𝐏𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐇𝐎𝐁𝐈𝐀 , 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐭𝐲

◈ fourty-nine ◈

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Forty-Nine

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a/n: quick little psa very sorry ik yall probs hate these but just some small explanations:

If you haven't already noticed, Iris is the narrator in this book, so it goes by her mind, her memories, her opinions, etc. So naturally, the narrative is skewed to how she would think! I regularly see lots of complaints about how much 'Ollie' there is in a book that's focused on Iris, but the thing is, as much as its an Iris book, it's also a 'what iris cares and spends her time thinking about' book. So, the amount of Ollie that there is in this book is the equivalent of how Iris thinks/worries about her! The amount of Ollie detail there is explains how much Iris observes of Ollie. Just clearing up some confusion among the audience, enjoy the chapter :-)

TW: signs of teenage alcoholism, PTSD, panic + anxiety attacks, symptoms of mental health disorders

September wasn't anything special. As classes started, so did Alex's cramming to get what seemed like a never-ending lore script done and over with. This of course brought discord calls with Charlie, Karl, and Sapnap, which could go on for hours upon hours, usually ending with irrelevant discourse well past their bed times. In shorter words, Alex had spent exactly 179.62 US dollars on Taco Bell in a mere 30 days.

October reminded me of California Dreamin' By The Mamas & The Papas.

For many reasons: my mother's birthday was falling on the 8th of the fall month, and the only thing in the world she loved more than me was her Hi-Fi record player.

ABBA, The Bee Gee's, and Fleetwood Mac would never fail to remind me of her.

Overall, the raw, misty, and bleak season was a blur of many things. This blur naturally included some underlying anxiety, which of course only brought stress. Especially when the thought of some certain anniversaries coming up for the group arose.

Now, as Thanksgiving approached, things seemed to be going okay.

"Love your new lipstick Big Q, really fits you!" Ollie gestured towards her own smiling lips, winking towards him cheekily, "Coincidentally it looks a lot like Iris' shade—"

I flicked her straight in the forehead before Ollie could continue, and she scowled before taking a bite of Alex's 'welcome back' cake.

"When does everyone fly over for the holidays?" Alex asked, ignoring the previous comments cheerfully.

The brunette thought for a moment, "About a week before Thanksgiving."

"And when's the court case filed?"

"February 12th." She said, looking down at the oak dining table stubbornly, "But we have time—cross that bridge when we get there y'know?"

"And is—everyone—going to come?" Ranboo questioned, rapping his knuckles against the table nervously.

"As of right now—yes." She replied, biting at the inside of her cheek nervously, "Dream team and Karl included."

"What a happy reunion, a full 5/5 for once." Ranboo chuckled, knowing it was anything but comedic—ironic maybe, but not as lighthearted as we all wished it to be.

Ranboo, Vee, and Ollie had come back from the UK in a cold November morning, seeming happier and exorbitant than ever.

Ollie seemed to smile through the mulberry colored and crescent shaped eyebags, which was always unusual post-parting of Tommy and her. Vee had looked healthier than she did in June, which lifted my anxiety to a certain point, yet I didn't miss the waning moments in which she stared into space, completely forgetting her surroundings.