No Ordinary Exchange

what the future holds

1. Today, let's talk about some alternatives to Amazon! (Note: I understand that some individuals have no choice but to shop from Amazon because of their financial situation. Please know that this is only directed to those who are financially able to consider other options!) As you may know, Amazon has a history of exploiting workers, avoiding taxes, creating excessive waste with their packaging, invading privacy with their Alexa devices, and much more. So seeking alternatives is understandable! The primary alternative is of course shopping from small, local businesses, as that allows money to stay within one's community. But there are plenty of alternative online resources, too! For buying books, consider thriftbooks dot com and BetterWorldBooks (every time you buy a book from BWB, they donate a book to someone in need). For clothing, consider Etsy and Patagonia (Patagonia donates 1% of all profits to environmental nonprofits). For home supplies, even companies like Ikea and Target are preferable to Amazon. Lastly, for pet supplies, consider Chewy dot com and PetFlow dot com (with every purchase from PetFlow, they donate a bowl of food to an animal in need). It's not easy to break away from the monopoly Amazon has over online shopping, but hopefully these provide a few ways for you to start! (Information condensed from @ soyouwanttotalkabout on Instagram.)

Bonjour vous-autres! Can you believe this is the penultimate chapter? (Excluding the epilogue, that is.) I am reeling from this revelation. Honestly, I don't know what I'll do with my life once this story is finished. There will be a void inside me that I am uncertain how I shall fill.

Anyways. Disregard my theatrics, lmao. I hope you enjoy the chapter!

xXxXxXx

"So your dad and Ez are driving here tomorrow before the game starts?" Soren asked as he dropped his duffel bag onto the floor.

"Yep," Callum said, leaning his own suitcase against the dresser between their two beds. "Dad didn't want to pay last-minute for a cheap overnight motel, and he also didn't want Ezran to miss school, so they're hitting the road as soon as he picks Ez up from carpool. Aunt Amaya and Gren are coming down later today, though." He smiled at Soren. "Once Aunt Amaya found out that KSU was pretty much guaranteed to be championship-bound, she made sure to reserve rooms at a decent hotel for her and Gren that was close to the stadium."

Soren grinned. "Your aunt is the best." An odd expression crossed his face, something akin to sadness and yet simultaneously... emptier. He sat down on the edge of his bed. "I know it's stupid, but I kind of wish my dad was coming to the game. At least if he was here, I could..." He shrugged. "I don't know. Pretend he cared?"

Ergh, Callum did not know what to do in these sorts of situations. Even though Harrow wasn't his birth father, he'd always been his dad. Also, Callum was not a fan of Viren. On one level he understood Soren's desire for his father's approval. On the other, he wanted to smack that desire out of his friend.

"Yeah," he finally said, sitting down next to Soren. "You're right. It sucks that he's not here." He hesitated, then shrugged. "I know it's not much consolation, but... The people who do care are the ones who are going to be at the game. My dad and Ezran. Aunt Amaya. Me and Claudia are already here, obviously." Well, duh. He could've sworn he had a point to his rambling?

Oh, crap - it should have been 'Claudia and I', hadn't it? Good thing Rayla wasn't there.

"And Dominic plans to have Sonya and Emilé go to his place so they can all watch the game live together," Callum continued, lightly elbowing Soren's arm. "They've even made a group chat that all of us are in."

Soren snorted. "Yeah, I already muted it."

"And you're of course going to have your entire team out there with you. Felix and Rayla, plus Lucas cheering all of you on with the rest of the cheerleaders - you guys have worked so hard to get here." Callum paused. "I know Viren's... absence leaves a hole that you can't really fill, but..." He hesitated, then placed a hand on Soren's shoulder. "There's still so many other people here that do care about you. And we're all proud of you and what you've accomplished this year."