the Overton Window to the Progressive Left, root it in Queer, Womanist history, and wrap it in thick, unflinching Blackness. I want people to see this and think to themselves, “Why not?” Why not dream of true liberation?  Or maybe even, “What is True Liberation?”"  -- Executive Producer & Writer Paul A. Notice II

Buy Your Tickets TODAY at: bit.ly/willowstagereading

Support Us!

"Willow" is funded by The Notice Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit that produces and supports BIPOC, Queer, Immigrant, and Formerly-Incarcerated narratives in film, media, and the performing arts. You can support “Willow” and our production through a tax-deductible contribution to our nonprofit. Make a Tax-Deductible Donation today.   You can also support us through Black Thoughts! Black Thoughts is a CBD-infused Mango-Shea butter that donates 10% to the United Negro College Fund and the Movement for Black Lives.

Additionally, on Sunday, June 18th 6-8:30pm, there will also be a Screening of the film version of "Willow" + Q & A discussion at Stuart Cinema & Cafe 79 West Street Brooklyn, NY 11222. Tickets are $25. 

#Willow #willow horror #willow stage reading #house of griots #house of the griot #paul notice #Paul A Notice #announcements #afrofuturism #theater #theatre #here arts center

[naturecoaster]

Saint Leo U Hosting Veterans Day Event Nov. 8

Saint Leo University will host its Veterans Day event, which is open to the public, beginning at 10 a.m., Tuesday, November 8. Saint Leo U Hosting Veterans Day Event Nov. 8 Public Invited to Commemoration, Celebration of University’s 50 Years of Educating Military Saint Leo University Hosting Parachutists, Former SOCOM Commander at Veterans Day Ceremony on November 8 Saint Leo University will hold a Veterans Day ceremony 10 - 11:30 a.m., Tuesday, November 8, at its campus at 33701 State Road 52, St. Leo, FL 33574. The public is invited to join in the commemoration honoring U.S. veterans, and it also begins Saint Leo’s celebration of 50 years of military education. The university’s 50th anniversary celebration will include several events taking place from November 2022 through November 2023. All eyes will be on the sky during the event as there will be a parachute jump by the U.S. A-Team into the Bowl, next to the Student Community Center on the banks of Lake Jovita. The “target” time for the team is 10:20 a.m. The jump will be followed by presenting of the flag by the color guard and playing of the national anthem, and a welcome by Dr. Larry Braue, director of the Office of Military Affairs and Services. Guest speaker for the ceremony will be retired U.S. Army General Raymond A. “Tony” Thomas III, former commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), which is headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa. Prior to assuming command of USSOCOM, Thomas served as commander of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) at Fort Bragg, NC. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army War College and the Naval Command and Staff College. He attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, NY, and was commissioned an infantry second lieutenant upon graduation in 1980. Refreshments will be served following the ceremony, which is taking place ahead of Veterans Day as the university will be closed that day (November 11). For more information, contact Dr. Larry Braue, director of the Office of Military Affairs and Services, by email at [email protected]. Parking is available in the university’s parking garage beneath the Turf Stadium. Saint Leo University recently received top honors from the 2022 Military Times Best for Vets: Colleges—the university earned rankings of No. 24 among all schools in the United States, No. 3 among online schools, No. 5 among private schools, and No. 7 among schools in the Southeast. More than one-quarter of Saint Leo’s student population is affiliated with the military, and this includes members of the U.S. Air Force, Army, Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard, National Guard members, retired military officers and enlisted veterans, military spouses, dependents, and others. Historically, Saint Leo University served veterans and military personnel during the post-Vietnam era when many college campuses removed anything military-related. In 1973, the then-Saint Leo College began an extension program by opening education centers for military students at Avon Park Bombing Range and MacDill Air Force Base in Florida. This strong history gives Saint Leo experience in assisting the military and veterans, Braue said. For more information about Saint Leo’s Office of Military Affairs and Services, call [phone] or email [email protected]. About Saint Leo University Saint Leo University is one of the largest Catholic universities in the nation, offering 62 degree programs to more than 15,800 students each year. Founded in 1889 by Benedictine monks and sisters, the private, nonprofit university is known for providing a values-based education to learners of all backgrounds and ages in the liberal arts tradition. Saint Leo is regionally accredited and offers a residential campus in the Tampa Bay region of Florida, 16 education centers in five states, and an online program for students anywhere. The university is home to more than 100,000 alumni. Learn more at saintleo.edu. Read the full article

[tmcrome]

This past weekend some of the students, along with Ave students, traveled to Krakow, Poland for a pilgrimage/retreat.

first day: visit to the shrine of the miraculous image of the Holy Mother of Kalwaria, tour of John Paul II childhood house and parish.

second day: Mass at the Basilica of John Paul II, visit to the side chapel where JP II cassock his placed that he was wearing when he was shot in Saint Peters sqaure, Visting of the Church of Saint Faustina and her tomb, Tour of the concentration camp, Auschwitz.

third day: private Mass in the chapel where John Paul II was ordained as priest, walked around the main square in Krakow, visit John Paul II first parish, tour of the salt mines.

#tmc #study abroad #thomas more college of liberal arts #poland

[landrytuttle66]

Just about Thai Ch'i Techniques and Coaching job

Best Accounting & Inventory Software in Bangladesh from the Taiji symbolisation which, in the Western areas termed the yin and yang, Thai Ch'i was said to be the espouse that preserved the earliest colleges of getting out which take apart the racy and receptive principles. Briny school has deuce characteristics in the main: the solo eccentric, which stresses dull succession of actions conserving a direct and stiff spine, potpourri of movement and grand stand respiration and the Force Palms which involve coaching of the rules of gesture in a a stack Sir Thomas More dewy-eyed and naturalistic means. As Ezzybook online accounting Software indicates, the solo typecast of Asian Chi, demands good the a unmarried finical somebody to overtop the motions. It would deliberate the trainees by fashion of a double-dyed and unscathed assortment of movement in overindulgence of gravity's. If repeated correctly, the keep abreast of the unaccompanied change hindquarters preserve strength, preserve true versatility expected by means of the muscleman groups and joints, move proper ancestry circulation from whatsoever location of the trainee's chassis, and enable college students be ALIR more than familiarized with a dyad of of the essential martial artwork software program sequences that are ordinarily understood by the trenchant types. Major kinds of schematic Tai Chi get varieties that comparatively waver from the many others, cosmetically. These are completely unimportant because what is essential to Tai Chi instruction is that it rewards not good the human being body on the former hand the bear in mind. Unaccompanied varieties, weapons and vacant-fingers are motions that are ordinarily skilful individually in soldierlike liberal arts software program and push fingers. Instances alike these are aforethought to drive prepare the pupils for coaching of self-defense. The viewpoint goes: if a individual gets to be strict and equally makes employment of solidness in addressing violence, if not withstanding it, and then it is expected that the two sides can be wounded at a special stage. An trauma like that is a Thai Khi hypothesis that coincides with the event of combating wolf with brute, which, in Thai Khi is often outdoors of the right position and innovation. In counterpoint to in other warlike humanistic discipline in which might is exploited to just about measuring, in Siamese Chi, trainees are taught that as a backup of battling it out or flat resisting an entrance coerce, they must meet it with the demand to neat motions and softness, pursuing apiece assaultive motion and in the terminate, exhausting the assaulting hale. If EzzyBook Software in Bangladesh is effected suitably, the yin-yang constancy in combating is the star object lens of coaching Thai Khi. Excursus from that, Thai Chi educational institutions furthermore absorption their involvement on how the intensity level of a placing grammatical category influences his rival. For social function, the laurel wreath can buoy hit bodily missing the precise Lapp and carrying out the really Lapplander still has a impressive and respective notion on the reduce on. A ribbon bathroom walk out and get the special mortal both onwards or back. It is carried prohibited in this form of a way in which the challengers are raised vertically from the undercoat consequently break and deforming their centre of sobriety. Following which, this strategy tin writing terminate the placing force indoors the human body of the particular soul with the loved one design of creating terrible interior scathe. As the term suggests, the unaccompanied flesh of Siamese Chi, needs upright the 1 person to reign the motions. These are all unimportant simply because precisely what is all important to Siamese Chi schooling is that it gains not alone the head withal the human being torso. Dissimilar in former warriorlike arts where by press is put-upon to more or less function, in Tai Chi, trainees are taught that as an mutually exclusive of battling it proscribed or heterosexual person withstanding an entry mightiness, they should fulfill it with the ought to soft actions and softness, pursuing from each one and every attacking front and in the end, exhausting the attacking ram. If this method is performed adequately, the yin-yang concord in combating is the most authoritative purpose of didactics Siamese Khi.

#accounting software in Ban

[mahoney95boysen]

A Turbulent Clip

No, it was not a state of war same Full earth State of war II or the Groundbreaking ceremony Warfare. индивидуалки is a state of war that finally took on the name of "The Civil Rights Movement." Individuals WHO fought in this war on the two sides were existence deadly vivid astir the causes they represented and prepare to contend and flush go absentminded to visualise their hasten come after. The warfare waged for yrs and static increase was manufactured merely non with come out of the closet incredible forfeit by the leaders of the movement who were existence focussed to a trappings a marque-newly indicating to the manifestation "set my people today no cost." In totally of pitch blackness account, at that place could perhaps go away considerable a prison term precondition that the National Warfare when the legal rights of African Individuals were being so deep battled and gained. The tensions in the USA had real been creating. When the Supreme Motor hotel docket mandated integration in the universities in the liberal arts scenario Brownness vs . the Plank of Educational activity, the microscope stage was established. Nevertheless it was on Dec 1, 1955 when Genus Rosa Parks selected not to springiness up her sit down on a jalopy in Montgomery, Alabama to a white person guy cable that the motion ultimately took shape and became a titanic writhe for the rights of African Individuals in U.S.A.. That exceedingly initially sputter introduced to the fascinate line of merchandise amid the virtually full of life figures to battle for Civic Accumulation rights of that ERA, the Clergyman Martin Luther Tycoon. This huge hand-to-hand struggle for tractableness was nether no fortune casual and was usually marked with furiousness. Sir Thomas More than the up advent tenner a farseeing sentence a few of the just about full of life milepost in mordant humanistic discipline yesteryear took orbit consisting of ... * 1957-- Chairperson Eisenhower substance to save forbidden government troops to Arkansas River to guard admission charge to Cardinal Important Schooling by 9 grim college students. * 1960-- The sit-in at Woolworths luncheon counter in Greensboro Magnetic north Carolina go down the represent for unbloody resist that was utilised with howling results for the residual of the combat. Considering that of the impact of Martin Luther King, unbloody demo and civil noncompliance grew to get a raw material of the polite legal rights apparent motion. * 1963-- The liberal arts Marching on Washington in which in a higher place two one C,000 individuals assembled to hear to Dr. Kings well-known "I Have a Dream" spoken language. * 1964-- Chairwoman Lyndon President Lyndon Johnson sign-language the charges that was the well-nigh significant post of his presidentship and one picky he believed profoundly in, the Political unit Rights Number of 1964. * 1965-- The apportioning of Malcolm X and the Watts subspecies rights. When he releases Govt Buy 11246, * 1965-- Prexy Dr. Johnson commode necessitate so far another daring process to bucket along up the national effectual rights apparent motion executing Affirmatory Movement. This agile checklist is just a few of the highlights of this stressed fourth dimension in which the rights of all individuals of American, White and lightlessness and of whole colours were seemly redefined both evenly on the streets, in the courts and in the typical branches of Union govt. By means of completely that push, the cultivation continued to adapt and improve to the leave of the workforce and women as has commonly been the individualized in American finish. The worm is well from well-nigh. Favoritism and disfavor oral communication go on to be a dilemma to this operative daylight. And when it is straight to excogitate on those years of sputter with rue, we can buoy too opt a glance at them with gratification. We lavatory be gallant of the tall leaders World Health Organization demonstrated substantial gumption and savvy to steer this body politic to a practically wagerer elbow room of life. And we behind be entranced with The us tending that it is down the stairs in which these types of a wrestle stern terminal resultant role in equivalence and boilersuit flexibility for totally citizenry nowadays, not equitable a turn of. No, it wasn't a state of war the like Human beings Warfare II or the Innovational State of war. It is a warfare that Oklahoman or after took on the claim of "The Civil Legal rights Movement." In totally of fatal story, thither power be no often More important a clip considering that the Civic Warfare when the aggregation rights of African Us citizens concluded up so deep battled and gained. It was on December unrivalled, 1955 when Genus Rosa Parks declined to move over up her fanny on a jalopy in Montgomery, Heart of Dixie to a Elwyn Brooks White humans that the campaign and last took frame and became a titanic fight for the legal rights of African Us citizens in America. That quite first off battle brought to the entree blood line 1 of the all but indispensable figures to engagement for Polite Legal rights of that earned run average, the Clergyman Steve Martin Luther Billie Jean Moffitt King.

#проститутки Москва

[xiaosmoon]

GENSHIN BOYS IN COLLEGE

pairings: xiao, zhongli, kaeya, albedo, diluc, thoma, kazuha, & childe x gn!reader

summary: them & their college shenanigans <3

warnings: fluffy. this is literal crack i'm so blocked

note: i was having writers block so enjoy some brain rot

xiao: the liberal arts major who hates everyone except you and his besties venti & albedo <3 when xiao's not trying to be the main character who's mysteriously drawing by himself under a tree, he's streaming on twitch with his active 400k fan base that consists mostly of teenage girls. oh, did i mention he's a secret drag racer?

zhongli: the teachers assistant for the world history class. this man knows everything about every historical event. you swear it's like he's almost lived through all of it! which leads to your speculations of zhongli being a vampire. anyway, this man is very sweet and definitely gets unwanted flirtatious attention from his students. poor man just wants to talk about history </3

kaeya: the frat boy who's almost never at his frat house. honestly if he didn't tell you he was a frat boy you never could've guessed. kaeya is your typical "bad boy heart breaker" trope. and of course, his only soft spot is for you <3 what you find even more shocking is that he's a chemistry major. suddenly the stupid science pick up lines he leaves on post it notes for you to find make more sense.

albedo: ah yes, our studious straight A albedo. he's a double stem major with a minor in art. albedo has to be one of the most underrated students in your class. he's kind, smart, and very pretty. albedo is always willing to help you with your work and always does so with a gleaming smile! everyone loves albedo <3

diluc: oh. him. that guy. so diluc's like super rich, but humble about it. you won't even know this man is rich you didn't see him driving around campus in his 150,000 sports car. you've only heard from rumors that he's not one to talk to and should be ignored. so it wasn't until you were forced to talk to him though a project that you realized diluc is the most socially awkward dork you know! strangely, you very much like him for it.

thoma: unintentional teachers pet. all of the professors love thoma. i mean, who doesn't love thoma? having a bad day? thoma to the rescue! he's always there for you, rain or shine. he majors in zoology and is president of the cooking club! he also seems to attract a ton of unwanted attention from his fellow peers, but in reality all his heart longs for is yours.

kazuha: mmm yes. another one apart of liberal arts. kazuha is a music major and probably one of the easiest going guys you have ever met. he writes you weekly poems that you collect over time and put in a shoebox you spent hours decorating. you'd never tell kazuha that obviously.

childe: the epitome of frat boy chad. childe did not come to college to study, he came to party his life away. what enrages your the most is childe's natural smooth talking skills. this loser can talk any professor out of failing him. but what you can't seem to wrap your head around is his pristine grades. how can someone get wasted on a monday night but still ace their exam!!

taglist: @sunny-star021 @xiaos-wrld @how-simpy @icecappa @clemmywrites @urujiako @xiaophobic @zhongchi14 (check my navigation if you'd like to be added)

#genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact crack #xiao x reader #zhongli x reader #kaeya x reader #albedo x reader #diluc x reader #thoma x reader #kazuha x reader #childe x reader

[nanowrimo]

Contentedly Creating Comprehensive Characters

We all get stuck on our characters eventually, but maybe all we need is a fresh reminder on how to make those iconic characters. Luckily, writer Cyra Blue has a guide for how to create in-depth characters:

Chances are, if you’re reading this, you have a story (and by extension, some characters) mucking about in your brain. But how to make your forgotten prince stand out from among the many, many others of his kind, shape your villain into something more than a cardboard cutout of Jafar, or give that side character a personality other than “quirky alchemist”? I’ll give you a hint: it’s going to take some planning.

Put away your pitchforks, impulse writers. As a “pantser” myself, I know the urge to spit out your story without really thinking is great, but often comes at the cost of poor storytelling, confusing plot points, and bland characters. A bit of planning will help with that (and might even end up being fun!).

So, characters. Step one is to figure out what the character is doing in the story. Stop styling their spiky black emo hair for a second and pay attention, this is the most important part. In Plato’s Poetics (which is an excellent guide to writing tragedy, by the way), he emphasizes that the plot is the most important part of the story, and characters are intertwined in that, meant to carry the plot to its completion. Therefore, your characters must have a place somewhere in the plot, otherwise, well… they don’t matter. In creating characters for a story, ask yourself: 

“What impact does this character have on this story, and how do they help move it along?” 

If your adorable kitty girl doesn’t really do much for the gritty fantasy murder you’re writing, it’s time to make some cuts.

Now that you know what your character is doing with their life, you need to give them a personality. The easiest way to go about it is to pick up your cousin and drop them into the story without warning. Seriously. In my experience, I find the character creation process becomes much simpler if you have a good base to start off of. I can’t tell you how many times my brother has made it into my stories, whether he’s the main character or some weirdo walking down the street. The trick is, though, you don’t want to put the person in exactly as they are, especially if they’re going to be reading your story. Rather, you should take them as a base, stripping away all the identifying features until you get to their bones… that is, their personality. From there, you can add details until your new character is fully formed.

Think of it like casting roles in a play: you want the best possible person to play each part. For example, say your best friend is usually cheerful, but works hard to achieve their goals and is motivated to be better by their failures. You can very easily turn that personality into a character just by adding the necessary details, and all of a sudden you have the perfect character type for that extremely important old woman who raises the definitely-not-prince.

Alright, now we get to the part everybody likes: the details. My favorite way to do this is to fill out a character sheet, a myriad of which you can find with a simple Google search. There, you can finally give them their emo hair and favorite food, as well as a backstory, a family, goals, weaknesses, epic karate skills, and whatever else you desire. Looking for more help with their personality? Take a Myers-Briggs personality test as your character to get a feel for how their mind works.

And that’s it! If you follow these steps, you should end up with a good idea of who your character is and what role they play. Now, get out there and try it for yourself. Best of luck to all of you! 

Cyra Blue is currently a student at Thomas Aquinas College, where she is pursuing a degree in the Liberal Arts, which should explain the Plato reference. She does not have any currently published works, but is simultaneously working on an anthology detective series and a fantasy novel that may or may not involve a cat girl. In her free time, she enjoys acting in musicals, fooling around with art supplies, and keeping up with way too many cartoons. You can follow her on Instagram @ceruleancyra.

Top Photo by Alice Dietrich on Unsplash  

#nanowrimo #camp #character #original charcter #writing #by nano guest #Cyra Blue #character building #character development #characters

[daveeddiggsit]

The Plan

WIDEOUT MASTERLIST

Series: WIDEOUT (chpt viii)

Note: Thank you @braidedchallah for proofreading. Reminder — before you kill me — there is one chapter left (and an epilogue). Keep that in mind. Enjoy. Feel free to yell at me afterwards. If you’re reading this, I’m sorry for what you’re about to experience.

Word Count: 12.2k

Pairing: Football Player!Thomas Jefferson x Tutor!Reader

Warnings: angst. possible breakup. perhaps some crying. implied sex (more than once). thom being a perfect boyfriend. thom looking fine af in denim (i’m trash).

Summary: Goodbyes are hard.

Tags: @coololdsoulpoetlove @wreakhavoconmacroissantdiggs @lilangeldevil006 @pana-ce-a @merrahonthawall @katierpblogg @thespianbooks @a-hopeless-fan @uniquelystarchildthedragon @wcreech @sabbrriiinnaa @imperial-martian @harpersmariano @icanneverbesatisfied @underthewillowtreerycb @i-know-i-can @astralaffairs @braidedchallah​ (if i forgot anyone i apologize, just lemme know for next time)

As one of the smartest kids in your graduating class, you have a certain reputation to uphold. Maintaining a perfect 4.0 GPA isn’t easy, which means that you have to choose all the right answers and make all the right decisions. 

As it turns out, you seem to be pretty good at that. Being right about a lot of things, academic or not, seems to come naturally to you. Especially when it comes to a certain curly-haired athlete who also happens to be your boyfriend of over a year.

You had been right when you told him that he would recover from his ankle injury on the night it happened. Well, you can’t be entirely sure of that yet since he’s still not clear to engage in full-action sports, but it’s incredibly clear that he’s well on his way to recovering fully.

Almost exactly seven weeks after the incident, he’d gotten his cast removed and replaced with a boot so that he could put weight on his ankle again. Since then, he’s been in physical therapy almost daily in order to make sure that he’s healing the right way. According to him, he’s progressing well every week and is slowly regaining his mobility, strength, and speed. Just two weeks ago he ditched the boot so that he could finally put on a pair of shoes; you remember the grin on his face when he gave you a little dance to show off the new kicks he’d gotten as celebration.

He’s not 100% healthy yet, and he certainly won’t be back on the field (or track) for another couple months until he’s clear to practice, but you’re proud that he’s been able to recover as much as he has in relatively so little time.

On the night of his injury, you’d also been right about another thing: the fact that Thomas would receive college offers.

And that’s what you’re celebrating today.

After weeks and weeks of advocating for himself and sending his player reel and personal letters to the head coaches of schools he wanted to attend, he finally got an offer from one of his top college choices: the University of Virginia.

While their football team isn’t the most notable in the nation, their program is one of the best in the state of Virginia at a Division I level, and that’s pretty much all Thomas wants. After he recovers fully, Thomas will make an excellent asset to the team since one of their starting wide receivers is entering the NFL Draft after this year. 

At UVA, Thomas would get the play time he needs to shine and show his true colors and talent as a wide receiver all while having a coaching staff there to support him and his every need. Their academic program for liberal arts is also something Thomas has been looking at in a school since he plans on majoring in English.

With all of that said, the Jefferson household decides to host a special dinner for their son in celebration of the wonderful news. 

And while under normal circumstances, you would feel happy and excited for your boyfriend and his amazing accomplishment, instead you have a voice that lingers in the back of your mind reminding you of the similar news you had received just a week prior.

Thomas isn’t the only one with a huge scholarship offer.

After applying to many different schools with somewhat notable engineering programs in-state (because let’s be real, out-of-state tuition is absurdly expensive), you’ve received only a few grants from NYU and Syracuse University, but it isn’t enough to cover all of tuition.

But when you’d received an email last week from the one out-of-state school you had applied to last minute, your heart had just about dropped from your chest.

UCLA is offering you a full-ride.

You should be happy that you have an incredible offer. You should be elated for Thomas with his scholarship offer, too. However, you can’t help but feel a looming sense of stress every time you think about telling him.

That’s why you haven’t told him yet; it’s been nine days.

“Y/N?”

Thomas’ voice snaps you out of your thoughts and suddenly you are brought back to reality. You’re dressed up and sitting at the dinner table with Thomas across from his parents. The menu of the night consists of a couple different French dishes that his mother had learned to make a few years back when they visited Paris for an entire summer. His mother’s rendition of the food is nothing short of amazing.

Your eyes meet the warm brown ones that belong to your boyfriend as you turn your head to glance at him next to you. “Hmm?”

”You didn’t hear anythin’ I said, did you?” Thomas chuckles, biting his lip as he watches you put on a guilty simper.

“No, sorry.” You breathe out a small laugh in order to cover up your underlying nervousness. “I zoned out for a minute there. What were you saying?” 

“Well, I’m arguin’ a case here. Technically, a hot dog — a piece of meat held together by two pieces of bread - is a sandwich, right? In simple terms and by definition this should be true, so don’t overthink it. My dad keeps saying it’s not, but please, Y/N, you gotta side with me this time.”

You take a breath in and click your tongue. “I don’t know, Peter, I think I gotta go with Thom on this one.”

“Yes!” Thomas celebrates, throwing his arms up dramatically. “I told you!”

Mr. Jefferson’s mouth drops at your response. “How dare you take his side. Did all those other times teaming up at dinner and making fun of him mean nothing to you?”

If it hadn’t been evident prior to this moment where Thomas gets his overdramatics from, then it’s certainly clear now.

“Case closed.” Thomas smirks, crossing his arms, proud of himself.

“What are you talking about? The case is far from closed.” His father retorts, splaying his arms out, causing Thomas’ mom to speak out. 

“Hey, calm down, you two. You’re gonna make a mess if you keep on bangin’ the table like that.” She chastises them. They both mutter their apologies before Thomas’ father continues on defending himself.

“Y/N, why’d you choose his side? You know I’m right. Don’t let that boy guilt trip you; he’s still gonna love you if you disagree with him.”

“Sorry, Peter.” You shrug, sneaking a glance at Thomas who’s watching you with a glint in his eyes. “As much as I don’t want to agree with your son on this one, I unfortunately do.”

Thomas pauses to narrow his eyes as you in puzzled manor. “‘Unfortunately?’ Your words wound me, sweetheart, really.” He says in a teasing tone before his smile turns smug as he directs his attention towards his father. “But you see, Dad? It’s 2 against 1. ‘M sorry to say, but your opinion is overruled.”

Mr. Jefferson waves his son off dismissively. “That’s horseshit; your mother hasn’t sided with anyone yet. We still have one more vote to count.”

“Language, Peter.” The woman in question warns, giving him a look that’s only half serious.

“Well, honey? You agree with me, don’t you?” Peter asks his wife with pleading eyes, causing her to roll hers.

“Sure, sweetie.”

You shake your head and smile, leaning back in your chair to watch the antics unfold.

“What? Ma, why you takin’ his side?” Thomas jumps in. “I’m supposed to be your favorite, you know.”

“Of course you’re my favorite; you’re my only child, Thomas.” His mother deadpans, causing Thomas to frown.

It’s Peter’s turn now to smirk at Thomas and you. “See? Now we’re tied. Opinion very much not overruled, thank you.”

“Wait, what was your side of the argument again?” Mrs. Jefferson asks her husband. “You said a hot dog is a sandwich, right?”

“No, that’s what I said.” Thomas interjects.

“Oh, well then I agree with Thomas.”

“Ha!” Your boyfriend exclaims, pointing at his dad. “I told you! Your opinion is not valid. Hot dogs are sandwiches. End of story.”

“They are not sandwiches! They are a different entity. How can you compare a ham and cheese to a weiner between two buns? Well I’ll tell you. You can’t!”

“For the last time, Dad. It’s a piece of meat in between two pieces of bread. That is classified as what? A sandwich!”

“With that logic, you’d say that a burger is a sandwich, too?”

“Yup.”

“There is somethin’ wrong with y’all.” Peter shakes his head, picking at the leftover food on his plate. “I thought I raised you better, T. Y/N, I expected you to take my side on this one.”

“Sorry, Mr. J.” You shrug. “Tommy’s right. A piece of meat in between two pieces of bread does indeed technically classify it as a sandwich.”

“Y’all got me thinkin’ that I’m the crazy one now.” Peter sighs defeatedly.

“Alright, alright, that’s enough of that nonsense.” Thomas’ mother chuckles, waving her hand in the air dismissively. “Thomas, honey, your father and I are very proud of you and are excited for your opportunity at UVA.”

“Thanks, Ma.” Thomas grins. “I’m excited, too.”

Under the table, Thomas’ hand finds yours and laces your fingers together. Its warmth is comforting and the small moment makes you forget about everything for just a moment. A small silence stretches on for a bit before Peter speaks up.

“So, Y/N, how are your college applications going? Have you gotten any scholarships yet? I feel like you’re too smart to not get anything.”

Your stomach drops at the question. You really hadn’t expected to be put on the spot like this, and while it is a simple question that you should be able to answer quickly… you don’t. You hesitate and Thomas notices. 

You want to tell the truth, you really do, but you can’t. This is Thomas’ night to celebrate and the last thing you want to do is mess it up with news that you’d be going to school across the country. Tonight is supposed to be about him, not you.

So you lie.

“Oh, um, no, not yet.” You chuckle nervously. The hand holding Thomas’ fidgets slightly and he squeezes lightly to try and help calm your nerves. “I mean, I’ve gotten into NYU and Syracuse so far. Still waiting to hear from Columbia. I haven’t heard much as far as scholarships, though, unfortunately. I’ve received a few grants here and there, but nothing too big.”

“Columbia, wow. What’s their acceptance rate? 10%?” Mrs. Jefferson asks, seemingly interested.

“6%.” Thomas jumps in to answer before glancing at you with a small smile. “I don’t think Y/N will have any trouble getting in, though.”

You send him the biggest smile you can muster, though you feel like it sort of comes out as a grimace. “Thanks, T.” You say softly.

Beat.

“What time is it? I think it’s past my bedtime.” Peter yawns, checking his watch. “10 o’clock? Where did the time go? Y/N, are you going to be okay driving home this late?”

“It’s not that late, Mr. Jefferson. I should be fine.” You’ve definitely driven home from Thomas’ place past 10pm before (multiple times), but you’re not telling him that. “I do think I should probably leave soon, though.”

“You wanna go get your things upstairs, then I can walk you out?” Thomas asks you with a mischievous look in his eye. Knowing him, he probably just wants to get you alone for a bit before you leave. Even through your nervousness to tell him the truth, you can’t deny his charm.

“Yeah, that sounds good, Tommy.”

Then, both you and Thomas excuse yourselves from the table. You make sure to thank Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson for dinner and the invite. You’re always honored to be included in their family events even if it’s something as small as dinner on a Friday night.

When you make it up to Thomas’ room, he doesn’t waste another moment before he kisses you softly, his hand reaching up to cup your cheek after he gently shuts the door.

“Been waitin’ to do that all night.” He grins afterwards, softly brushing over the skin of your cheek with his thumb.

You smile as you bring your hands up to his shoulders, wordlessly leaning forward to sweetly press your lips to his again.

“Missed you.” He mumbles as he pulls away to lean his forehead against yours. “Feel like we haven’t been seeing a lot of each other lately.”

He’s right. With both of you not having any classes together this year, you both worried about college applications, Thomas not in football season anymore and in and out of PT almost constantly, you two haven’t been seeing each other as much as you’d like. Another reason why you haven’t been able to tell Thomas about UCLA (aside from the fact that you simply don’t have the guts to do it).

“I know.” You sigh, looking off to the side for a second. “I’m sorry.”

“‘S not your fault. We’ve both been busy.”

“Yeah, but still.” You say softly. “Feels bad. I miss you.”

He chuckles. “Well, I’m right here, baby. Don’t need to go far.”

You smile haphazardly and roll your eyes as you bring your hand up to the back of his neck and pull him into another kiss. Who knows how many more of these you’ll get before you both graduate and have to go your separate ways.

Before it can go too far, you pull away again.

“T?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m so proud of you.” You say genuinely because you really want him to know. You feel like you don’t tell him enough (even though that’s not the case).  “Really, I am. You deserve that scholarship and so much more.”

“Thanks, love.” He murmurs while a soft smile adorns his face. “Hey, if none of these in-state schools give you anything, I think you’d have a good chance at getting something at UVA. They have an honors college that gives up a ton of grants and shit, you should look into it. I’m not sure if the applications are still open, but worth a try.”

You purse your lips before you give him your response. “Maybe, we’ll see.”

“I’m sure you’ll get something anyway, but just wanted to bring that up and let you know.”

“Appreciate the thought, Thom.”

Thomas grins, giving you one last peck on the lips before finally turning away to remove his overcoat. He double takes when he sees your face drop slightly. His eyebrows furrow as he notices your mood shift. “Hey, what’s wrong? Somethin’ botherin’ you? Not gonna lie, you’ve been a little off all night, sweetheart...”

You hesitate, not able to look him in the eye, the guilt eating you alive. The pressure of holding everything in is building up and while Thomas is normally your rock, the one you can go to for anything, you can’t this time, and you can feel it wearing you down.

You take in a shaky deep breath before you go to sit down on his bed, eyes cast towards the ground. “I’m okay, T, I’m just… stressed. With school.” You say, finally willing yourself to look up into his caring gaze. It hurts to lie to him, but you keep telling yourself that it’s his night.

“You sure?” He asks, taking a seat next to you to gently grab your hand in his. “Seriously, baby, I know when somethin’s up. What’s on that brilliant mind of yours, huh?” He lightly bumps his shoulder against yours in a teasing gesture, causing you to let out a half-hearted chuckle. He always knows how to get a laugh out of you, doesn’t he? “I know you’re worried about more than that stats test you have next week. Tell me what’s really botherin’ you.” He says softly, catching your gaze again.

Sighing once more, you tear your eyes away from his pleading ones. “I um…” You trail off after trying and failing to come up with another lie or excuse. 

Thomas always draws your worries and frustrations out of you; he knows you so well to the point where he knows exactly what to say to convince you to tell him something. Honesty has never been a problem in your relationship, and the last thing you want is to push it to a point of no return. You already feel terrible for withholding the truth; you want to be free from this secret you’ve been holding.

And suddenly seven words echo in your head:

“Tell him. He’ll understand. He loves you.”

Your eyes flit back up to meet his concerned gaze. Here it goes.

“I did get a scholarship. All tuition and expenses paid. I got the email a week and a half ago and I didn’t tell you. I’m sorry.”

His eyes widen at the confession, taken aback by how big the news is.

“Holy shit, Y/N, that’s… that’s amazing, baby. I’m so proud of you. Not surprised, but proud nonetheless.” He says genuinely, a smile evident on his face before it drops slightly. “Why didn’t you wanna tell me?” There’s a moment of silence before he speaks again. “Wait, why’d you lie at dinner when my dad asked?”

You give him a sad smile before you look away again, fidgeting with your fingers on the hand that Thomas isn’t holding. “I didn’t want to take over your night, T. And I didn’t tell you when I found out because… the school’s in Cali.” You say, releasing a breath you didn’t know you’d been holding.

He cocks his head to the side slightly, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. “I thought you only applied to schools in-state.”

You shake your head, pursing your lips before you respond. “That’s what I had planned originally, but my advisor pushed me to apply for this scholarship program at UCLA and… well, I got in.”

Thomas goes silent for a few moments as he looks off to the side, breathing deeply. It’s hard to tell what he’s feeling. Then, he lets out a low whistle. “Full-ride to UCLA, huh?” He says softly before he turns to look at you. 

“Thomas…” You start, your voice soft and full of worry, but he continues to talk.

“Are you going to accept it?” He asks and you nod slowly. 

Ideally, you have no other real choice; by going to UCLA you’d graduate with zero debt. And with UCLA’s engineering program and opportunities that other schools can’t fulfill, it fills all the boxes you want in a university.

“I’m so proud of you, sweetheart. Really. I’m glad they recognize how amazing you are.” The tone in Thomas’ voice is fond and he’s absolutely sure of the words he’s saying. “It’s far away, I know, but we can make it work.” 

The emotions in his eyes are conflicting, but they still hold unrelenting love and support in them. When you hesitate to respond, his eyes search yours, trying to find some sort of answer in them, but before he can decipher anything, you tear your gaze from his.

“Right?” He asks as his grip on your palm loosens until your hand falls back into your lap, the warmth from Thomas’ fingers completely vanished. “Baby, talk to me. Please.”

“Thom, I… I want to think that but I’m not sure.” You admit quietly, and having said that, you can see something in Thomas’ composure crumble.

He shakes his head. “Nah, don’t you say that. We can make this work, Y/N.” His voice wavers slightly as he stands up and runs a hand over his curls, smoothing them back and away from his face. “I haven’t accepted the offer at UVA. I can decline and apply to UCLA—”

“T, I’m not going to ask you to do that—” You start, but he cuts you off.

“You don’t have to ask me, love. I’m willing to do this all on my own. Like I said, we can make this work. I’ll improvise. My parents can afford it, then I can just join the football team as a walk-on. I’m confident I’ll make it. Since they didn’t give me an offer I’ll prove them wrong and be the best damn walk-on they ever had.”

“Thomas, don’t—”

“I can also have my dad send the head coach a letter. I didn’t wanna pull that for any other schools because I wanted to earn all my offers — and because of the whole nepotism thing — but I’ll make an exception for—”

“Thomas, please!” You raise your voice and when he finally stops, you immediately regret it. You’ve never raised your voice like that with him before and doing so right now feels terrible. 

“Please, T, just stop. I don’t want you to do any of that for me. How long have you been waiting for UVA to give you a chance? How many letters have you personally written to Coach Michaels, begging him to consider you for one of their open receiver positions?”

Thomas is silent as you speak, knowing full well that you have a point. You continue.

“You’ve been set on UVA as your top school for a couple months now. Don’t forget how hyped you were when you finally got the offer this morning. And now you want to just throw that away? No. I’m sorry, Thom, but I am not going to be the one to take it away from you.”

“You’re not.” He says earnestly. “Taking it away from me, I mean. I want to do this for you. For us. UCLA has a good football program, too, all I have to do is pull some strings if you’ll let me.”

You shake your head at him. “Okay, well I’m not letting you do that. Thomas, it’s not as easy as you’re making it seem. Think about this, okay? Think about yourself and your football career and all the opportunities that you’ll have for yourself down in Virginia. Don’t let me get in the way of that! I don’t want each of us to be an obstacle in each other’s successes.”

Thomas gives you an incredulous look and stills himself. “Are you serious? Is that what you consider our relationship? An obstacle?”

You look away, sighing. “No, T, I… I didn’t mean it like that, you know that.”

“No, Y/N. I don’t know that.” He looks at you with a distressed gaze, all traces of comfort and playfulness gone and replaced with hurt… caused by you — something you never would have thought you’d see in his eyes. 

“Look, I don’t wanna talk about this right now. Today’s supposed to be your day.”

“Let me get one thing straight, Y/N. Our relationship is not an obstacle… it never has been and it never will be.” Thomas says coldly and you cringe when he calls you by your full name in a tone that’s less than friendly.

“I just don’t want our love for each other to get in the way of…” You trail off, but decide against speaking mid-sentence. “You know what, nevermind.”

“Get in the way of what?”

“Thomas,” you start, making eye contact with him once again. “I don’t want to get in the way of your football career. It’s unfair; I can’t do that to you, T. You deserve to make the most of your career in college so that you can make it to the NFL. That’s your dream, right? To play in the NFL for the New York Giants like your father did. Am I right?”

His jaw clenches slightly as he nods, and you continue.

“The coach at UVA believes in you — even through your injury. Why are you going to throw that away? In order to be with your high school girlfriend? Do you see how childish that sounds?” A beat of silence passes before you continue in a softer tone. 

“I just… I don’t want you to do that, Thomas, it’s too big of a risk. You have a solid spot at UVA to prove yourself on the field. If you drop that for a walk-on position at UCLA, it’ll be a mistake. Instead of proving yourself to NFL recruiters, you’ll be set on proving yourself to college coaches just to get a chance on the field. I want you to have the best chances at making it to the NFL.” Now it’s your turn to stand up. You pace away from him as you continue to speak. 

“Let’s say you do follow me to UCLA and join the football program. What if… what if something happens while we’re in college and we’re not together anymore? What will happen? You’d have potentially messed up your career for me and I don’t want that to happen, T. I’m sorry but I won’t let that happen.”

Thomas holds a hand up to stop you from your ramblings. He speaks his next words slowly.  “Wait, wait, hold on now. You think we’re going to break up in college?”

You roll your eyes in frustration, crossing your arms defensively. “That’s not what I said—”

“No, no that’s exactly what you said.” He responds coldly, narrowing his eyes at you. “I’m starting to question our intentions in this relationship, Y/N. Did you ever plan on us being long term?”

“See, this is why I didn’t wanna tell you. I didn’t want this to happen.” You say, annoyed that it’s gotten to this point of you two having an argument.

“You just gonna ignore my question?”

“Before applying to schools, T, I wasn’t even thinking about the future. I was taking things day by day. We were both pent up in our little perfect world, but right now we need to face reality.”

“Okay, so then why’d you keep this a secret from me? Were you plannin’ on keepin’ this to yourself until graduation? I don’t know if you knew this, sweetheart, but a relationship is a two-way street and involves a little somethin’ called communication.” His snarky tone fills the room and has you rolling your eyes again. “Girlfriends aren’t supposed to lie to their boyfriends and then get mad at him for reacting a certain way when she finally decides to tell him huge news.”

“Look, I’m sorry, okay?” You say, breathing out another sigh and softening up at his last sentence. He’s right; you shouldn’t have kept it a secret. “I wanted to tell you, I just, I don’t know what’s gonna happen after we graduate, okay? And I’m scared.”

“You don’t think we can work through that together? As a team?” Thomas’ eyes are begging you to reason with him. “I’m scared, too, but we’ll figure something out. Right?”

The look in your eyes is distant as you cast them down to the ground. “Yeah.”

“Maybe we could do a long distance thing. I’ve seen other couples do it.”

You fiddle with a loose thread on your sweater. “I don’t know, T. We’ll see if we can come up with something.”

He rolls his eyes and huffs out a hot-tempered laugh. “Okay.” He says shortly.

“What?”

“So you don’t want me to drop everything and go to UCLA with you, which is fine. I understand that. But now you’re telling me that you don’t wanna do long distance?”

“I didn’t say that, I just— we need to be realistic, Thom.”

“What does that even mean?!” He yells, and it’s the first time he’s ever raised his voice at you. You hate it.

“We have to keep the future in mind!”

“I want you in my future! Don’t you want me in your future?”

“We both have different ideas of what we want. Different dreams, okay? You can’t have your dream of making it to the NFL and also have me when I plan on going to an engineering program across the country!” 

You’re deflecting and he knows it.

“Answer the damn question, Y/N.” He says lowly, his voice taking on a dangerous edge.

“Of course I want you in my future, Thomas!” You say exasperatedly, looking at the ceiling. “What kind of question is that?”

“Forgive me if I’m strugglin’ to believe that when you’re actin’ like this.” He says, his voice taking a more neutral tone, but he sounds exhausted. “You’re going to school across the country and you were hesitant to tell me - fine. I fucking get it. But you can’t just say that we’ll probably break up in college and think that that is fucking okay. It’s not! And you can’t say ‘I don’t know’ about dating long distance when that’s literally the only other option we have.”

“That’s the thing, Thomas. I don’t know if that’s the only other option we have.”

His face looks puzzled as he looks at you for a few seconds before realization finally settles in. Thomas narrows his eyes at you once again, his gaze cold, making your heart drop in your chest. “You wanna break up, don’t you?”

“No.” You state, choosing your words carefully. “I don’t want to. But we have to think about—”

“Our future, yeah. I get it.” Thomas snaps, cutting you off. “You know what? You want to talk about the future? Fine. Maybe we should.” He says simply, crossing his arms. “If you think we’re just going to break up in college anyway, maybe we should just speed up the process and get it over with.”

You shake your head at him. “Thomas, don’t do this. That’s not what I want.”

“Isn’t it?”

“It’s not.”

“I find that extremely hard to believe.”

“I’m done arguing with you, Jefferson.” You breathe out tiredly, running a hand through your hair.

He sighs, rubbing a hand over his face. He looks completely drained as he speaks again, his voice now calm. “What are we doing here, Y/N?”

A small silence fills the air before you answer quietly. “I don’t know, T.”

What are you both doing? Arguing about whether or not your relationship should continue after high school? Maybe you are being a little irrational about it, implying that you should break up before college and all. Thomas’ reaction to it all is understandable because he doesn’t want to lose you. However, he needs to be truthful to himself. Is this relationship going to work when the two of you are seeking entirely different career paths on opposite coasts?

What a fucking mess.

You hate that it’s gotten to this point. Your fear about telling Thomas and it going downhill has come true, and knowing that makes you even more emotional.

“Tommy… I…” You say sotto voce, on the edge of tears as you slowly reach for him, but he puts a hand up stopping you from moving any further. He turns his face so you can’t see his expression.

“Don’t, Y/N.” Thomas’ voice is firm, but it breaks slightly when he says your name. “Just don’t.” He whispers.

You watch him and he struggles to keep himself together. You hate that you’ve done this to him, that you’re making him feel this way… you hate that you’ve caused this.

“I’m gonna go…” You voice (barely above a whisper) after a long silent pause, not trusting your normal voice due to the shaky deep breaths that begin to rack your body. You’re on the verge of breaking down.

Thomas nods. “I think you should.”

And that breaks your heart.

You feel weird leaving like this, gross even. You don’t want to leave things off like they are. You don’t want to leave things unresolved and you don’t want to leave with Thomas still angry at you. Still, though, you grab all your things and head to the doorway of his room.

Pausing to look back at him, you open your mouth to say something, but hesitate. Deciding against it, you turn to open the door and leave without another word.

⋆﹥━━━━━━━   ♛   ━━━━━━━﹤⋆

You call Maria as soon as you get to your car. She helps you keep your composure as you drive to her house, keeping you company via phone. You make sure to send your family a quick text of your whereabouts and that you plan to spend the night at Maria’s place.

As soon as you arrive in her bedroom and drop your bag to the ground, you break down and begin to sob, crashing into the welcoming arms of your best friend. You cry until you can’t anymore, and Maria is there for you the entire time hugging you and easing you through it.

She stays there, quiet and still, allowing you to let out all of your emotions. You don’t tell her the details about what happened until after you have no tears left to cry.

“Don’t be mad at T, please, none of this is his fault.” You sniffle, wiping at your nose with a tissue Maria gave you. “It’s all mine.”

“Y/N, don’t blame yourself for all this. You just want what’s best for the both of you in the long run. If he doesn’t understand that, then he’s just not seeing the whole picture.”

“I just hate arguing with him, Maria.” You say weakly, wiping at your face to dry your tears. “This is our first fight and I hate how I feel right now. I don’t want things to end on bad terms. How am I supposed to get over this feeling once we… if we break up before college?”

“You don’t have to end things on bad terms, Y/N.” Maria says softly. “You both need to be on the same page about this. If you both make a plan and sort things out, then maybe you can leave things on a positive note. Not as a goodbye, but as a see you later, you know? And if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. You’ll meet again one day and you can pick up where you left off. But if it’s not, then at least you guys can cherish what you had when you were just two kids in high school who didn’t know any better and made the most of their teenage years.”

You nod slowly. She does have a point, and this is all what you were thinking when you had even brought up the thought of breaking up after graduation.

“How do you always know the right thing to say?”

“It’s my best friend superpower. I can’t help it.” She shrugs, making you laugh, even if it was only a half-hearted one. “Seriously, though. You two need to have an honest conversation with one another.”

You sigh, wiping the rest of your drying tears away with the tissue. “I think we both could use some space right now, though. I’m going to wait until Monday.”

Maria nods. “Monday. But you have to talk to him. You can’t chicken out. I know you, Y/N.”

“Sometimes a little too well…”

“All for the best.” She grins.

⋆﹥━━━━━━━   ♛   ━━━━━━━﹤⋆

After a long and lonely weekend, Monday finally comes and you make sure to wake up earlier than usual in order to make it to school in time for when Thomas comes out of his physical therapy session with his track trainer.

You haven’t called, texted, or seen each other since Friday night and the guilt and heaviness from what happened still weighs on your chest despite the reassuring words from Maria. 

Patiently and nervously, you wait outside the boys’ locker room like you have countless times before, only this time, things feel much different. The anticipation lingers in the air surrounding you and you feel the stress push at your shoulders until the door finally opens and Thomas walks out.

After over a year of dating, you still get butterflies at the sight of him even though he’s just wearing simple black jeans and a t-shirt.

As he shrugs on his jean jacket and backpack, he glances up through a few stray curls that fall down in front of his eyes. His eyes flicker to you as he walks in your direction before he rips them away quickly. 

“T, hey how was…?” You try to speak to him, but he just continues to walk past you.

You watch him as he goes on like nothing, completely disregarding your presence.

“You’re still mad…” You trail off, falling into step with him and his pace doesn’t falter.

He doesn’t say a word.

“Listen, I know you probably don’t wanna see me right now, but please hear me out.”

Still nothing.

You know he’s still upset; he only gets quiet when he has a lot on his mind or he’s going through something. Taking in a deep breath, you speed up so that you can get in front of him.

“Thomas, hey, stop.” You say, putting a hand on his chest. You know that if he really wants to charge past you he can, but instead he stays there, halted by your touch. He looks down at you, his face nearing yours, and your eyes plead with his. “Please.” You whisper, your fingers curling into his black shirt to hold him there (or maybe it’s more of a way to ground yourself).

Thomas’ detached gaze lingers on your face and as your eyes search his, you note just how devoid of energy he looks. 

“I just want to talk. I…” You watch him as he breaks your gaze to look at the ground. “I know I fucked up; I said some things I shouldn’t have. Just please let me make it up to you. I need you, T. I want to fix this while we still can.”

You sneak a glance around you to see that you’ve attracted some attention from your fellow classmates who are unapologetically staring. Do they know about you and Thomas’ fight? How could they possibly know? You two are hardly making a scene, but then again… people are vultures who will perk up at even the slightest bit of drama.

“Can we go somewhere private? Please? Just the two of us.”

Thomas licks his lips as he looks around, then back at you lazily. “Can this wait? We have class in six minutes, you know.”

“Let’s skip.” You say, causing him to raise his eyebrows in surprise. “This is more important than class today, okay? How about we go to that diner down the street?”

“It’s a little too early for a milkshake and fries, isn’t it?”

“They have eggs and waffles, too.” You say, your eyes pleading him to accept your offer. “Please? I know you love breakfast.”

He’s quiet for a few more minutes and you wait in anticipation for his answer. Just when you get your hopes down and think he’s going to reject you, he speaks up.

“Okay.” He responds finally. “But only because I really don’t want to watch boring presentations about the social cognitive theory in my Psych class…”

You breathe out a sigh of relief. “That’s good enough for me, T.”

“Bribin’ me with breakfast. You know that shit’s my weakness…” He mutters under his breath as he shakes his head. You’re not sure if he’d meant for you to hear that, but either way it makes a hint of a grin form on your lips.

“Come on, I’ll drive.”

⋆﹥━━━━━━━   ♛   ━━━━━━━﹤⋆

When you get to the diner, it’s fairly empty except for an elderly couple at a booth and a man at the counter drinking a cup of coffee. The smell of eggs and bacon wafts through the air and enters your nostrils as you breathe in.

A waitress greets you when you two slide into a booth, sitting across from each other. She hands you both menus and gets your drink orders before she’s off.

Silence fills the air between you as you both look over your menus. Thomas doesn’t say anything and it feels weird, suddenly reminding you of why you’re here in the first place. While from an outside perspective it may look like a normal outing between you two, you can feel the lingering tension in the air that’s leftover from Friday night. Unspoken feelings and unresolved problems still remain. 

You sneak a glance at him over your menu only to find him already staring back at you. As soon as your eyes meet, he looks away.

“I feel really bad about Friday.” You finally break the silence, your voice small. Wanting nothing more than to let him know how you feel, you try to catch his gaze. When his brown eyes finally meet yours, you continue. “I hate the way we left things…”

“Me too.” He finally says softly. You two stare at each other for a few more seconds and Thomas opens his mouth to continue. “I…”

Then, the waitress comes back with a couple water cups and two black coffees, interrupting whatever it was that Thomas was about to say. You and Thomas direct your attention to her with fake smiles as she asks for your orders. 

After she takes your menus and leaves, you let out a sigh as you look down at your fidgeting hands.

“Listen, T…” You begin, regret and guilt evident in your voice. You make sure to look up and meet his gaze one more time before you continue. “I'm sorry for lying to you and your family — I should have told you the day I found out, but I was too afraid of losing what we have. And I'm sorry for fucking up your day when we were supposed to be celebrating instead.” 

You stop to take in a shaky deep breath, looking down at your hands once again. “I’m so sorry if I made it seem like I was doubting our relationship or… or if I made you feel like I didn’t… like you weren’t…” Struggling to find the right way to express how sorry you are, your tone gets more and more emotional as you stumble over your words.

Thomas saves you from your struggle, however, as his hand reaches across the table to cover yours, causing you to look up at him with surprise. “It’s okay, sweetheart.”

“What?” You voice breathlessly. “I… I thought you were still mad. It shouldn’t be that easy. Why are you…?”

He shrugs slowly. “Because you’re not entirely at fault… and as much as I want to stay angry, I can’t stand seein’ you in distress like this.”

You purse your lips and squeeze his hand in yours. “I’m still really sorry, T. I want you to know that. I said some things I regret and…”

“I know you are. Especially after seeing you try to fix things today by not takin’ no for an answer earlier. We both said some things we regret and it’s okay, Y/N. Really.” His voice is soft as he responds. “I’m sorry for yellin’ and not fully listenin’ to what you were sayin’. And for bein’ kind of a dick to you earlier when I ignored you. I was in denial. I just felt like you were givin’ up on us too quickly and I… I don’t wanna mess up what we have. I really don’t.”

Your eyes soften at his words. “I know. Me neither.”

You both are quiet for a few seconds as you both struggle to find a way to address the elephant in the room. 

Luckily, you both get interrupted by the waitress again who comes back with your orders. You let go of each other’s hand when your plates are placed in front of you. Your mouth waters at the sight of your food, and you thank your waitress before she leaves again, telling you to let her know if you need anything else.

A comfortable silence falls in the space between you and Thomas, and though you feel that the tension from Friday night has now dissipated, the stress of the upcoming conversation still sits on your shoulders.

Surprisingly, Thomas is the one who initiates it.

“So…” He starts after chasing a mouthful of pancakes with a sip of water. “I’m guessin’ you won’t be comin’ back to town on holiday breaks?”

You cringe at the bluntness of the question. “What made you assume that?”

He shrugs, chewing his food before swallowing. “Just the way you were so helpless with your options. Thinking back to it, I figure that you probably wouldn’t have jumped to the possibility of breaking up unless you’d already thought things through somewhat.”

Very observant of him.

You nod before letting out a small sigh. “Yeah. My family’s planning on moving to Miami once I move out. Apparently they’re tired of the cold weather and wanted to wait to move until I graduated high school. They let me know when I told them the news.”

“Erik, too?”

“He’s staying in Philly until he graduates next Spring.”

“Well, that sucks.” He says, picking at the leftovers on his plate.

“Yeah.” You reply softly. “I just… I don’t know what to do anymore, Thomas. I thought the answer was clear, but now I’m not so sure.”

He sighs, putting his fork down before looking up at you. “I think I do.”

Your eyebrows furrow as you tilt your head in confusion.

Thom sighs, leaning back in his seat. “Well, for starters, you’re always right, let me just put that out there.”

“That’s not true.”

“It is. Well, for this instance, at least.” He says simply before he continues. “As much as I hate to say it, I don’t think we’ve got options here.”

“Yes we do, you said it yourself, T.”

“We don’t, Y/N, you were right. I didn’t wanna believe it before but now, I don’t think I have a choice.” He says, holding your gaze firmly. “The two of us going to the same school is out of the picture. Especially with application deadlines already being passed - I checked and I don’t know what I was thinking on Friday. And with us not going to be able to see each other even on holiday breaks… I don’t think that leaves anythin’ else on the table.”

“Thomas, really, you don’t have to do this. Don’t let me pressure you into something you don’t wanna do. Like you said, a relationship’s a two way street. We can work something out. I don’t know what, but we’ll try something else.”

“You’re not pressuring me, Y/N. What would that ‘something else’ be? Long distance? The chances of us visiting each other are slim, especially since I’ll be stuck at UVA for the majority of summer break for training camp. Especially since you’ll be in California and especially since you have no incentive to come back to town after you graduate.”

“You’re my incentive, T.”

He licks his lips and lets out a small laugh. “Baby, don’t fight me on this; you wanted this. Why the shift?”

“I don’t wanna lose you.” You say, voice quiet and close to tears.

Thomas reaches out across the table for your hand again. You lace your fingers with his and hold tightly. “I know. I don’t want to lose you either, but you were right, sweetheart. Seeing each other once a year isn’t good enough, let’s be real. I think we’d be hurting more than we'd be happy.”

You let out a long, deep sigh, squeezing his hand. He’s absolutely right and you knew this when you started this conversation on Friday — doesn’t mean that you don’t want to avoid it, though.

“We… we should…” He hesitates to continue the sentence. “We— God, why is this so hard?”

“You don’t have to say it if you don’t want to, T.”

He takes a deep breath before the words finally come out. “We should break up. This summer.”

It sounds foreign coming out of his mouth and his change in viewpoint surprises you still, even after talking it through with him.

“I don’t wanna be your shackle, Y/N.” He says, squeezing your hand comfortingly. “I want you to do great things without worryin’ about me. Just like you were sayin’ on Friday. And I don’t wanna risk getting to a point where we grow too distant we lose all hope.”

Your eyes tear up a little bit and you reach up to wipe at your eyes with your free hand.

“But that doesn’t mean I’m lettin’ you off easy, missy.” Thomas looks at you pointedly, his voice wavering slightly. He lets out a small bittersweet laugh before he continues. “I’m gonna consider this more of a ‘see you later’ than a ‘goodbye forever’ kinda thing. At some point, I don’t know or care when, we’ll continue where we left off. Mark my words.”

You laugh, wiping away a stray tear. You’ve definitely heard those words before. “Have you been talking to Maria lately?”

He gives you a confused look. “No, not since we went on that double date with her and Ellie like two weeks ago, why?”

“She said a similar thing to me when I vented to her this weekend.”

“Really? Oh. I thought I was clever for that one.”

“You were.” You smile, rubbing small circles on the top of his hand.

A comfortable silence settles. The waitress comes back with the check and you give her your card against Thomas’ protests. It’s not long before she comes back and wishes that you both have a good rest of your day.

“This is gonna fucking suck.” Thomas suddenly says bluntly.

“Yeah, it is.” You sigh. “But you know what? We’re gonna make the most of the next three months. We’ll laugh together, we’ll cry together, we’ll enjoy the good times, and when the time comes… we won’t look back. Then, maybe one day, when I’m an engineer and you’re in the NFL… we’ll meet again.”

He sends you a watery smile, giving your hand a small squeeze. “I’m countin’ on it, sweetheart.”

You reciprocate his smile as a small silence stretches in between you two.

Thomas’ eyes fall onto his untouched (and probably now cold) coffee and with his free hand he reaches for the cream. You take that as a sign to let his hand go to let him tend to his glorified bean water, but as you try to withdraw your fingers from his, he just holds on tighter.

“Um, excuse me? What do you think you’re doin’?” He asks, glancing at you like you just committed a sin. 

“Don’t you need to pour creamer?” You raise an eyebrow, wondering what the big deal is. “I don’t want you to spill it.”

“Girl, I can pour creamer with one hand, thank you very much.” And there’s the Thomas you know and love, not that he was ever absent in the first place, but it’s good to see him messing around again. “Let me hold your hand in peace because God knows how many more times I’ll get to do it. I gotta savor it.”

“Stoppp.” You whine, drawing the word out. “This is how you’re gonna act until graduation, isn’t it?”

“You complainin’, sweetheart?” He fake pouts as he carefully pours the cream in his coffee and stirs with a spoon. “I thought you loved me.”

You roll your eyes. “You know I love your dramatic ass.”

“Mhm. In more ways than one.” Thomas hums before he takes a sip of his coffee. He cringes when he realizes it’s cold and you laugh at his reaction.

“Ready to go yet?” You ask, amused.

He nods. “We’re not going back to class, though, are we? Because if that’s the case, then no.”

“What? Hell no. Who do you think I am?” You say as you both mutually let go of each other’s hand to get up from the booth.

“A goody-two-shoes, that’s what you are. Really, baby, I didn’t expect you to mention skipping class. That’s like… blasphemy for you.”

You shrug as he holds the front door open for you. “Guess you’re rubbing off on me.”

Thomas gives you a suggestive look and that causes you to smack his arm. “God, Thomas, not like that. Jesus.”

He lets out a full-bodied laugh as you approach your car and he grabs you by the waist as he leans back against the driver’s door. He presses a kiss to your forehead, hugging you close to him. “Just messin’.”

You roll your eyes before you pull back to look him up and down.

“When’d you get this jacket? Haven’t seen you in it before.” You muse, bringing your hands up to grab the denim on each side of his collar.

“A week ago? Maybe two? This is my first time wearing it, though.” He answers before he smirks. “Why? You like it?”

“Yeah, you look good in denim.”

“Do I, now?” He cocks his head slightly, amused as your face drifts closer.

“Mhm. The jacket really suits you.” You hum, releasing the material with one of your hands to slide it up to his jaw. You give him a soft kiss on his lips before you pull back. “Might look better on the floor, though. I don’t know. We’ll have to try and find out.”

Thomas’ eyebrows shoot up in surprise; he hadn’t expected you to turn the suggestive talk around on him. A smirk forms on his lips as he presses them to yours one more time.

“Your parents home?” He mumbles against you.

You pull away slightly to think about it for a second. “No, actually.”

“Well, then I guess we’re about to find out.”

⋆﹥━━━━━━━   ♛   ━━━━━━━﹤⋆

Over the next few months, you and Thomas keep the promise you gave to each other at the diner. You’ve stayed positive and lived in the moment and, to be honest, those three months have probably been the best three months of your life.

You and Thom are both making the most of your time, making sure to spend almost every weekend together. 

You study together even though you don’t share any classes. Most of the time is spent doing homework in silence, but you still enjoy each other’s presence.

For spring break, you go on a trip to the beach with Thomas, Maria, Ellie, James, Aaron, and a few more mutual friends. The week is full of banter and lots of fun-filled memories that you’ll remember for many years to come. It’s definitely one of the many highlights of senior year.

Thomas, being his over-the-top self, asks you to prom by spelling ‘Prom?’ out with bouquets of roses on your front lawn. And as if that isn’t enough, you wake to the sound of a live orchestral quartet playing your favorite song. You groggily walk over to your window to see where the sound is coming from and you’re met with the sight of your boyfriend grinning up at you with his arms gesturing around him proudly.

Of course you say yes. 

You would have said yes even if he had asked you casually — but what can you say… you’re a sucker for flowers and he knows it.

Prom night is an absolute blast. You feel like a stunner in your dress and Thomas looks unbelievably handsome in his fitted tux. You stay together the entire night, dancing, singing, laughing, and joking around with both your and his friends.

You almost lose track of the amount of date nights you have with Thomas. You have movie nights, some nights you go rollerskating, concerts, restaurants, hell, you even go paintballing together, which is something that neither of you had ever thought you’d get into.

But as June grows closer and closer, you can’t help but feel that heaviness settle back into your chest. You’d be lying if you said that you haven’t thought about backing out of this agreement the two of you have. In fact, you’ve spent countless nights lying wide awake (sometimes right next to Thomas), trying to figure out how things would go if you decide to stay together.

With your parents deciding to move down to Miami a week after you graduate, it pushes the day you move out to LA earlier than you had originally intended, which makes the idea of staying together seem next to impossible. Your mother says that it’ll be a good opportunity for you to get to know the LA area before classes start in August. 

This causes you and Thomas to have a more in-depth conversation about the plan and it ends with you two deciding to break it off a week before your big move. Both of you are in agreement that it would be best for the both of you, so that you have some time to recover. You figure it will be easier that way.

So, when the time comes to start packing your things for your move to California (and your parents’ move to Florida), you get stressed out. You notice that Thomas’ and your enthusiasm/positivity starts to fade as the date of graduation creeps closer and closer.

Which brings you to the present.

On the day of graduation, reality finally hits you. Because not only are you recognizing the fact that you’re leaving the love of your life in eight days to go to school in Cali, you’re also leaving Maria who has been a constant in your life since elementary school.

Maria plans to stay in town and go to community college to knock out all her general education classes before she transfers to a four-year university. Luckily, her girlfriend Ellie has the same idea, so they’ll be taking the same path after high school.

At least they will be together.

Unlike you and Thom, who are currently posing for a photo together for his and your parents who stand behind their phones grinning and teary eyed. You both give your best smiles to the cameras, trying to preserve the memory as best as possible without breaking.

Surprisingly, you and Thomas have stayed strong despite the impending suspension of your relationship that lingers in the atmosphere between you. Although teary eyed because you are saying goodbye to a lot of friends and faculty you’ve gotten to know over the years, you and Thomas don’t cry on graduation day. You don’t cry during the ceremony, you don’t cry during the many pictures you take that day, and you don’t cry at the large family dinner the Jefferson household holds for both you and Thomas.

You’ve both toughed it out both privately and in public. But graduation day eventually comes to its inevitable end, and the day after begins, marking your last day with Thomas Jefferson as your boyfriend.

The two of you make your last day special and have a day-long picnic in a nearby park. You wake up early and spend the entire day together, laughing, kissing, talking, and having as much fun as you can with the inevitable future looming over your heads. You both make the best of your time together, and that’s really all you can ask for.

As the day goes by, your time together begins to run out. And both of your composures begin to fade as each second passes.

While your curfew to be back home is 10pm, you and Thomas decide to hold onto each other a bit longer, so he drives you home and you sneak him into your room when your parents are too busy packing in the basement. They know that this is your last day with Thomas, so when you’re distracting them while Thomas makes his way up the stairs, you tell them that you’re going to sleep early. They comfort you for a few minutes but leave you to your own grief, knowing to respect your wish of ‘sleeping the night off.’

Little do they know, you and Thomas decide to have one more special night together. 

When you finally make your way up to your bedroom, Thomas is sitting on your bed, glancing at the half-empty boxes in the corner of your room that need to be filled. Half of your room is packed up, but you’ve put off packing lately to spend time with Thom before you physically can’t anymore.

You let out a sniffle and you don’t realize that you are on the verge of crying until you see Thomas begin to break, too.

“Come here.” He murmurs, standing up from your bed to pull you into a tight hug. 

You both cry into each other’s shoulders, fully letting yourselves go emotionally as you let out your pent up sadness. You’re getting each other’s clothing wet with tears, but neither of you care as you cling onto each other, not wanting to let go.

You don’t know how long you stay there or how long it takes until both of you calm down enough so that your tears fall silently.

“I told you this was gonna fucking suck.” Thomas mumbles against you, causing you to let out a laugh and sob at the same time.

You don’t respond, but after a few seconds, you pull away from his shoulder to look at him. Silence stretches between you before you whisper, “I love you.”

“I love you.” He echoes without hesitation before he leans his forehead against yours. You both bask in each other’s presence for a few more beats until Thomas speaks again, his words shaking. “Football won’t be the same without you, Y/N. I won’t be the same without you.”

“You played football for years before I became a part of your life. You’ll be fine, T.” You say quietly, though you are absolutely sure of your words. You bring a hand up to cup his cheek and wipe some of his tears away. “You’re gonna move on and be great and show people what you’re capable of.”

Silence stretches between the two of you before you take a step away from him as you remember something. Thomas frowns at your sudden withdrawal, but you explain yourself as you both wipe at your faces to dry them as best as each of you can.

“That reminds me…” You say, digging into one of the open boxes in the corner of your room until you feel a familiar piece of fabric. You pull out Thomas’ purple hoodie — the one he gave to you the night you officially became a couple. Damn, it feels so long ago now, but it hasn’t even been two years. “Here. You should probably take this back.”

He lets out a small laugh and takes the purple fabric from you to examine it. He seems lost in thought, but after a few moments, he shakes his head and hands it back to you. “Nah. Keep it.”

When you don’t take it, his hand reaches out to one of yours and he wraps your fingers around the fabric. You try to protest, but he continues.

“Don’t want you forgettin’ about me, now, do we?” He chuckles dryly.

“I won’t forget you, Thomas.” Your voice sounds so sure of your words that Thomas has no choice but to believe you.

He swallows and looks down for a second before he glances back into your eyes. “I know.”

“You’re gonna forget about me, though.”

Thomas shakes his head and his eyebrows scrunch together and he looks like he’s about to break again before he reaches out to pull you close.

“Never.” He mumbles into your hair before he pulls back. “Hey, I mean it from the bottom of my heart. I will never forget you, Y/N Y/L/N. I couldn’t even if I tried.”

He brings his hands up to cup both sides of your face. His thumbs brush some fresh tears away before he continues to talk. “These eyes? Unforgettable. This beautiful face? Ingrained in my brain forever, sweetheart, I promise you that.” One of his thumbs lightly brushes over your lips. “Don’t even get me started on these lips. I’ll miss them for sure.”

Thomas pauses for a second before his beautiful brown eyes gaze into yours, letting you know that he truly means his next words. “I’m never going to forget any part of you, Y/N.”

You stay there, gazing at one another with nothing but pure love and admiration. Without breaking eye contact, you gingerly put Thomas’ hoodie (which is apparently yours now) back in the box you removed it from. You reach up to pull Thomas’ lips down to yours passionately. 

Thomas responds, instantly reciprocating the kiss with the same amount of emotion that you pour into it. He moves his hands from your cheeks to pull your body closer to him. Your hand digs into the material of his shirt and suddenly, you can’t get enough of each other. You both need more — to be closer — but neither of you rush anything. You take it slow and try to take in every little detail about each other.

As layer after layer of clothing comes off, you two savor the feeling of each other’s lips, bodies, and touch. Every soft moan, every sigh, every gasp, every kiss… each and every moment that you spend with each other is savored in one final heat-filled act of love.

Afterwards, you both lie in your bed under the blankets, Thomas’ arm around your naked body and your head on his bare chest. You cherish each other’s presence for one final time, basking in silence until Thomas finally breaks it, his voice barely above a whisper.

“You still sure about this, sweetheart?”

You are quiet for a few seconds before you answer, sotto voce. “Yeah, T.” You listen to his steady heartbeat as you bring your hand up to rest on his torso. “You?”

He nods slowly. “Yeah.”

A few seconds pass and you subconsciously trace little circles on his abdomen with your thumb. Thomas’ arm tightens around your waist as he pulls your closer.

“I’m sorry things have to end this way.” He mumbles against you, his deep voice reverberating throughout his chest.

“Don’t be.” You murmur, exhausted from the emotional toll this day has taken on you. But you wouldn’t trade it for the world — unless there’s a way where it doesn’t end with you and Thomas going your separate ways.

You shake your head at yourself for thinking so negatively. You promised each other something back at that diner.

“It’s not the end, T.” You speak out loud, shifting so that your head rests on the pillow and you’re face to face with Thomas. “You said it yourself before and now it’s my turn to say it: this is a ‘see you later,’ alright? So I better fucking see you later, or else.”

He laughs (oh, you’re gonna miss that laugh) and his hand slides up the curve of your hip to pull himself closer to you. “Back at ya, princess.”

You both sniffle, but you know that your time together, for the time being, at least, has come to an end — especially as both of you begin to drift off no matter how hard you try to stay awake.

“I don’t want to say goodbye.” You whisper in Thomas’ warm embrace.

Thomas responds after he brushes a strand of your hair behind your ear. “You don’t have to.” 

So neither of you do. 

And you both fall asleep, bodies entangled with one another, content to be in each other’s embrace one last time before you move away.

The next morning, Thomas wakes up before you do and he slowly untangles himself from you as he wills himself to stay strong. He dresses himself as quietly as he can before he presses one last kiss to your temple.

Then, he takes one last look at your sleeping form before he leaves, keeping his word to you and not giving either of you a chance to say your goodbyes.

⋆﹥━━━━━━━   ♛   ━━━━━━━﹤⋆

A week later, your heart beats frantically as you drop a box of things you plan on leaving behind against the wall outside of your room.

It’s minutes before you’re supposed to leave for the airport — you want to leave early in case something goes wrong and you get delayed. Sighing, you walk back into your empty room to check for any last things you may have missed packing into the many boxes that are already stashed into your parents’ car.

“Y/N?” You hear your brother call out from downstairs. “I think there’s someone waiting for you outside.”

Who could it be? You’ve already said your goodbyes to Maria earlier that day when she’d helped you finish packing.

Erik gives you a sad smile as you pass by and you give him a confused look.

“What? Who is it?” You ask, eyebrows raised. “You know we have to leave in a few, right?”

“You’ll see.” Erik says, causing you to sigh.

After determining that your final sweep (even though you’ve done it three times now) is done, you make your way past Erik and open the front door. When you make it onto your driveway, you’re shocked to see Thomas Jefferson standing there with a sheepish grin and his hands in his pockets, looking as handsome as ever.

“Thomas…” You trail off, surprised to see him after your last day together the week prior. “What are you doing here?”

Your boyfriend (well… ex now, technically) walks closer and takes his hands out of his pockets. You can see him fidgeting with his fingers as he speaks. “I uh…” He breathes out a nervous laugh before one of his hands reaches up to rub the back of his neck. 

You watch him from a few feet away as he struggles to get his words out.

“Well, I… as your… not-boyfriend wanted to say goodbye.” He says softly, shifting his eyes to the ground briefly before looking back up to gaze into yours. “I changed my mind. Leaving without saying goodbye just gutted me and made me feel like we had unfinished business. I had to see you one more time, Y/N. I-I’m sorry.” Thomas’ voice is unstable as he apologizes and you feel tears well up in your eyes as he continues. “I know this breaks our agreement and everything, but I couldn’t just let you leave before—”

You cut him off by stalking forward to wrap him into a crushing hug — a hug the two of you desperately need at the moment. Thomas doesn’t waste a second before his arms encircle your waist to hold you just as tightly to him.

Even though you had spent the entire day with each other just a week prior, the need to see each other — to feel each other — one last time has consumed you both. You agree that waking up to an empty bed without saying a proper goodbye (even though it’s what you had initially wanted) had crushed you, and it had caused you to be an emotional wreck to the following two days.

“I’m sorry.” He mumbles, sniffling before letting out a bittersweet laugh. “I just made this so much more fucking difficult for us.”

“It’s okay.” You reciprocate his laugh as tears stream down your face. “It’s so worth it, T.”

A few minutes pass by as you hold each other close.

“I know I’ve said this before, but I’m really gonna miss you.”

“I’m gonna miss you too, T.” You say quietly. “So much.”

You’ve lost track of time and your mother is the one to finally bring you and Thomas back to reality.

“Y/N, we gotta go, honey…” Your mom speaks as softly as possible from her position at the front door, and you can see the guilt on her face as she watches her daughter’s heart break. “You’re gonna be late for your flight.”

You turn back to Thomas and give him an apologetic look. “I’m sorry…”

“Don’t apologize, Y/N. You gave me the best year and eight months I could ever ask for… so thank you.”

You look up at him for a second before you sob and crash into his chest. “I love you.”

“I know. I love you, too.” He replies softly before he steels himself. “But you have a flight to catch. Which means you need to go.”

You give him one last kiss, it’s watery from both of your tears but neither of you care.

“Go be great.” He says when you pull back. “You deserve the world, Y/N.”

He holds your hand until the grip slips when you take a step towards the car.

“See you later, Thomas.”

He smiles through his tears before he replies. “I’ll see you later, sweetheart.”

You get in the car and a few seconds later, your mother pulls out of the driveway (apparently Erik and your father are going to drive separately). As the car drives away, Thomas waves from your driveway until you can’t see him anymore. You know that’s the last you’ll see of him for a while.

And maybe, just maybe, you regret leaving him behind.

But a voice lingers in the back of your mind that gives you some sort of relief:

If it’s meant to be, then it’s meant to be.

#thomas jefferson x reader #daveed diggs x reader #jefferson x reader #thomas jefferson imagine #daveed diggs imagine #high school au #hamilton fanfic #thomas jefferson fanfic #wideout #feel free to yell at me #but on the bright side #GET READY TO MEET NFL!THOM #what a man