I made a note on my phone that I will check -
-footwork(always be moving feet)/recover -watch opponent/anticipate shots -Leave room behind baseline, but watch for short/drop shots -Keep Balance -Follow through on every groundstokes -Loose grip -Breathe….
I always seem to get super tight and sometimes get in my head about the wrong things.

Trade URL - Steam Profile

• Buyouts valued as items in cash prices.
• Mainly interested in trading but taking offers through third party websites.
• Taking TF2 keys (Mann Co. Supply Crate Key) as well.
• Sending a trade offer is the fastest way to contact me, you can either dm or add me on steam.

🔥Feel free to join my steam trading group InventoryHub - excluding spammers and alt accounts.
//

Type	Name	FV	Info	Tradable	SS	B/O ($)
💔Knife	★ Karambit Case Hardened (BS)	0.83	#463 - red eye pattern	Yes	📷	12345
💔Knife	★ StatTrak™ M9 Bayonet Case Hardened (FT)	0.16	#503 - tier 1 pattern with scar	Yes	📷	5555
💔Knife	★ Karambit Case Hardened (WW)	0.42	#670 - blue ring & blue playside	Yes	📷	4444
💔Knife	★ Bayonet Case Hardened (WW)	0.42	#321 - p4	Yes	📷	2499
💔Knife	★ Talon Knife Crimson Web (FT)	0.29		5/22/2024	📷	446
💔Knife	★ Nomad Knife Case Hardened (BS)	0.98	decent amount of mixed blue	5/22/2024	📷	303
💔Knife	★ Huntsman Knife Autotronic (FT)	0.35		5/26/2024	📷	212
💙Gloves	★ Sport Gloves Slingshot (FT)	0.26		5/23/2024	📷	969
💙Gloves	★ Hydra Gloves Case Hardened (BS)	0.77	#829 - p1	Yes	📷	938
💙Gloves	★ Driver Gloves King Snake (FT)	0.19		Yes	📷	532
💙Gloves	★ Driver Gloves Snow Leopard (FT)	0.20		5/23/2024	📷	521
💙Gloves	★ Driver Gloves Snow Leopard (FT)	0.20		5/22/2024	📷	521
💙Gloves	★ Specialist Gloves Crimson Web (FT)	0.22	#89 - tier1 pattern with clean E	Yes	📷	499
💙Gloves	★ Specialist Gloves Field Agent (FT)	0.16		Yes	📷	426
💙Gloves	★ Specialist Gloves Mogul (FT)	0.16		5/26/2024	📷	218
💙Gloves	★ Moto Gloves Smoke Out (FT)	0.19		Yes	📷	198
💙Gloves	★ Moto Gloves Turtle (FT)	0.15		5/27/2024	📷	180
💙Gloves	★ Driver Gloves Diamondback (FT)	0.31		Yes	📷	127
💚Rifle	StatTrak™ AK-47 Slate (FN)	0.00004	x4 vox holo kato15 on super low float ak (1/2)	Yes	📷	3999
💚Rifle	M4A1-S Cyrex (FN)	0.04	ibuypower holo kato14 above mag + x2 crown foil	Yes	📷	3333
💚Rifle	AK-47 Fire Serpent (FT)	0.18	vox holo kato14 on wood + crown foil next position	Yes	📷	3333
💚Rifle	AWP Asiimov (FT)	0.29	titan holo kato14 on the scope	Yes	📷	3125
💚Rifle	AK-47 Black Laminate (FT)	0.35	x4 kato14 (ibuypower holo on wood, titan, lgb holo, reason)	Yes	📷	2599
💚Rifle	StatTrak™ M4A4 In Living Color (FN)	0.042000	x4 dignitas holo col14 (1/1)	Yes	📷	2499
💚Rifle	StatTrak™ AWP Electric Hive (FN)	0.03	dignitas holo col14 on the scope + x3 holo kato14 (vp, dignitas, mystik)	Yes	📷	1666
💚Rifle	AK-47 Case Hardened (FT)	0.37	ibuypower holo kato14 above trigger	Yes	📷	1449
💚Rifle	StatTrak™ AK-47 Slate (FN)	0.01	x4 fnatic holo dh14	Yes	📷	749
💚Rifle	AK-47 The Empress (WW)	0.39	x4 gold krakow17 (dosia, pashabiceps, x2 nbk)	Yes	📷	669
💚Rifle	M4A4 Eye of Horus (FN)	0.06		Yes	📷	664
💚Rifle	StatTrak™ AK-47 Phantom Disruptor (FN)	0.05	x4 navi holo dh14 (1/1)	Yes	📷	549
💚Rifle	AK-47 Fuel Injector (FN)	0.06	x2 flammable Foil (wood and back)	Yes	📷	549
💚Rifle	AWP Redline (MW)	0.11	titan kato14 on the scope	Yes	📷	369
💚Rifle	AK-47 Asiimov (FN)	0.06		5/26/2024	📷	201
💚Rifle	StatTrak™ M4A4 Faded Zebra (BS)	0.78	high float - x4 kato14 (3dmax, vox, ldlc, complexity)	Yes	📷	199
💚Rifle	M4A4 Temukau (FN)	0.06	x4 c9 kato15 (1/1)	Yes	📷	179
💚Rifle	StatTrak™ AK-47 Vulcan (BS)	0.46		Yes	📷	164
💚Rifle	StatTrak™ AK-47 Red Laminate (WW)	0.38	harp of war holo next to wood	Yes	📷	149
💚Rifle	M4A1-S Hyper Beast (FN)	0.03		5/26/2024	📷	129
💚Rifle	StatTrak™ AWP Asiimov (BS)	0.81		Yes	📷	120
💚Rifle	StatTrak™ AK-47 The Empress (MW)	0.13		5/26/2024	📷	119
💚Rifle	StatTrak™ AK-47 Legion of Anubis (FN)	0.06		Yes	📷	50,81
💚Rifle	AWP Chrome Cannon (BS)	0.69		5/26/2024	📷	37,7
💚Rifle	M4A1-S Chantico's Fire (FT)	0.26		5/26/2024	📷	28,13
💚Rifle	AWP Worm God (MW)	0.11	x3 kato15 (envyus holo on scope * x2 clg)	Yes	📷	22
💚Rifle	AK-47 Head Shot (FT)	0.32		5/26/2024	📷	11,63
💛Pistol	USP-S Stainless (WW)	0.43	titan holo kato14 above handle & x2 titan holo kato15	Yes	📷	2499
💛Pistol	USP-S Overgrowth (FN)	0.06	crown foil above handle (rare combo)	Yes	📷	279
💛Pistol	P250 Mehndi (FN)	0.04	x4 kato14 (vp, mousesports, fnatic mystik)	Yes	📷	222
💛Pistol	StatTrak™ Desert Eagle Conspiracy (FN)	0.03	x4 liquid mlg16	Yes	📷	36
💛Pistol	Desert Eagle Code Red (FT)	0.31		5/26/2024	📷	20,03
💜SMG	Souvenir UMP-45 Urban DDPAT (FT)	0.35	titan foil kato14	Yes	📷	169
💜SMG	StatTrak™ MP9 Airlock (FN)	0.06		5/26/2024	📷	29,01

My girlfriend and I were together for two years, part of it was long distance. We were previously good friends for 5 years, then she was the one that caught feelings and pursued me first. During our relationship she always told me things like “I’m the one”, we talked about how we would get married and grow old together, she made so many promises that she was 100% sure of me and that she’d never leave. She would say things like “we’ve known each other in every lifetime”. We got together even though I was leaving for a masters study, she said she thought she’d never do long distance again but for me it was worth it, bc she was 100% sure I’m the guy she wants. I left a week after we got together, and I was gone for about a year. During that time we visited once a month, it was always great. I eventually moved back and we spent another year together in person. I’m sorry if this post is too long.
She ended things about a month ago. During the breakup she gave me very vague answers so I couldn’t get the closure I needed. I decided to reach out a week after the breakup to ask why she did it, and what she said killed me inside.
She said that she knew we were compatible and I’m an amazing person but felt like she was settling for me, and she didn’t want to live her life like that when she thinks she can find something better. She said she believes in that soulmate connection with one person when you know deep inside you that this is “it”, and she didn’t feel like that with me, she didn’t think I was “it”. But we did say to each other during the relationship that this was “it”, she told me so many times that I’m the one, so I don’t know how a flip just switched in her brain. She also said she realized she didn’t love me in the way “real love” is, and maybe she just loved the idea of me. She said she always felt the need to be accepted and loved by people and I made her feel like that. She said when you truly love someone you’d sacrifice things for them, and she wouldn’t sacrifice things for me. She said she was forcing herself to be comfortable around me, and it wasn’t the type of comfort that it should be with “the one”.
How the fuck does it take you two years to realize you don’t love someone in the way “real love” is? Especially after all the emotional intimacy we shared. How could you be uncomfortable with me? I was her first kiss, her first hand hold, she said she was saving those things for the right person and she did them with me. Why would she feel like shes settling for me when she’s the one that pursued me first? She went all out to “get me” and be in a relationship with me. Am I really the type of guy that gets settled for? That hurts like hell. She said she was having all these thoughts during the last 4 months of the relationship. But literally a month ago, I felt that she’s been a bit cold, and I asked if everything was okay. She said “nothings wrong, I’ve been really stressed with school/work. But nothings wrong with us, maybe something’s just wrong with me with all the stress. But we’re good, that doesn’t mean I don’t love you or that I’d ever give up on us, I’d never do that. Don’t worry I still love you and I’ll always be here.” She said that word for word. So she was lying to me? Why would you lie instead of communicating openly? If she had told me she was having those thoughts it would’ve been easier for me, but she gave me that reassurance and then blindsided me a month later. I told her it’s normal to lose feelings in a relationship after a while, that eventually that initial spark or honeymoon phase ends, and that’s when the real relationship starts and you work on building a life together. Love eventually becomes a choice and not just a feeling. But she said she wouldn’t lose feelings with the right person. Now I’m the wrong person when she literally told me a million times that we were always meant for each other. I told her I think she’ll end up being disappointed when she realizes there is no “one” person that gives you that magical feeling for life, you eventually reach a point where you have to choose that person everyday. Relationships are hard and most of them end up losing that initial spark, but it’s an opportunity for a new kind of love to blossom, a love based off commitment and loyalty to each other. That’s the only way a relationship can last forever. And during our relationship we even acknowledged that fact together and we told each other that if the feelings fade we will always choose each other no matter what happens. It makes no sense to me. And if she actually lost feelings and fell out of love, that’s fine. But to say she never loved me in the way “real love” is, that makes no sense to me and it’s killing me inside. Have I just been blind and stupid the entire relationship? How does it take TWO YEARS to realize that? She said to me, “maybe you can choose someone and settle for them and learn to love them, but I believe there’s one person out there that is meant for me and when I find them I will know it deep inside me.” Yea, I believed that too. I believed it because I thought it was you. Just because I chose you doesn’t mean I’m settling for you or learning to love you. I thought you were meant for me. It’s so ridiculous I don’t understand, she used to be so sure that I was the one, she knew it deep inside her that I was. And now she’s saying that when she finds it, she’ll know. Well you knew it with me and now you don’t.
Part of me understands why she lost feelings, we didn’t really have a strong base. We were together for only a week before I left for a year. I feel like it wasn’t enough time for the physical attraction to build up and to get to know each other in person. By the time we visited each other, a lot of time had passed and the spark wasn’t the same as the beginning, it was kinda awkward at first. We got into a serious committed relationship talking about future marriage, before we ever hugged each other. She was scared to kiss me, maybe that’s why she said she was forcing herself to be comfortable. But eventually we kissed and it was great. During the visits it felt like everything was going great and that our relationship was getting stronger. I didn’t think that she was uncomfortable. I feel like if we had done all the intimate things in the beginning, we would have a base to build off of and the spark would be alive.
Also I keep blaming myself and wondering what I did wrong. I’m just certain that it’s my fault, that I made her lose attraction. Maybe I wasn’t manly enough or attractive enough. Maybe I was too boring or uninteresting or too “stable”. Being in love with someone basically means you have to be sexually attracted to them first, that’s what separates family love from romantic love. Maybe I didn’t do enough to keep her attracted to me, so she felt like she lost feelings. It was really hard with the distance. I tried, I really tried. I would always flirt and tease her, I tried not to let the relationship feel like it was a platonic friendship over time. I was always confident and “manly” with her, I stood my ground when she did things I didn’t like, I wasn’t needy. We sexted and video called all the time. I always planned amazing dates. I tried to keep the fun alive. I don’t know what else I could’ve done to keep her attracted. I truly feel like if we had been in person the whole time, it would’ve worked and she would’ve still been attracted to me. It’s just different when you’re there physically. But we both knew this, we acknowledged that it was gonna be hard and the feelings may fade, but we said we’d always choose each other no matter what. Maybe it was inevitable with the distance, but at the end she said it wasn’t because of the distance, she believes with the right person the distance wouldn’t matter. So I just wasn’t the right person for her, I was for a while, but I let her lose attraction for me. Your view on love and attraction may differ, but I learned that it’s the guy’s responsibility to keep a woman attracted, it’s about how he acts and behaves that keeps her attracted. So it’s my fault she lost attraction, it’s something I did. For example when I look back at the first visit, a mistake I made was asking to kiss her instead of just going for it. She said no, maybe because I came off as unconfident and that turned her off. I was so nervous during the first visit because there was so much expectation built up inside my head. Maybe that prevented me from being able to genuinely enjoy myself around her and attract her. Eventually though, we got comfortable with each other and we kissed and it was great. I felt the spark was there. I don’t think she met someone else, I asked her and she said no. Yea maybe she could’ve lied, but i know her and I don’t think she would do that. She said “you know me, I would never allow myself to do that while I’m in a relationship. The reasons are solely because I don’t feel in love with you anymore.”
We hit a little rut near the end because we were both very busy, but I didn’t think it was concerning because she always gave reassurance and made it seem like everything is fine. It feels like shit hearing that someone was settling for me. Why wasn’t I enough? I keep looking back and thinking what I could’ve done different to keep her attracted. I keep nitpicking at myself and feeling insecure about the way I am. She was so sure of me in the beginning so I must’ve done something along the way to make her lose feelings. She let me tear my walls down and trust her fully, then she left. It feels like I’m not worthy of love because she saw something in me and decided she didn’t want me. What hurts the most is that to me, she was “it”, to me she was the one. And she said that to me too and I believed her. I felt that she truly meant it when she said that. She would tell me she was always attracted to me and had feelings during our friendship but she “locked them in a box” because she was too afraid. She even told me that I was a walking green flag and that I was perfect and I did nothing wrong. It hurts to know she thinks that yet she still decided she didn’t want me. It kills to know that one day she’ll get married, he’ll get to hold her and kiss her and have a family, and it won’t be with me. I can’t stand the thought of her being intimate with someone else. And it’s the thought that, whoever she ends up with, will be better than me in a way. She will love him more than she loved me. He will make her feel what I couldn’t make her feel. And I’m blaming myself so much that I couldn’t make her feel like that anymore. I’m grieving the future that we both planned together. I feel so betrayed, I feel like shit. Most of all I just really miss her, we knew each other for 7 years and now we’re just strangers again.
I’ve been hurt before, I’ve had a few breakups, but this one hurts the most. I don’t know what it is about this girl that makes me feel like I’ll never find anyone better. I know that time heals everything but I feel like this has damaged me on a deep level, I feel like I can’t let my walls down again. I don’t want to love again and risk getting hurt. I can’t invest myself fully into someone if I’m always afraid they’re going to blindside me. I know a breakup shouldn’t define your self worth, but it’s just the idea that the person I loved doesn’t see herself spending her life with me anymore, that makes me feel really bad. It’s the thought that she saw something in me that made her decide she doesn’t love me. She analyzed our relationship and thought “I want someone better”. The thought that it’s my fault, that it’s something I did. I didn’t have enough “game”. I couldn’t keep her attraction high. I can’t stand the idea of her getting married one day and finding her “it”. Of course I want her to be happy but I’d be lying if I said that doesn’t kill me inside.
Nobody is perfect but she was close to it. She’s such a rare breed, she had everything I wanted in a woman and it’s so hard to come by. I wish I had a reason to hate her but she’s genuinely an amazing person. She did nothing bad to me, we barely fought and when we did it was very gentle. Our entire relationship was pretty much perfect up until the end. I’ve never been with someone that was this compatible with me. She’s the kindest human, she’s intelligent, she’s very mature, she’s beautiful inside and out, she’s very warm and gentle. And the fact that she’s such a sweet and genuine person makes it way harder. If she had cheated or something I think this would’ve been easier on me, because I’d see her as a bad person. But she’s not a bad person. It hurts way more knowing that she was feeling like she wanted to end things, but at the same time she was trying to convince herself to love me, because she didn’t want to hurt me. She didn’t want to break her promises, she was trying so hard not to, but in the end she couldn’t lie to herself anymore. Why do I have to feel like someone has to convince themselves to love me? Why does someone have to force themselves to believe I’m the one? Why can’t anyone ever just truly believe it with their entire soul, that they want to be with me. When I asked for reassurance and she told me she still loved me and would never give up, she was trying to convince herself because she didn’t want to hurt me. It was all lies. Every “I love you” in the last 4 months was a lie. I feel like such an idiot that I was sitting there for the past 4 months thinking that everything was going great. She was just faking her affection the whole time. Imagine hearing that someone was forcing themselves to love you. No one was forcing you! The exit door has always been open, no one forced her to stay, no one forced her to pursue me in the first place. I told her many times that I just want truth and transparency in our relationship, yet she hid all of those things. She said she hid them because she cared about me and didn’t want to hurt me, and she was trying to make it work. But if she truly cared for me, she would know that I deserve honesty, I deserve to know the truth even if it hurts. I don’t deserve to live in a lie. If she cared for me she would let me go find someone who truly loves me, instead of just pretending to love me. By lying, she was only caring about herself, to relieve herself of the guilt. The breakup would’ve been way smoother if she just told the truth from the start, but now I feel like an idiot who sat there for 4 months thinking that everything was going well, when in reality it wasn’t.
There’s so many things I loved about her. I loved the way she cries during every movie, she thinks she’s too sensitive but I think it’s beautiful to feel your emotions that deeply. I loved the way her face lights up when she smiles. I loved how she would call me just to tell me silly little things about her day. I loved her curiosity and wonder for the universe. I loved how she would run into my arms when she saw me. She just understood me, and I understood her. I can’t hate her, I wish I could, but I just love her with all my heart. I don’t think I’ll ever stop. Even when 20 years pass and I’m over this and we’re both married to other people, I will still love her and wish the best for her. I miss her so much, I miss talking to her. I know we can't be friends, but I really wish I could still have her in my life. But I shouldn't wish that I guess, because she decided she wants to live her life without me in it. I can’t believe she could decide to lose me forever when she always said she could never live without me.
The worst part is, I reacted to the break up very emotionally. I showed how hurt I was, I wrote a long paragraph, and I brought up all the promises she made. That was a mistake, it probably killed any ounce of attraction she had left. If there was any chance of her coming back or realizing it was a mistake, I destroyed that chance. I made it look like I can’t live without her. I didn’t beg for her back at all, but I kept pushing for answers and explanations. I asked her what I did wrong and stuff, and that made me look super desperate. I should’ve just accepted the break up immediately and cut off all communication. Maybe then she would’ve thought about it, she would wonder why I wasn’t upset and have second thoughts about her decision. It would make me look more attractive in her eyes. But no I ruined it forever. Now all I want to do is salvage some respect, to make her see me as a valuable person. Not as someone who can’t live without her. Deep down I really want her to have a change of heart, I want her to feel re-attracted somehow, after having some time and space away from the situation. But I ruined her image of me. Now I’m looking back and analyzing every little thing about our relationship and wondering what I should’ve done better. I realized I made a lot of mistakes, which at the time I didn’t think were mistakes, but now looking back it’s probably my fault she lost attraction. I didn’t do enough.
I told myself during the relationship that “everything is temporary, don’t get too attached, life can change at any moment”. I know those things because I’ve learned my lessons from the past, but this is still killing me. I know almost everyone has been heartbroken, I’m nothing special, every human has been through this before. I just need to hear that it wasn’t my fault or that I’ll find someone better eventually. I’m blaming myself a lot right now and I keep thinking that she wouldn’t have left if I had been attractive enough. I generally consider myself a confident person but this has set me back a lot, it’s ruining my self esteem. Maybe I have attachment issues that I need to work on. I know that time will heal this, but right now I can’t imagine myself finding someone that’s better. I feel like the idea of “the one” has been ruined for me. I want to believe it, but I don’t think I do anymore. Even if I find another person who I think is the one, there’s always the possibility that they will change their mind. There’s always a chance that all of their words and actions were just lies. A lot of people get into relationships because they love the idea of being in love, not because they are actually in love with the person.
Thank you for reading this far, I know it’s a long post. I needed somewhere to vent, I don’t have many people to talk to. When I cry, I cry alone. And during the act of crying I start to hate myself for being such a bitch. I know it’s perfectly okay to cry and feel your emotions but it’s hard to escape the conditioning that I’m used to. I have friends and family but, I can’t express my emotions the way I did in this post. People have their own lives and worries and they don’t want to deal with someone’s silly heartbreak I guess.
TL;DR - my gf and I broke up a month ago, she said she was settling for me and that I wasn’t the “one”, even though she made promises and assured me that she wouldn’t leave. I keep blaming myself and wondering what I did wrong.

Live Results
Live Stream
We're back for a big Sunday of racing in absolutely BEAUTIFUL conditions! Most of the small boat titles have been awarded, and congrats to all newly-christened National Champions! I'm at NE Regionals again today so somewhat limited for time, so I'm keeping it to the Novice 8+s and Varsity 8+s and 4+s. In we go!

WN8+ (10:51 am)

Powerful showing from Purdue as they claim the championship! They took a half boat length lead off the start and stayed in control through the whole race. UCSB gave them no room to relax as they retained contact through the whole race, but Purdue would not be denied and crossed the line with their coxswain on UCSB's bow seat. The race for third was super compelling, with Bowdoin racing out to an early 5-seat lead on Illinois. Camera angles made it hard to tell, but somewhere in the third 500, Illinois hit Bowdoin with a move that Bowdoin simply could not respond to and took a lead heading into the last 500, and Illinois held on for the rest of the race to round out the podium. Great racing all around! Now let's see if Purdue's male counterparts can bring home the gold on the other side.

MN8+ (11:04 am)

Strong start by Coast, taking roughly half a length lead on the field through the first minute, but Purdue absorbed the blow and and had taken a two seat lead through the 1000m. By around 1250m Purdue had a bow-to-stern lead on OCC and looked to be in full control of the race for gold. Cameras focused mainly on the leaders so it was hard to tell, but it looked like a tight race for third between Minnesota and UC Davis with Bucknell just a bit off the pace and USC off the pace. Entering the last 500, Minnesota and UC Davis were in a dead heat for third while OCC and Purdue's positions were mostly unchanged. Entering the red buoys, UC Davis had maybe a one seat advantage, but Minnesota looked to be winding up one last killer sprint. UC Davis managed to hold onto their slight advantage for a bow deck win for third! Purdue finished off a dominant campaign with national title, OCC close behind ~4 seats back, and UC Davis absorbed late charges from Minnesota and Bucknell to take bronze, with Minnesota finishing 0.2s back and Bucknell 0.17 back of Minnesota!

WV4+ (11:18 am)

All weekend this has looked like FIT's race to lose, and they proved it with a dominant start off the line to have open water by the minute mark and multiple lengths of open water by the two minute mark. Behind them, a tight race for the last two medals formed, with Lafayette having a bow-to-stern lead over Texas and Virginia Tech locked in a dead heat up to the 1000m mark. Through the 1000m, VaTech took a strong move to take a length lead on Texas and chew into Lafayette's margin, though Lafayette maintained a full length lead on the challengers. Crossing the 1500 saw now meaningful change in the margins, with FIT walking away from the field while Lafayette maintained a stiff-arm lead over VaTech while Texas fell off the pace a bit. Entering the red buoys there was no drama, with FIT poised to claim it's second-straight ACRA title! Lafayette held its length advantage all the way to the line, and Virginia Tech crossed two seconds later to claim its bronze. Well raced by all!

MV4+ (11:32 am)

M2V8+ (11:45 am)

W2V8+ (11:58 am)

MV8+ (12:36 pm)

WV8+ (12:43 pm)

Hello,
It didn't seem to bother me last year, but this year I find my neck really sore from riding and my helmet very noisy to only find that the wind is the culprit. It seems like the cbr650r is not aerodynamically designed to go above the rider.
I would feel the wind at or around my clavicle bones meaning my whole head is exposed to wind.
I tested a ducati, and the wind was not a factor I would even say my helmet noise is super low.
I've researched "double bubble" windshields but, at very best it only marginally moves the wind up keeping the helmet still exposed.
Anyone else have this problem? Especially on a windy day going against the wind it's ridiculous.

After replaying the game, I actually enjoy it alot more than Donkey Kong Country and World, yes the bosses are the weakest part, but Castle Bowser is now my favorite 2D Mario final boss, it's really fun and really good imo, I even love his design, yes he looks like another head and hands boss, but I think this is Nintendo's best head and hands boss and it's still amazing to me! The levels are amazing too, the art style is really good, and the music is amazing. What do you guys think of Super Mario Bros. Wonder and its final boss? :)

Hi there,
First post on the Audi S4/RS4 sub. I'm looking at perhaps buying an Audi RS4 of the B8 generation in the near future as a birthday present to myself. I love the looks of the car as well as the fact that the engine is an NA V8 that revs high and sounds great. I am generally a fan of wagons (see my posts for my current car) and therefore also really appreciate the added practicality of the RS4 over the RS5. Four-wheel drive is something I am not used to, however, so it'll be interesting to see how it affects the driving dynamics.
I currently drive a BMW E46 330i Touring with rear wheel drive, a manual gearbox and a 3L NA i6 engine. These cars have solid reliability associated with them, once of course the cooling system has been replaced, and the variable valve timing (VANOS) has been redone after a few 100k kilometres. In my ownership, I've had to spend nearly 1300€ in the first year (purchased for 4800€) to get it in proper running shape, including tyres and rust repair. It's been super reliable ever since, and I'm planning on replacing a bunch of service items as well as the exhaust for a new OE exhaust, so that come sale time, I will probably even make money on the car itself. The reason I'm looking to move on from the E46 is that I've now gotten into a better job that pays significantly more than my last one, and I would like a car with more modern creature comforts and tech, however I would also like to continue to have a car with a soul and good driving dynamics - plenty of that in my E46. Additionally, whenever I do purchase the RS4, I may be in a position to either buy it outright or pay half upfront and finance the rest. Good examples go for 30000-35000€ in Germany.
Coming from an early 2000s BMW , I am aware that a higher strung engine paired with a DCT and an AWD in the RS4 will have more things that can potentially go wrong, and therefore will also have higher associated costs. But at least it's not a hybrid. I wanted to come on here and ask if there are any particular reliability aspects to consider in this generation of RS4, aside from the front diff oil change interval every 30000km, and the main gearbox oil change every 65000km paired with the diff oil change again. Regardless of what the recommended oil change interval is for the engine, I personally plan to take it no further than 15000-20000km between oil changes.
Are these engines prone to spontaneously blowing themselves up? Do they drop valves into the engine? Are they particularly picky about which fuel they need? In Germany I'm sure you can find the right octane rating, but will they, in a pinch, also run on RON95/95E10? Does the dynamic ride control tend to give out really as fast as videos on YouTube suggest? Are there any particular electrical issues that I'd need to chase down?
Lastly, if there are any owners of the B8 RS4 here, how have you liked the car so far? What are your estimated yearly running costs, and how often have you run into issues? If you have the adaptive cruise control/lane keeping and departure warning assists, how well do they work? How is the tech inside the car, can I stream my music from Spotify into the car via Bluetooth, or would it make more sense to retrofit Android Auto/Apple Carplay into the head unit?
Thanks for your help and time! Looking forward to your comments :)

Hi all. My current phone (Moto One 5G UW Ace) is almost paid off and I'm in need of an upgrade. I've recently changed jobs and this is the first time I've had to use my personal phone for business, so I need one with some good specs. I'm hoping you guys can help me find a good android that meets my needs below, but if an iPhone is what I need then tell me.
I've been an android follow ever since I was able to recognize Apples shady business practices, but I'll bite the bullet if I need to.
My needs:
Large memory capacity - for personal use, I use large apps like PoGo and stuff like that, but for work I need a lot of storage space for pictures (I'm an engineer and need to collect a lot of pictures at client sites). And I believe memory is what governs agile app functionality (apps opening and switching quickly). I also currently use a micro SD card for all my pictures, so it'd be nice if the new phone had that capability so I can take the SD out and put it in the new one.
Good and FAST camera quality - as mentioned above, I take a lot of pictures for my job. I need a camera that takes clear pictures in a variety of lights while also being FAST. My current camera isn't bad, but it locks up my phone whenever I try to use it. I had an iPhone for work once and switching between the camera and other apps was so quick and non-intrusive and I'd like to get that again.
Battery life - The longer, the better. I've only ever used Motorolas in the past (I currently have a Moto One 5G UW Ace) because of their battery life, but nowadays it doesn't seem line Motos are heads-and-shoulders above anyone else in this regard.
Connectivity - My phone does not play nicely with my wife's iPhone. Pictures we send to each other turn out poor and sometimes there's a delay in receiving messages.
My wants:
Fingerprint scanner - I'm not a fan of the face-based unlocking, but I do love the quick opening of a fingerprint scanner.
Car connectivity - My current phone is garbage at connecting to my car via Android Auto. It takes way too long and I feel is actually kind of a safety hazard because of the delayed response times.
Separate profiles? - I think this is more of a software thing, but I'm asking just in case there's a company that really good for this: Since I use this for both work and play, I'd like to keep them as separate as possible. It'd be nice if I had two different instances of the OS running at the same time (like having different desktops running off the same machine) so that files and apps I have for my personal use can't bleed over into my work environment.
Large size - I don't think this will be a problem because of how the market works, but the larger the screen, be happier I will be. Not super critical though.
Peripherals - I'm looking into a smart-watch in the future, so something that plays well natively with my phone would be nice. USB-C port for hooking into things. Wireless charging would be cool, but it's not super critical.
Country of origin - I know Chinese companies have been making waves recently, but I'd prefer to stay away from devices affiliated with geopolitical rivals of the county in which I reside (USA). I don't really care THAT much, but I feel like it may save some headache in the future.
My constraints:
Carrier - My carrier is Verizon and I'm still squatting on my parents' account (yay millennials) so this would be purely a hardware upgrade. No new lines, no changing of plans. I know good phones probably run around or above $1000 now but the more affordable I can be with Verizon, the better.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. And again, if the answer is an iPhone, just rip the bandaide off so I can make piece with myself before making my wife happy.

SPOILERS AHEAD
Just finished Sugar and still trying to piece something together in my head.
What was the connection between Olivia killing Clifford and anything else in the story?
Wasn’t this completely unrelated to the reason stallings kidnapped her, which was initiated by Davy and had nothing to do with Clifford?
Also, Stalling was looking into the disappearance of Clifford from the start. Did he actually kidnap Clifford’s killer for an unrelated reason, and had her the whole time without realizing? If so, what was the purpose of the Clifford storyline if it had nothing to do with anything else? Was it just a super unlikely coincidence that Olivia killed the associate of Stallings, her future kidnapper?
If Stallings actually knew about Olivia killing Clifford and kidnapped her for that reason, why was he looking into it further? My thoughts would be he was looking for the body, and Clifford’s phone with incriminating info on it, but then wouldn’t Sugar have pieced this together early on?
Loved the show, but this makes me think it was included just to throw the audience off, which I don’t love.

Am starting of by saying that this might turn out a rant but I wld suggest you please read it
Where do I even start by writing this idk cuz am filled with pain right now.
I have a very abusive family. Straight up narcissistic parents. Drunkard father who almost everyday beats and talks shit to my mother. My room is quite close to theirs so it's nearly I possible for me to not hear their rant. Father always speaks shit and is always vulgar to me This is not something new to me. For information I (15M) currently passed my 10th and got pretty good grades (according to me). All this shirt has been going around from the time I was ig 2-3 yrs old. From the time I was a kid I had always been put as the reason for everything. Listening to my mother saying that, 'you shouldn't have been born' is also quite usual. I seldom try to listen to whatever they spit bout me but things haven't been such good now. I just want leave all this place and run away. Call me the God's favourite child, not good at a thing, learnt a lot of skill but never got any appreciation for anything in my life. Am drowning to the point where if any bad thing happens to me I don't even feel bad or cry about it cause, not a single good thing has happened in my life.
My parents have deliberately chosen for me to study through allen digital while I wanted to go to an offline coaching. I do have good devices like a laptop, tablet but this was not what I wanted to do. I have been struggling to study with their shouting always in my ears. Even though I got 89.8% in boards they are not happy with it and called me a disgust. Like how to am I supposed to study they were even fighting when my boards were there. Always throws the food on the floor and I have to daily clean up the mess. Fight for my mothers side so that he can stop arguing with him. And what I get for all this? He yells at me saying, "tujhe to mai sadak pe bheekh mangwaunga".Translation: "I'll make you beg in the streets".
I just wanted someone to love and take care of me. I liked talking to a girl and was kinda interested in her but she just replied with dry texts but oh boy rather did I know what was supposed to happen. Was going puberty so sent very cringe texts and posts to her which I am embarrassed of now. Later I found out that all my texts were leaked to her friend group as her situationship had been texting me the times when she was not around and had access to her insta. I felt so bad that I deleted my insta and snap accounts.
Cherry on top I was sexually assaulted when I was 4-5 as someone friend of my father used to make me Suck his Dick and Lick his ass. This trauma isn't leaving from my head cuz there are only blurry images of what he used to do to me. (I was too young to understand and haven't told this to my parents yet)
Am lost completely as he's even ruining my summer vacations and I got to study for jee too( I want to have a career in astronomy ). I seriously don't know what to do with my life. I can't even kill myself as it's super lame and my momma's gonna be sad. If anyone's got any help and hopium for me please share. Am writing this with eyes full of tears.
Also thanks for listening to my rant🫶. Hoping for a good life for y'all

I know I'm going to sound like the biggest moron for posting this because the VRE lists where these lots are. I tried to find parking last year for a 9:25am Amtrak train heading to DC and had to park on the street since I couldn't find a spot open in the lots and was stressed out about missing my train.
I'm going back to the office 3x a week and will need to take the latest VRE train or the 8:25am Amtrak (I don't need to be in the office super early). Not a city resident. Can someone please tell me where the large commuter lot is in town? I was told it was by the old Purina Building but I can't figure it out and want to do a dry run today to lessen my anxiety. Most likely I'll be doing this route on Monday and Friday, with the other date TBD. I might mix it up with the Springfield Metro drive. I live West of town, so Leeland wouldn't really help.
Again, apologies for being an idiot. Absolutely been dreading this, but no choice now. Thanks!

19M I used to be able to just find a girl attractive and with zero effort pull her and get her number as late as of last year before I joined the army, in July 2023 I got my head shaved and with my locks destroyed I find it super hard to find the confidence to try and flirt with girls even after growing some hair back. I feel like I’ve forgotten how to talk to girls entirely along with the good looks I used it have (not saying I’m ugly, just not hot) I don’t know what to do at this point.

Hi there,
First post on the Audi sub. I'm looking at perhaps buying an Audi RS4 of the B8 generation in the near future as a birthday present to myself. I love the looks of the car as well as the fact that the engine is an NA V8 that revs high and sounds great. I am generally a fan of wagons (see my posts for my current car) and therefore also really appreciate the added practicality of the RS4 over the RS5. Four-wheel drive is something I am not used to, however, so it'll be interesting to see how it affects the driving dynamics.
I currently drive a BMW E46 330i Touring with rear wheel drive, a manual gearbox and a 3L NA i6 engine. These cars have solid reliability associated with them, once of course the cooling system has been replaced, and the variable valve timing (VANOS) has been redone after a few 100k kilometres. In my ownership, I've had to spend nearly 1300€ in the first year (purchased for 4800€) to get it in proper running shape, including tyres and rust repair. It's been super reliable ever since, and I'm planning on replacing a bunch of service items as well as the exhaust for a new OE exhaust, so that come sale time, I will probably even make money on the car itself. The reason I'm looking to move on from the E46 is that I've now gotten into a better job that pays significantly more than my last one, and I would like a car with more modern creature comforts and tech, however I would also like to continue to have a car with a soul and good driving dynamics - plenty of that in my E46. Additionally, whenever I do purchase the RS4, I may be in a position to either buy it outright or pay half upfront and finance the rest. Good examples go for 30000-35000€ in Germany.
Coming from an early 2000s BMW , I am aware that a higher strung engine paired with a DCT and an AWD in the RS4 will have more things that can potentially go wrong, and therefore will also have higher associated costs. But at least it's not a hybrid. I wanted to come on here and ask if there are any particular reliability aspects to consider in this generation of RS4, aside from the front diff oil change interval every 30000km, and the main gearbox oil change every 65000km paired with the diff oil change again. Regardless of what the recommended oil change interval is for the engine, I personally plan to take it no further than 15000-20000km between oil changes.
Are these engines prone to spontaneously blowing themselves up? Do they drop valves into the engine? Are they particularly picky about which fuel they need? In Germany I'm sure you can find the right octane rating, but will they, in a pinch, also run on RON95/95E10? Does the dynamic ride control tend to give out really as fast as videos on YouTube suggest? Are there any particular electrical issues that I'd need to chase down?
Lastly, if there are any owners of the B8 RS4 here, how have you liked the car so far? What are your estimated yearly running costs, and how often have you run into issues? If you have the adaptive cruise control/lane keeping and departure warning assists, how well do they work? How is the tech inside the car, can I stream my music from Spotify into the car via Bluetooth, or would it make more sense to retrofit Android Auto/Apple Carplay into the head unit?
Thanks for your help and time! Looking forward to your comments :)

I’m a lower intermediate (I guess? Only video I have of myself surfing is here) surfer heading to Popoyo early July. Been surfing a lot for about 3 years, I am comfy in surf up to a couple feet overhead. I definitely won't be getting after the outer reef or anything like that, but want to charge barreling waves.
I mostly surf here in NY/NJ, as well as Puerto Rico (couple months per year) and my daily driver is a 5’10 x 20.5, 35L groveler with a thruster fin setup. I usually take this out even on the handful of days when it gets head high+ here. It’s not ideal but I try to make it work. The super low rocker makes it a bit of an uncontrollable rocket ship, though, especially when I go after bigger reef stuff down in PR. I just don’t like buying boards unless I have a good reason, so I’ve made do for as long as I can until it starts to feel like the board is problematic.
Well, I think it’s finally time to get a true HPSB for chest high+, especially for a Nica & CR trip I have coming up this summer. I’m 5’11, 180lbs. I’ve looked at a ton of boards but honestly they all seem so similar, it’s hard to choose. Mostly I’m looking for more rocker to help keep my speed under control. I am planning on chasing barrels with it (and expecting to get annihilated in the process - gotta pay to play!)
Anyone have any advice on some good options? Definitely going to try and grab something used, but curious what people recommend.
I see all kinds of boards that definitely have more performance than what I'm riding, but I'm not sure how much rocker to go for. For example, the 6'0 JS Monsta Box definitely looks like a blade compared to my groveler, but on the website it says "0-4ft" with a fairly low rocker... 🤷‍♂️

So I played this racing game with my hubby. His passion is being a grease monkey and gets excited by anything with enough horse power to just haul ass. I don't care for grease monkeying around, I don't care much for smelling like used motor oil, transmission fluid, dirt and sweat All at once either. That's what I have hubby for. So I was playing whatever racing he plays and I've come away from playing this racing game with him with like 4 out of 5:straight wins and a huge crush on what I thought was some new model of mustang but after hitting the in F.Y.I and having a short conversation with hubby. I'm now enlightened that it wasn't a mustang; but in fact what I have come away from a dang racing game with a crush a Shelby super snake. Of course she's a red head without white racing strips. The racing stripes reminds me of chrome or that hunk of junk that the county jails like to stick on the wall above the sink in the cells. The racing stripes color is called magnetic and I think u can see ur blurred and distorted reflection in the magnetic stripes that look good with red body paint. I told my husband I want one of these right. He was like u better be kidding me bc that's a new Shelby super snake with the big block....yada yada yada. So I flipped over a few cars and stopped on the exorcist by Hennessy in kryptonite or krypton green. My hubby said "thats more expensive than the Shelby in reality. Why u just like an equinox or a Cruz or a fiesta or maxima or something that is more suitable for lady's. I was like "excuse me! WTF do u mean suitable for lady's. Since when have u known me to be lady like in the least while ur all trying to say horse power is just for silly boys. Unless u meant something less pricey is what u meant by lady's. and darling husband it's ur lucky day. He asked "why is it so lucky." It's lucky for u I don't got a Shelby super snake right cuz I'd probably run u over. Maybe just run over ur or something but I'd still probably run u sexist shovanist ass over. Would be suitable for a lady to do? 🙊🙉🙈🤬🤬🤬🏎️🏎️🏎️🏎️

Link to serial master post for other chapters
It was difficult to find the right moment to ask Marcus about any past escape attempts. Madeline was very conscious of how much she’d already asked of him — something that Billie’s constant teasing definitely wasn’t helping with. She was also nervous about being overheard. If the wrong person noticed her asking questions, she could only imagine the trouble it might get her in — and the trouble it might get Marcus in. That was if Marcus wasn’t the wrong person himself.
So she kept putting it off. After all, it wasn’t like they were in a huge hurry. There were still so many people to ask after in here — so much more to learn and pass on to their allies outside.
But all practical excuses Madeline could come up with couldn’t silence the voice whispering at the back of her mind. She was being selfish. She didn’t want to do anything that could jeopardise her upcoming visit with Liam.
It was getting close now, and she was counting down the days.
Every second she spent working in the fields — mindlessly harvesting potatoes by muscle memory alone — her thoughts were full of imagined meetings. What would it be like to see him again? Would he have grown? Would he be as pleased to see her as she was to see him? Would he blame her for him being captured? Would he blame her for leaving him behind — even if it had been at his own request?
When Marcus finally came to tell her that the day had come — her free day tomorrow — she thought that she might explode with all the nervous excitement.
She hardly slept that night, keeping Billie up with all her wriggling and shifting, and she was up and out of bed as soon as the morning light blared on.
Breakfast was barely touched as her mind raced with more important things. Whenever Billie tried to talk to her, the words were muted and garbled to her ears, as if underwater. After the first couple of attempts to start up a conversation, they stopped trying. Her leg bounced up and down as she sat, waiting on the bottom bunk.
The wait was agonising. It was as if, the closer she got, the more each second dragged on and on and on.
Her eyes remained fixed on the door, heart jolting every time it opened. Soon, she was cursing the comings and goings of her roommates.
Until, finally, it opened onto Marcus’s familiar face.
Madeline leapt up and ran towards him. “Is it time?”
She felt a presence at her shoulder as Billie caught up.
Marcus beamed. “It’s time.” He looked between the pair of them. “Are you both ready?”
“Yes!” Madeline knew she sounded impatient, but she didn’t care.
“We’re ready,” Billie confirmed. “As I think you can tell, this one,” they gestured their head towards her, “has been ready for a loooong time.”
The young guard chuckled. “Yeah. It’s good to have someone so happy to see me for once — even if it isn’t actually for me.” He beckoned. “Come on then. I’ll take you to the visiting room.”
As they walked down the corridor, Madeline silently willed Marcus to speed up. Soon, she was glaring daggers at the back of his head, wondering if he’d always been this slow. Then, she was not so silently sighing and tapping her fingers together to let out her frustration, but it didn’t nothing to speed up the journey. The walk dragged on and on and on. Down endless corridors. Through endless buildings. Waiting for Marcus to unlock endless doors.
By the time they reached the visiting room — one final door for the guard to unlock — Madeline was ready to burst, a scream boiling up inside of her as Marcus fumbled with his keys.
But all that melted away when the door swung open, revealing a familiar pair of large blue eyes staring at her. Liam.
All the anger and frustration couldn’t survive that wide-eyed stare. All the circling thoughts and worries and woes. All the questions and regrets. Gone.
All that was left was a warmth swelling in her chest, yanking her towards the small figure waiting in the room.
She barged past Marcus, stumbling on trembling legs as she hurried forward and dropped to her knees to embrace the boy. As Liam’s arms closed around her too, it was like a piece of her that had been missing was finally found. The hollow in her chest had been filled. She was whole once again.
Somewhere, far from her concerns, she heard shuffling footsteps, followed by the door clicking shut.
She and Liam held each other like that for Lord knows how long, without a word passing between them. Words weren’t needed now. What they needed to communicate went much deeper than words.
It was only when the weight of a familiar hand settled on her shoulder that she finally drew back from the embrace — and even then, only enough to glance up at the only other person in the world who held such a strong claim on her heart as the boy in her arms.
Liam shifted too, feeling her movement. His eyes widened as he took in the unfamiliar face, pulling back further to glance at Madeline.
She gave him her best, reassuring smile. “It’s okay,” she said softly. “This is someone I’d like you to meet. Do you think you could manage that?”
He nodded.
Taking care to never lose contact with him fully, Madeline let her arms drop from where she held Liam, grazing down an arm to his hand before she turned around to face her friend — her love.
“Liam, this is Billie. I look forward to telling you all about them and how wonderful they are.” She smiled up at them. “And Billie, this is Liam. I—”
“I’ve already heard how wonderful you are!” they said, crouching down to be on the same level as Madeline and him. “And any friend of Madeline’s is a friend of mine. Now I just can’t wait to get to know you for myself!”
Madeline looked back at Liam, hoping that this wasn’t all too much at once for him.
“Nice to meet you, B-Billie.”
Her heart soared.
Author's Note: Next chapter due on 26th May

<< First Chapter
< Previous Chapter Next Chapter >
It was difficult to find the right moment to ask Marcus about any past escape attempts. Madeline was very conscious of how much she’d already asked of him — something that Billie’s constant teasing definitely wasn’t helping with. She was also nervous about being overheard. If the wrong person noticed her asking questions, she could only imagine the trouble it might get her in — and the trouble it might get Marcus in. That was if Marcus wasn’t the wrong person himself.
So she kept putting it off. After all, it wasn’t like they were in a huge hurry. There were still so many people to ask after in here — so much more to learn and pass on to their allies outside.
But all practical excuses Madeline could come up with couldn’t silence the voice whispering at the back of her mind. She was being selfish. She didn’t want to do anything that could jeopardise her upcoming visit with Liam.
It was getting close now, and she was counting down the days.
Every second she spent working in the fields — mindlessly harvesting potatoes by muscle memory alone — her thoughts were full of imagined meetings. What would it be like to see him again? Would he have grown? Would he be as pleased to see her as she was to see him? Would he blame her for him being captured? Would he blame her for leaving him behind — even if it had been at his own request?
When Marcus finally came to tell her that the day had come — her free day tomorrow — she thought that she might explode with all the nervous excitement.
She hardly slept that night, keeping Billie up with all her wriggling and shifting, and she was up and out of bed as soon as the morning light blared on.
Breakfast was barely touched as her mind raced with more important things. Whenever Billie tried to talk to her, the words were muted and garbled to her ears, as if underwater. After the first couple of attempts to start up a conversation, they stopped trying. Her leg bounced up and down as she sat, waiting on the bottom bunk.
The wait was agonising. It was as if, the closer she got, the more each second dragged on and on and on.
Her eyes remained fixed on the door, heart jolting every time it opened. Soon, she was cursing the comings and goings of her roommates.
Until, finally, it opened onto Marcus’s familiar face.
Madeline leapt up and ran towards him. “Is it time?”
She felt a presence at her shoulder as Billie caught up.
Marcus beamed. “It’s time.” He looked between the pair of them. “Are you both ready?”
“Yes!” Madeline knew she sounded impatient, but she didn’t care.
“We’re ready,” Billie confirmed. “As I think you can tell, this one,” they gestured their head towards her, “has been ready for a loooong time.”
The young guard chuckled. “Yeah. It’s good to have someone so happy to see me for once — even if it isn’t actually for me.” He beckoned. “Come on then. I’ll take you to the visiting room.”
As they walked down the corridor, Madeline silently willed Marcus to speed up. Soon, she was glaring daggers at the back of his head, wondering if he’d always been this slow. Then, she was not so silently sighing and tapping her fingers together to let out her frustration, but it didn’t nothing to speed up the journey. The walk dragged on and on and on. Down endless corridors. Through endless buildings. Waiting for Marcus to unlock endless doors.
By the time they reached the visiting room — one final door for the guard to unlock — Madeline was ready to burst, a scream boiling up inside of her as Marcus fumbled with his keys.
But all that melted away when the door swung open, revealing a familiar pair of large blue eyes staring at her. Liam.
All the anger and frustration couldn’t survive that wide-eyed stare. All the circling thoughts and worries and woes. All the questions and regrets. Gone.
All that was left was a warmth swelling in her chest, yanking her towards the small figure waiting in the room.
She barged past Marcus, stumbling on trembling legs as she hurried forward and dropped to her knees to embrace the boy. As Liam’s arms closed around her too, it was like a piece of her that had been missing was finally found. The hollow in her chest had been filled. She was whole once again.
Somewhere, far from her concerns, she heard shuffling footsteps, followed by the door clicking shut.
She and Liam held each other like that for Lord knows how long, without a word passing between them. Words weren’t needed now. What they needed to communicate went much deeper than words.
It was only when the weight of a familiar hand settled on her shoulder that she finally drew back from the embrace — and even then, only enough to glance up at the only other person in the world who held such a strong claim on her heart as the boy in her arms.
Liam shifted too, feeling her movement. His eyes widened as he took in the unfamiliar face, pulling back further to glance at Madeline.
She gave him her best, reassuring smile. “It’s okay,” she said softly. “This is someone I’d like you to meet. Do you think you could manage that?”
He nodded.
Taking care to never lose contact with him fully, Madeline let her arms drop from where she held Liam, grazing down an arm to his hand before she turned around to face her friend — her love.
“Liam, this is Billie. I look forward to telling you all about them and how wonderful they are.” She smiled up at them. “And Billie, this is Liam. I—”
“I’ve already heard how wonderful you are!” they said, crouching down to be on the same level as Madeline and him. “And any friend of Madeline’s is a friend of mine. Now I just can’t wait to get to know you for myself!”
Madeline looked back at Liam, hoping that this wasn’t all too much at once for him.
“Nice to meet you, B-Billie.”
Her heart soared.
Author's Note: Next chapter due on 26th May

It was difficult to find the right moment to ask Marcus about any past escape attempts. Madeline was very conscious of how much she’d already asked of him — something that Billie’s constant teasing definitely wasn’t helping with. She was also nervous about being overheard. If the wrong person noticed her asking questions, she could only imagine the trouble it might get her in — and the trouble it might get Marcus in. That was if Marcus wasn’t the wrong person himself.
So she kept putting it off. After all, it wasn’t like they were in a huge hurry. There were still so many people to ask after in here — so much more to learn and pass on to their allies outside.
But all practical excuses Madeline could come up with couldn’t silence the voice whispering at the back of her mind. She was being selfish. She didn’t want to do anything that could jeopardise her upcoming visit with Liam.
It was getting close now, and she was counting down the days.
Every second she spent working in the fields — mindlessly harvesting potatoes by muscle memory alone — her thoughts were full of imagined meetings. What would it be like to see him again? Would he have grown? Would he be as pleased to see her as she was to see him? Would he blame her for him being captured? Would he blame her for leaving him behind — even if it had been at his own request?
When Marcus finally came to tell her that the day had come — her free day tomorrow — she thought that she might explode with all the nervous excitement.
She hardly slept that night, keeping Billie up with all her wriggling and shifting, and she was up and out of bed as soon as the morning light blared on.
Breakfast was barely touched as her mind raced with more important things. Whenever Billie tried to talk to her, the words were muted and garbled to her ears, as if underwater. After the first couple of attempts to start up a conversation, they stopped trying. Her leg bounced up and down as she sat, waiting on the bottom bunk.
The wait was agonising. It was as if, the closer she got, the more each second dragged on and on and on.
Her eyes remained fixed on the door, heart jolting every time it opened. Soon, she was cursing the comings and goings of her roommates.
Until, finally, it opened onto Marcus’s familiar face.
Madeline leapt up and ran towards him. “Is it time?”
She felt a presence at her shoulder as Billie caught up.
Marcus beamed. “It’s time.” He looked between the pair of them. “Are you both ready?”
“Yes!” Madeline knew she sounded impatient, but she didn’t care.
“We’re ready,” Billie confirmed. “As I think you can tell, this one,” they gestured their head towards her, “has been ready for a loooong time.”
The young guard chuckled. “Yeah. It’s good to have someone so happy to see me for once — even if it isn’t actually for me.” He beckoned. “Come on then. I’ll take you to the visiting room.”
As they walked down the corridor, Madeline silently willed Marcus to speed up. Soon, she was glaring daggers at the back of his head, wondering if he’d always been this slow. Then, she was not so silently sighing and tapping her fingers together to let out her frustration, but it didn’t nothing to speed up the journey. The walk dragged on and on and on. Down endless corridors. Through endless buildings. Waiting for Marcus to unlock endless doors.
By the time they reached the visiting room — one final door for the guard to unlock — Madeline was ready to burst, a scream boiling up inside of her as Marcus fumbled with his keys.
But all that melted away when the door swung open, revealing a familiar pair of large blue eyes staring at her. Liam.
All the anger and frustration couldn’t survive that wide-eyed stare. All the circling thoughts and worries and woes. All the questions and regrets. Gone.
All that was left was a warmth swelling in her chest, yanking her towards the small figure waiting in the room.
She barged past Marcus, stumbling on trembling legs as she hurried forward and dropped to her knees to embrace the boy. As Liam’s arms closed around her too, it was like a piece of her that had been missing was finally found. The hollow in her chest had been filled. She was whole once again.
Somewhere, far from her concerns, she heard shuffling footsteps, followed by the door clicking shut.
She and Liam held each other like that for Lord knows how long, without a word passing between them. Words weren’t needed now. What they needed to communicate went much deeper than words.
It was only when the weight of a familiar hand settled on her shoulder that she finally drew back from the embrace — and even then, only enough to glance up at the only other person in the world who held such a strong claim on her heart as the boy in her arms.
Liam shifted too, feeling her movement. His eyes widened as he took in the unfamiliar face, pulling back further to glance at Madeline.
She gave him her best, reassuring smile. “It’s okay,” she said softly. “This is someone I’d like you to meet. Do you think you could manage that?”
He nodded.
Taking care to never lose contact with him fully, Madeline let her arms drop from where she held Liam, grazing down an arm to his hand before she turned around to face her friend — her love.
“Liam, this is Billie. I look forward to telling you all about them and how wonderful they are.” She smiled up at them. “And Billie, this is Liam. I—”
“I’ve already heard how wonderful you are!” they said, crouching down to be on the same level as Madeline and him. “And any friend of Madeline’s is a friend of mine. Now I just can’t wait to get to know you for myself!”
Madeline looked back at Liam, hoping that this wasn’t all too much at once for him.
“Nice to meet you, B-Billie.”
Her heart soared.