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fandomweekly2023-05-22 08:52 am
iluvroadrunner6) wrote in fandomweekly2023-05-22 08:52 am
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[#179] They're Calling You a Fool (Original)
Theme Prompt: #179—Faking It
Title: They’re Calling You a Fool
Fandom: Original
Rating/Warnings: PG-13
Bonus: Yes.
Word Count: 845
Summary: Christie receives some bad news from her best friend.
Christie has many marketable skills, but one that she doesn’t get credit for as often as she should is this: she can smell a dog a mile away. It’s a skill born of experience and practice, but she’s almost never wrong. She used to think that Lily, her best friend from birth, had a pretty strong bullshit detector herself, but then she met Julian.
Christie despises Julian, and she can’t believe that Lily hasn’t kicked him to the curb already. She doesn’t understand what her best friend sees in him, and is convinced that she’s just biding her time until something better comes along. In fact, as far as she can tell, that’s Julian’s only marketable skill—being pretty and a worthwhile distraction. It’s the only thing that makes sense in the grand scheme of things.
Until Lily shows up to their post-semester brunch with an engagement ring on her finger. Christie should have never agreed to let them go to separate schools. Never mind that Christie didn’t have the book smarts to get into Lily’s Ivy League dream school. The point still stands.
“…Please tell me you broke up with Julian and some mystery man gave you this ring that I haven’t met yet.”
Lily rolls her eyes as she takes her hand back, the ring along with it. “No, of course it’s Julian. Don’t be crass.”
“Lily. You’re going to marry him? Why?”
“Because I love him.”
Christie stares at her for a long moment, not sure if that’s the stupidest reason she’s ever heard or not. This is her best friend and she will love and support her, no matter what. But she feels like she’d be neglecting her best friend duties if she doesn’t at least attempt to dissuade her.
“Lils, you know I love you. But are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It’s just that Julian is…well. He gives off bad vibes. I don’t know if you can really trust him in a relationship like that.”
“We’ve been dating for three years,” Lily begins, as though that’s some kind of bulletproof reasoning for getting married. “It’s time.”
“It’s time?” Christie blinks at her again. “Seriously?”
“You’ve been saying he’s trash for three years, and in three years, none of your predictions have ever come true.”
“Probably because you just haven’t caught him.”
“No, stop.” Lily waves a hand as she leans back in her seat. “I love him. I want to marry him. I think this time, your douchebag detector is a bit off.”
Christie doesn’t know what to say to that, because she doesn’t think it is. She thinks that she’s spot on the money, but she doesn’t have the evidence to prove it. But Lily is a lawyer in training. She knows that without evidence, she’s pretty much dead in the water.
“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
“Yes, I know what I’m doing! I swear!” Lily sighs before reaching for Christie’s hand. “So, can you just be happy for me, please? It’s gonna be a pretty sucky wedding if my maid of honor can’t celebrate with me.”
Christie huffs a breath, not wanting to give in so easily, but she’s not sure she has much of a choice. Lily already has her heart set on this. She will not be the one to break it.
“Of course.” Christie smiles, willing to fake it for her best friend’s sake if nothing else. “If you’re happy, I’m happy.” And she swallows hard, hoping that she doesn’t look like she’s lying through her teeth. Maybe Lily is right. Maybe her douchebag detector is off. But she’ll take some precautions, just to be sure.
* * * * *
Later, at the engagement lunch that’s just for friends, Christie finds Julian in a corner, leaning against the bar. Lily and Julian’s future best man, Terry, are chatting across the room and out of earshot, so if any moment is her chance, it’s now. She strides over to him, leaning against the bar and offering him a thin smile.
“Hi, Julian.”
“Christie,” Julian already sounds annoyed with her. “What can I do for you?”
“Nothing. For now.” She leans in close. “I just want you to know that I’ve tolerated your presence because I thought you and Lily would not last. But now, it seems like you want to marry her. It seems to make my friend happy, so I promised her I’d be happy for her, but just so you know.” She pauses for emphasis, just to get his pulse up a bit. “If you hurt her in any way, I will destroy you.”
Julian rolls his eyes. “I wouldn’t hurt her, Christie. I love her. I’m marrying her for Christ’s sake.”
“Good. And keep it that way.” But with that, she’ll walk away, not wanting to hear any more of his justifications. If Lily is right, things will be fine, and she’ll never have to make good on that threat.
So help Julian if he makes her follow through on it.
Title: They’re Calling You a Fool
Fandom: Original
Rating/Warnings: PG-13
Bonus: Yes.
Word Count: 845
Summary: Christie receives some bad news from her best friend.
Christie has many marketable skills, but one that she doesn’t get credit for as often as she should is this: she can smell a dog a mile away. It’s a skill born of experience and practice, but she’s almost never wrong. She used to think that Lily, her best friend from birth, had a pretty strong bullshit detector herself, but then she met Julian.
Christie despises Julian, and she can’t believe that Lily hasn’t kicked him to the curb already. She doesn’t understand what her best friend sees in him, and is convinced that she’s just biding her time until something better comes along. In fact, as far as she can tell, that’s Julian’s only marketable skill—being pretty and a worthwhile distraction. It’s the only thing that makes sense in the grand scheme of things.
Until Lily shows up to their post-semester brunch with an engagement ring on her finger. Christie should have never agreed to let them go to separate schools. Never mind that Christie didn’t have the book smarts to get into Lily’s Ivy League dream school. The point still stands.
“…Please tell me you broke up with Julian and some mystery man gave you this ring that I haven’t met yet.”
Lily rolls her eyes as she takes her hand back, the ring along with it. “No, of course it’s Julian. Don’t be crass.”
“Lily. You’re going to marry him? Why?”
“Because I love him.”
Christie stares at her for a long moment, not sure if that’s the stupidest reason she’s ever heard or not. This is her best friend and she will love and support her, no matter what. But she feels like she’d be neglecting her best friend duties if she doesn’t at least attempt to dissuade her.
“Lils, you know I love you. But are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It’s just that Julian is…well. He gives off bad vibes. I don’t know if you can really trust him in a relationship like that.”
“We’ve been dating for three years,” Lily begins, as though that’s some kind of bulletproof reasoning for getting married. “It’s time.”
“It’s time?” Christie blinks at her again. “Seriously?”
“You’ve been saying he’s trash for three years, and in three years, none of your predictions have ever come true.”
“Probably because you just haven’t caught him.”
“No, stop.” Lily waves a hand as she leans back in her seat. “I love him. I want to marry him. I think this time, your douchebag detector is a bit off.”
Christie doesn’t know what to say to that, because she doesn’t think it is. She thinks that she’s spot on the money, but she doesn’t have the evidence to prove it. But Lily is a lawyer in training. She knows that without evidence, she’s pretty much dead in the water.
“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
“Yes, I know what I’m doing! I swear!” Lily sighs before reaching for Christie’s hand. “So, can you just be happy for me, please? It’s gonna be a pretty sucky wedding if my maid of honor can’t celebrate with me.”
Christie huffs a breath, not wanting to give in so easily, but she’s not sure she has much of a choice. Lily already has her heart set on this. She will not be the one to break it.
“Of course.” Christie smiles, willing to fake it for her best friend’s sake if nothing else. “If you’re happy, I’m happy.” And she swallows hard, hoping that she doesn’t look like she’s lying through her teeth. Maybe Lily is right. Maybe her douchebag detector is off. But she’ll take some precautions, just to be sure.
Later, at the engagement lunch that’s just for friends, Christie finds Julian in a corner, leaning against the bar. Lily and Julian’s future best man, Terry, are chatting across the room and out of earshot, so if any moment is her chance, it’s now. She strides over to him, leaning against the bar and offering him a thin smile.
“Hi, Julian.”
“Christie,” Julian already sounds annoyed with her. “What can I do for you?”
“Nothing. For now.” She leans in close. “I just want you to know that I’ve tolerated your presence because I thought you and Lily would not last. But now, it seems like you want to marry her. It seems to make my friend happy, so I promised her I’d be happy for her, but just so you know.” She pauses for emphasis, just to get his pulse up a bit. “If you hurt her in any way, I will destroy you.”
Julian rolls his eyes. “I wouldn’t hurt her, Christie. I love her. I’m marrying her for Christ’s sake.”
“Good. And keep it that way.” But with that, she’ll walk away, not wanting to hear any more of his justifications. If Lily is right, things will be fine, and she’ll never have to make good on that threat.
So help Julian if he makes her follow through on it.
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