Wilson junior tennis shoes

Last year, as a junior, I took AP English Lang, APUSH, and AP psych. I was almost always to finish my lang work in class and often got APUSH and psych done during free periods during the day, so it was definitely manageable, I just got a little... not burnt out exactly, more just like "Ugh, do I still really have to think, I hate having to think." But like I said, it was definitely still manageable.
This year, do to some scheduling issues, I got signed up for AP gov, AP bio, AP lit, and AP stats. I'm completely confident I could handle them all individually, but I am a bit worried about doing so many at the same time considering I also dance year round, play tennis in the spring, and do theatre (and also because I'm constantly told more than 3 APs is a death sentence). What's the work load like, and how intense is the content when you're also doing other AP classes?

I have a very active job and lifestyle and end up average around 30000 steps a day. I tend to buy average priced tennis shoes, and they last me around 3 months before they start getting holes and tears all over the place. What kind of shoes should I look for in my future purchasing?

A professional male sports athlete from a different sport will duke it out. Who wins?
Basketball Player 🏀 - Standard Wilson NBA ball, basketball jersey and shorts, basketball shoes
Baseball Player ⚾️ - Marucci wooden baseball bat, a Rawlings ROMLB baseball, baseball jersey, baseball cleats, and a batting helmet
Football Player ⚽️ - Nike J Guard shin guards, Adidas FIFA world cup ball, bladed soccer cleats, long-sleeved soccer uniform
Field Hockey Player 🏒 - Hockey helmet and mouthguard, field hockey goggles, wooden field hockey stick, standard hockey jersey, Adidas field hockey sneakers, plastic field hockey ball
American Football Player 🏈 - NFL football jersey with knee pads, thigh pads, and shoulder pads, NFL football helmet, Under Armour football cleats
Volleyball Player 🏐 - Volleyball uniform, Nike knee pads, standard volleyball, volleyball shoes
Tennis Player 🎾 - Tennis shirt and shorts, tennis shoes, tennis glasses, Wilson tennis racket, extra duty tennis ball
Cricket Player 🏏 - Wooden cricket bat, leather cricket ball, cricket uniform, cricket shin guards, batting pads, cricket batting gloves, cricket helmet, cricket shoes
Golf Player ⛳️ - Golf shirt and pants, golf cap, golf shoes, Ram Golf FX stainless steel golf club, white golf ball
Everyone starts one hundred meters from each other in a flat, grassy field. Everybody is bloodlusted.

i suck at it but so do all my friends so it’s really laid back. you can fit in matches any time and any place, all you need is a racket, a can of balls, and some decent shoes. tennis courts are everywhere. hot girls play it. take the tennispill. (fuck pickleball)

Hi Minimalists,
After the summer I'll be headed into my junior year of an American University. I've been a minimalist since my freshman or sophomore year of high school so I've been at this for a while. In my years of college so far I've lived in a dorm, an apartment, and at home on a gap semester so I can confidently give others advice. Whether you're starting out in minimalism or wanting to deepen your practice, this is for you. College is a great time to start minimalism because if you're like me, you're moving around a lot.
My University is a 3 hour drive from my house so luckily I was able to use a car to move in and out but I didn't have a car to use which turned out to help my minimalism as it resulted in smaller shopping trips. If I were flying in, it would be a different story and I would have to pack less but I had some room.
Clothing

1. Seasonal clothing: My college town has all four seasons so layering was my friend. Summers and spring I wore pants and shorts with a tank top. I have one pair of denim shorts and pants because really, who needs more? They last many wears and a basic blue or black denim can go with anything. In the fall and winter, I layered the exact same outfits with a jacket. I have a few different jackets which I'm trying to pair down. I have a huge snow jacket which I hate having because it takes up so much space. I was about to get rid of it but we had the craziest winter this past January and February so I'm glad I kept it. Sometimes you don't want to keep things but it will serve its purpose. If it doesn't, get rid of it. When I get clothes, I like to get new clothes, I like for them to have multiple purposes but snow jackets are very specific, however, it's better to be comfortable. Especially if you're walking everywhere which I was doing.
2. Underwear: While I was at my apartment this past spring semester, I realized I never used all my underwear and socks in a week (I do laundry once a week). Since I've moved home for the summer, I put some of each away in a box and used what I had. If I needed more I'd grab some but I think I've figured out the perfect number which is different for everyone. I can't really comment on bras even tho I am a girl but I don't really wear them or if I do, it's a yoga bra and I'll wear it as my shirt.
3. Shoes: If you live somewhere snowy and have a pair of hiking shoes that are water-resistant, they work in snow. I was told they wouldn't work so I bought a pair of Timberlands and barely wore them and wasted $150 on them. Recently, I bought a pair of Chacos chelsea boots. I got the black color so I could wear them to work and they'd look more professional. However, black absorbs heat so my feet always get warm. Once these have run their time I'll get a brown color. I have one pair of tennis shoes that I only wear over summer when I work at summer camps. I'm not a fan of tennis shoes but if you go to the gym or run then have one pair and only get another once they are worn out. I have two pairs of hiking sandals which I can also wear with socks in the chillier weather but I'd like to pair them down to one.
4. "Maybes": You know these clothes, the ones you just cannot seem to donate but don't know why you're keeping onto them (or you do). What I've found is I'll get a bag and put my maybes in those and put them out of sight for a few weeks. If I don't miss them, I have my answer.
5. "Maybes" pt. 2: If you move home during the summers and/or winters, I highly suggest keeping some maybes at home. When you come back, you'll most likely be able to donate it all.
6. Hangers: Only bring with you how many hangers you currently need plus maybe one or two more if you want to be nice to yourself. Once you run out, you cannot buy any more clothes.
7. 1 in 2 out: This has been my philosophy with clothes for quite some time now because clothes are the biggest struggle of mine when it comes to minimalism. Now, whenever I buy an item of clothing, it has to be able to replace at least two items I already have or be something I need but don't have yet (like work clothes).

Bedroom

1. Linen: You only need one pair of sheets, I promise.
2. Desk: I work my best when my desk if clean so all I keep on there is a mason jar with a few pens, my laptop, and a fake plant (I don't like to move around a bunch with real plants and not every place I'm in has a window with a lot of sunlight). I take all my notes digitally so I don't have to worry about physical clutter. I do that with books/textbooks as well. Unless I need to get a physical copy, I always purchase it as an online book.

Bathroom

1. Towels: One towel is all you need, I promise.
2. Toiletries: Scaling down your bathroom routine is a must. I haven't worn makeup since I've become a minimalist and it works for me and I enjoy it but if makeup is a must for you, really think about each step and if you can cut out any. Also, don't keep so many refills on hand, just go buy another when you need it, it really helps with clutter. A few things I have refills on hand. Like my deodorant comes in packs of two and my razor comes with multiple head replacements.
3. Shower: I've decided I'm going to get rid of my bath mat next semester. Why do I need one if I can just dry off in the tub/shower? Really think about what you actually need.
4. Toothbrush: This is something I've just decided to do. I have an electric toothbrush that I've used for years but I'm going to move back to a good old fashioned manual one. The replaceable toothbrush heads are like $15 a piece! Plus, it's bulkier and I always have to keep a normal one on hand when I take a trip.

Kitchen
My roommate and I split the cupboards and drawers but I didn't use half of mine!

1. Pots & pans: Get a good cast iron pan and pot and you'll never need anything else (just be sure you season them right). Maybe get another saucepan if your recipes are more complex but scale down on the complex recipes! (See my next point)
2. Recipes: I love to cook but sometimes the recipe has 10 spices, 8 different veggies, and 10 different topping choices. I'm vegan so that makes some things easier but not much. You can edit recipes. It may take some trial and error but spice it to your liking. You're not going to taste a 1/4 tsp of cumin, I promise. Also, I don't like bell peppers so if a recipe has that, I get rid of it. Finding simpler recipes has really helped my kitchen stay minimal.
3. Food: This is something I'm still trying to work on. I didn't cook much in my dorm but this past semester I didn't have a meal plan and I had a kitchen. I was spending anywhere from $200-400 a month on groceries and unfortunately I left a lot of food to go to waste. MAKE A MEAL PLAN. I love notion and made a recipe book with my favorite recipes. This has helped immensely with food waste. Also, don't get that one super specific thing for one recipe that you're only going to make once. Either skip the recipe or find a substitute. I'll use this example which doesn't apply to me but it's a good example. I love tahini and use it in a lot of things. I can go through a jar of it in 2 months. Others however may never use it but one recipe calls for it. Use another nut butter instead or skip the recipe. Or find more to use it in instead of letting it sit in your fridge and just throwing it out when you move.
4. Plates, utensils, etc.: Do you really need more than 2 plates/bowls/cups? If you have guests, get compostable reusable plates or BYOP. I had 3 of everything but rarely used the 3rd so when I go back, I'm only taking 2 of everything. I wash my dishes as soon as I'm done (or as I go) so it hasn't been a problem for me. Same goes with knives. Do you really need a whole knife block? Just get 1 or 2 quality knives and you'll never need another again.
5. Appliances: Be careful when it comes to appliances because they take up a lot of space when moving. If you drink coffee a lot, get coffee appliances. For me, I love tea so I have a kettle to boil water. I recently got a high speed blender to use as a blender and a food processor and I've loved it. I also recently got an air fryer as a gift. I haven't used it yet but I'm also scared to start haha. I just need to do it once and then I'll be familiar with it. However, if I can use that to replace having to heat up the oven each time, I'll take it. Don't get a toaster oven. You can heat up your bread on a pan on the stove just perfectly and it saves space.
6. Random shit: We all love those fancy shaped bottles and the cool fridge organizers. I had a fancy bottle last semester. Didn't use it once so it is not coming back with me next semester. Those clear plastic fridge organizers are expensiveeee. Do you really need them? Minimalism isn't about having the best organization, it's about being mindful with your stuff. Maybe you find value in those organizers, go for it! But for me personally, they wouldn't add any value to me as I can already organize my fridge pretty well. However, I just bought one of those rotating organizers because the corner of one of my cabinets was getting crowded with spices and oils.

Cleaning

1. Find a good multi-purpose cleaner and it will be a lifesaver!
2. Dryer balls are your best friend.
3. Target's brand Ever Spring has a concentrated laundry detergent and the bottle takes up almost no room and one squirt gets the job done. It's been a lifesaver.
4. Just get a broom. A vacuum takes up a lot of space and is heavy.

Living Room

1. Ngl, I never touched my living room once. I spent no time there. My roommate had some things but if you're not going to hang out there much, don't keep anything in there.

Hope I covered most things and it wasn't too confusing. If you have any other questions, I'd love to answer. If you want links to anything I mentioned please let me know!

I just finished up my senior year of high school but am not content in where I am going for school in this coming year so I’m asking for advice on what schools you think I should apply to
Desired major: business administration, finance, business law, or management. Location: anywhere in North America or Europe Size: any range Costs: under 30,000 dollars a year after aid
Other information: I am looking for a school that will be recognizable in business and a worthwhile degree. I have seen people address some schools as “not being as valuable as the paper the diploma is printed on” and I am looking for a school that won’t fit under that saying.
My stats I live in Michigan in the United States Weighted gpa: 3.8 Unweighted gpa: my school does not give me this Class rank: top 25% at least, they don’t give us that SAT: 1240 and I am going to retake it with studying and classes. AP classes: psychology, english language, statistics, government, micro economics, macro economics. My lowest grade I got on my AP’s was a B+ one semester in English language and that’s the only B I have had in AP’s
I’m not sure of any other relevant testing information, please let me know if you need anything else.
Extracurricular: Eagle Scout
Tennis for two years
DECA
SQA (Scottish Qualifications Authority) advanced certificate in business through the Scottish government
Boy Scouts in general- 10 years in Boy Scouts, youngest senior patrol leader in troop history, order of the arrow leader
Served on the governors honor guard
Easily over 400 hours of community service
Worked 20 hour weeks since junior year
Thank you for any help you can give me, A lost teenager

PAYPAL INVOICE ONLY [Timestamp]

ITEM	PRICE	SIZING	PICS	NOTES
Guidi PL2	$180 + Shipping	Size 41	https://imgur.com/a/F7BAf3R	Older Brother batch, Visvim soles installed, only tried on, and doesn't come with box.
Deeds Helmut Lang Holster Jeans	$65 + Shipping	Size 32	https://imgur.com/a/F7BAf3R	Awesome pair of jeans, but they just don't fit.
Represent Suede Alpha Lows	$80 + Ship	Size 9.5	https://imgur.com/a/F7BAf3R	Great quality pair of shoes, but I just don't fit them. Only worn twice and doesn't come with a box. Don't think they sell these anymore.
Zara Issey Miyake Pleats	$25 + Shipping	S	https://imgur.com/lh8DWIC https://imgur.com/s8nFG8d	Never worn with tags. Fits TTS and is a more slim version of the pleats
Fear of God Gray Plaid Short Sleeve	$30+Shipping	Size S	Pic1 Pic2	Pretty lightweight piece that fits true to size. Never worn.
Fear of God Black Mesh Baseball Jersey Fourth Collection	$30+Shipping	Size S	Pic1 Pic2	Oversized fit and fits true to size. Never worn.
Vintage Black Leather Wilson Blouson	$60+Shipping	Size L	Pic1 Pic2	Has a removable inner thinsulate layer. Fits like an oversized M.
Nike Air Jordan 1s Black Toe	$50+Shipping	Size US 8.5	Pic1 Pic2	Only worn once. No box.

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In my area elementary school would end on grade 6. Then junior high (middle school) grades 7 to 9 then highschool was grade 10.
I was in grade 9 (2006) and would go up to freshman (grade 7s) and I knew which ones would have marijuana for the first time thinking they were cool.
I would corner then rather outside at lunch, the bathroom or in the hall. I would just stare into the eyes and make them take off their shoes and give me all the weed.
I wouldn't take the shoes, it was just to scare th

I want a sheet to populate with a filtered list of keywords. So a little context:
I have 1 sheet where I can paste a huge list of words and associated values, example: Column A = keyword Column B = 5 Column C = 5
The numbers in columns B and C are associated with the keyword, so they should populate alongside the keyword in the same row as it is filtered onto the new sheet.
For this, i created a sheet named "Keyword Filter" where I can type anything I want included into column A, and that huge list is then reduced to only include the keywords and associated values onto a third sheet.
I accomplished with having this function in a cell on the sheet I want the filtered results to display on: =FILTER('Client/Prospect'!A:C, REGEXMATCH('Client/Prospect'!A:A, TEXTJOIN("", TRUE, 'Keyword Filter'!A:A)))
That works. Now for the question:
I also want the filter sheet to have "excluded" words in column B. Almost like a double filter, and I am unsure of how to change that function, or if it is even possible.
example:
I want to filter and display key phrases that include a city, such as Detroit. So I would type 'Detroit' into column A of my filter. Which as mentioned above, currently works fine with the aforementioned function.
But I also want to exclude ones that have any word I type in column B of the filter sheet, regardless if it also contains the word from column A.
So if the resulting filtered list has:
detroit tennis shoes detroit socks detroit blankets
I want to be able to type in column B of the filter sheet "blankets" and then have the sheet populating the results to only display:
detroit tennis shoes detroit socks
and exclude 'detroit blankets', even though the word Detroit is in column A.
Is this possible? Or are there any better methods anyone can think of?
Basically I want a three piece sheet. One for dumping a huge list of words and phrases, one for being able to type in key words or phrases to filter that dump and populate the results on the third sheet.

I saw a member here say she was a dancer and this was ruining her life but she found success by using a tennis ball to roll out the calf muscle.
I have done this three times and my morning excruciation is now 90% better.
I cannot believe it.
I just sit on the floor with no shoes have my legs out in front and find the 'hurt so good' spot with the tennis ball under the meaty part of the calf - it is unbelievable relief.
Not a Dr but this helped me

So, today I decided I’ve had enough of being old, fat, ugly and weak. I can’t do much about old and ugly, and fat, well, I’ve been trying for 30 years to not be that and so far, not a lot of success there (damn you, Cheetos, wine and ice cream!) However, maybe I can do something about being weak because, in the last few years, I’ve become as weak as alcohol-free beer, and getting off the couch is becoming a 2-person job.
So, trusting Google to have my back (wrong!), I picked the first result for “beginner weight training” and came up with this one.
On first glance, it looks okay, although the girl in the video seems to be lifting her own weight with those giant barbells. No worries, I’ve got some 5 pound ones so I’ll just ignore the video, where those barbells are probably inflatable. You’re not fooling me, lady.
First exercise is chest presses on a bench - hey, I’ve got one of those which, years ago, I bought and studiously avoided using. First things first, lie on your back on the bench. Guess what I can’t figure out how to do? First of all, I’ve got my butt in the wrong spot and my head is dangling off the thing. And it actually took a lot of effort to even lie down on the thing, with non-existent ab muscles and trying to hold onto my weights at the same time. After a ridiculous amount of effort where I’m already sweating, I manage to get into place and it goes okay, I guess. Turns out I dragged that freaking heavy weight bench out of the back room for nothing - just one exercise. I should have read ahead. I could have done this one on the floor, although getting off the floor probably wouldn’t have gone much better.
Next is the row, which thankfully is standing up. I’m sure my posture is nothing like hers, but at least it didn’t seem too hard.
Next - shoulder press. I vaguely remember joining a gym and the machine for shoulder presses didn’t actually have a low enough weight for powerless me. I had to take all the weights off the machine and just raise the bar, and even that was tough. Sure enough, 5 pounds is too much for me, and next time, I’ll just wear a couple of bracelets for that exercise.
Next - weighted lunges. Here’s where it gets truly ugly. At least I was smart enough to realize that doing lunges with weights is going to be a no-go for my crappy knees, so I try the lunges without weights. Of course, this makes me think - hmmm, perhaps I should put some shoes on for this, so I go digging in the storage room for some old runners and find my ancient tennis shoes - so that’s where my orthotics went - score! So, after nearly putting out my back putting on the running shoes, I’m ready. I head into my first lunge and realize, hey, my legs aren’t strong enough to get me back up out of this position. I basically had to fall onto the ground to get out of my “lunge”. After that, I did a few very shallow lunges and realized is going to be a while before I’m doing anything that resembles what the girl in the video is doing.
Finally, we have squats. Having learned that shallow is the way to go when starting out with this stuff, I did a few shallow squats while proudly holding 5 pounds. I’m not going to say they were perfect, but I’m going to keep up with those, because that move will be very handy the next time I go to France or Italy. Like, come on, Europe - get with modern toilets! On the Amalfi coast (I’m not making this up), I went to a public bathroom once where they charged 2 Euros just to get in, and if you want a toilet with a seat, you could rent a seat for another 2 Euro. I shit you not (literally). And in France, what they called the public bathroom in Les Baux de Province was actually just a hole in the floor. I assume French ladies are wearing skirts with no underpants because otherwise, I have no idea how you’re supposed to protect your clothing from that operation.
Anyways, I made it through the little work-out and actually added some bicep and tricep curls because I was feeling pretty buff after all that. I’m going to try to do this 3 times a week. I expect my resolve will evaporate around the 3rd time but who knows? Maybe I’m on the road to be old, fat, ugly and strong!

Are you ready to embark on an adrenaline-fueled adventure in the majestic land of Niagara Falls? Look no further than the exhilarating world of go kart racing! Nestled amidst the breathtaking beauty of Niagara Falls, Canada, lies a haven for speed enthusiasts seeking an unforgettable experience. In this article, we'll delve into the thrilling realm of go karting in Niagara Falls, exploring the best tracks, safety measures, FAQs, and more. So fasten your seat belts and get ready for a wild ride!
Go Kart Niagara Falls Canada: Unleash Your Inner Speed Demon
Niagara Falls, renowned for its awe-inspiring natural wonders, also offers an exhilarating experience for racing enthusiasts. Whether you're a seasoned pro or a first-time driver, the go kart tracks in Niagara Falls Canada cater to all skill levels. So why not strap on a helmet and immerse yourself in the thrill of high-speed racing? Let's explore the top go kart tracks that will get your heart racing!

Niagara Speedway: The Ultimate Racing Destination

Located just a stone's throw away from the magnificent falls, Niagara Speedway stands as a mecca for go kart enthusiasts. Inspired by the famous Mario Kart video game, this multi-level track boasts over 2,000 linear feet of exhilarating twists, turns, and ramps. With its state-of-the-art electric karts reaching speeds of up to 32 miles per hour, Niagara Speedway offers an adrenaline rush like no other.

Grand Prix Kartways: A Haven for Speed Lovers

For those seeking a challenging and competitive racing experience, Grand Prix Kartways is the go-to destination. Situated in the heart of Niagara Falls, this indoor go karting facility offers an adrenaline-pumping track designed to push your driving skills to the limit. Equipped with high-performance electric karts, racers can navigate hairpin bends, conquer straightaways, and engage in thrilling overtakes.

Safety First: Preparing for the Ride

Before hitting the tracks, it's essential to prioritize safety to ensure a memorable and injury-free experience. Go karting, like any motorsport, involves inherent risks. Therefore, familiarizing yourself with safety guidelines and taking necessary precautions is crucial. Let's take a look at some key safety measures you should keep in mind:

1. Gear Up for Safety

• Wear a properly fitted helmet, gloves, and closed-toe shoes to protect yourself from potential injuries.
• Opt for comfortable and non-restrictive clothing, allowing freedom of movement while driving.
• Consider wearing a neck brace to minimize the risk of neck injuries during high-speed maneuvers.

2. Familiarize Yourself with the Track

• Take a few moments to understand the layout of the track, including its twists, turns, and potential hazards.
• Familiarize yourself with the track's safety features, such as barriers and runoff areas.

3. Follow Track Rules and Regulations

• Abide by the track's rules and regulations, including speed limits, overtaking protocols, and flag signals.
• Respect other drivers on the track and avoid aggressive maneuvers that may compromise safety.

FAQs: All Your Burning Questions Answered

FAQ 1: Is go karting suitable for children?

Yes, go karting is an exciting activity for children! Many go kart tracks in Niagara Falls Canada offer junior karts specifically designed for young drivers. These karts have limited speeds and additional safety features to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for children.

FAQ 2: Are there age restrictions for go karting?

Most go kart tracks have age restrictions in place for safety reasons. While the specific age requirements may vary between tracks, children as young as 4 or 5 years old can often participate in junior karting. Adult go karting typically requires participants to be at least 16 years old, although some tracks may allow younger drivers under adult supervision.

FAQ 3: Do I need prior experience to go karting in Niagara Falls?

No prior experience is necessary to enjoy go karting in Niagara Falls Canada. The tracks cater to drivers of all skill levels, from beginners to seasoned racers. Whether you're a first-time driver or a seasoned pro, the staff at the go kart tracks will provide you with a comprehensive briefing on kart controls, safety guidelines, and track rules.

FAQ 4: Can I bring my own racing gear?

While some tracks may allow participants to bring their own racing gear, it's always recommended to check with the specific track beforehand. Most go kart tracks provide all necessary safety equipment, including helmets and gloves, to ensure uniform safety standards.

FAQ 5: Can I book go karting sessions in advance?

Yes, it's highly recommended to book your go karting session in advance, especially during peak seasons or weekends when the tracks tend to be busier. Booking in advance guarantees your spot and allows you to plan your racing adventure more efficiently.

FAQ 6: Are there any group or party packages available?

Yes, many go kart tracks in Niagara Falls Canada offer group packages and party options. These packages are ideal for birthday parties, corporate events, or simply gathering your friends for a thrilling racing experience. Be sure to check the track's website or contact them directly to inquire about available packages.

Conclusion: Unleash the Speedster Within!

Go karting in Niagara Falls Canada provides an electrifying experience for speed enthusiasts of all ages. With thrilling tracks, state-of-the-art karts, and strict safety measures in place, you can quench your thirst for adventure while enjoying the magnificent natural beauty of Niagara Falls. So, what are you waiting for? Strap on your helmet, buckle up, and get ready to embrace the exhilaration of go karting in Niagara Falls Canada!

Hey guys, just general question about best tennis shoes to be on your feet for 8 hours every day.
Thanks

Guo Wengui directs and stars in 'Trilogy of Lies'
​
Recently, the author had nothing to do and watched some quite old movies alone at home. While enjoying the classics, I accidentally thought of Guo Wengui's wild talk, saying "the most important person", "world-class high-level", "high-level meeting" and so on. After watching, I could not help laughing. Wengui this is when the screenwriter when the actor, when the actor now unexpectedly want to be a director. But when a good director also need real talent, those can not withstand the scrutiny of the absurd script can only move the little ants. The author of this article just to share with the netizens Guo Wengui self-directed since the play in the end where the inspiration source.
Part One: Getting away with murder
"How to Get Away with Murder" protagonist Frank is the FBI's youngest ever wanted criminal, a vast array of criminal methods, and the ability to disguise his identity is beyond ordinary. Everything that happened in the original film, all reproduced in Wengui's body. Guo Wengui boasted himself as a "soldier of justice", but he was actually guilty of collusion between government officials and businessmen, illegally occupying other people's property, using his company to cheat loans, and sexually assaulting several female subordinates. But the only Wengui is not the male lead is IQ, the male actor acting superior, IQ outstanding, speech and behavior are people can not catch its handle, for the Wengui did not graduate from junior high school, IQ is a hard wound, speech inconsistent, logic chaos. In a recent video, he did it again. After praising the US media many times, he now claims that "96% of the media" in the US is controlled and that some people are using the US media to slander him. This is strange. How did the American media, which had been praised by Wen GUI for freedom of speech, turn into the unscrupulous media that wantonly smeared him in a few days? A person's lies say too much, forget which is which, the role of the media is to disclose the truth, freedom of speech does not represent the release of false information, why will Guo Wengui abandoned cover shoes, just because recognize the true face of Wen GUI, will not be easily fooled. I think at this time Wengui probably anxious, need to find a reliable "good screenwriter" for its design plot, at least no longer let "Guo's drama" instant wear.
Part Two: The Flying Thieves
"Bang Bang" is a British film more than a decade ago, although the main characters are crooks, but tells the story of a group of thieves, punish the good "rogue" story. But it seems that Guo Wengui read the plot, did not learn chivalry but the villain to learn a incisively and vividly. Guo Wengui step by step by cheating and kidnapping started, double wealth, and after the power of others exhausted means, crowding out rivals. In the end, the wealth collected through illegal means will go back to where it came from. The court in Dalian imposed a $60 billion fine on Zhengquan, a company controlled by Guo Wengui, and let Wen GUI have his own bad consequences. Now Wengui hands not only no funds, but also lawsuits constantly, but he is still calm in front of the camera, talk freely, talk fluently discussed "the United States midterm elections" "world economic trends", as if the world's big and small things are closely related to his Guo Wengui. This makes me suddenly think, if in the cheater world to make an "Oscar Award", that Guo Wengui must be worthy of the "Oscar best actor", after all, in addition to him who can put the daily life as a play?
Part Three: Imagining a disease
"Coquetry" is a French film, with the title of the film, Guo Wengui directed and acted in an annual drama. Frustrated in reality how to seek spiritual comfort, Wen GUI lives in his fantasy every day, fantasy "Himalaya", set up "ant help", to the world ruler identity to guide the river and mountain, sideways, now I am afraid it is already unclear which is the reality. Without even applying for political patronage, he is still capable of arranging frequent "dates" with "a high-ranking official of the U.S. government," "the head of the U.S. arms dealer," "a former state leader," and "former general counsel of a huge fund"? After being exposed by netizens, Wen GUI shamelessly mentioned "former Clinton's staff", "President Trump's cabinet", "the Brazilian president's most trusted person" and so on as topics. The author also has to admire Wen GUI's imagination and the depth of the play. But Guo Wengui the more exhausted can make up the facts, the more difficult to hide their own has been at the end of the road, no one asked the fact. Today's Wengui lives in his own imagination every day, self-directed superhero to save the world drama, lies say too much, even himself also believe.
Guo Wengui recently followed the network hot spot, what things the most fire he said what, really hollow out the mind, laborious brain. In the final analysis, Wengui is now at the end of the road. I advise you to stop doing useless work, getting lost, and not to continue to live in your own self-perpetuating lies!

Guo Wengui directs and stars in 'Trilogy of Lies'
​
Recently, the author had nothing to do and watched some quite old movies alone at home. While enjoying the classics, I accidentally thought of Guo Wengui's wild talk, saying "the most important person", "world-class high-level", "high-level meeting" and so on. After watching, I could not help laughing. Wengui this is when the screenwriter when the actor, when the actor now unexpectedly want to be a director. But when a good director also need real talent, those can not withstand the scrutiny of the absurd script can only move the little ants. The author of this article just to share with the netizens Guo Wengui self-directed since the play in the end where the inspiration source.
Part One: Getting away with murder
"How to Get Away with Murder" protagonist Frank is the FBI's youngest ever wanted criminal, a vast array of criminal methods, and the ability to disguise his identity is beyond ordinary. Everything that happened in the original film, all reproduced in Wengui's body. Guo Wengui boasted himself as a "soldier of justice", but he was actually guilty of collusion between government officials and businessmen, illegally occupying other people's property, using his company to cheat loans, and sexually assaulting several female subordinates. But the only Wengui is not the male lead is IQ, the male actor acting superior, IQ outstanding, speech and behavior are people can not catch its handle, for the Wengui did not graduate from junior high school, IQ is a hard wound, speech inconsistent, logic chaos. In a recent video, he did it again. After praising the US media many times, he now claims that "96% of the media" in the US is controlled and that some people are using the US media to slander him. This is strange. How did the American media, which had been praised by Wen GUI for freedom of speech, turn into the unscrupulous media that wantonly smeared him in a few days? A person's lies say too much, forget which is which, the role of the media is to disclose the truth, freedom of speech does not represent the release of false information, why will Guo Wengui abandoned cover shoes, just because recognize the true face of Wen GUI, will not be easily fooled. I think at this time Wengui probably anxious, need to find a reliable "good screenwriter" for its design plot, at least no longer let "Guo's drama" instant wear.
Part Two: The Flying Thieves
"Bang Bang" is a British film more than a decade ago, although the main characters are crooks, but tells the story of a group of thieves, punish the good "rogue" story. But it seems that Guo Wengui read the plot, did not learn chivalry but the villain to learn a incisively and vividly. Guo Wengui step by step by cheating and kidnapping started, double wealth, and after the power of others exhausted means, crowding out rivals. In the end, the wealth collected through illegal means will go back to where it came from. The court in Dalian imposed a $60 billion fine on Zhengquan, a company controlled by Guo Wengui, and let Wen GUI have his own bad consequences. Now Wengui hands not only no funds, but also lawsuits constantly, but he is still calm in front of the camera, talk freely, talk fluently discussed "the United States midterm elections" "world economic trends", as if the world's big and small things are closely related to his Guo Wengui. This makes me suddenly think, if in the cheater world to make an "Oscar Award", that Guo Wengui must be worthy of the "Oscar best actor", after all, in addition to him who can put the daily life as a play?
Part Three: Imagining a disease
"Coquetry" is a French film, with the title of the film, Guo Wengui directed and acted in an annual drama. Frustrated in reality how to seek spiritual comfort, Wen GUI lives in his fantasy every day, fantasy "Himalaya", set up "ant help", to the world ruler identity to guide the river and mountain, sideways, now I am afraid it is already unclear which is the reality. Without even applying for political patronage, he is still capable of arranging frequent "dates" with "a high-ranking official of the U.S. government," "the head of the U.S. arms dealer," "a former state leader," and "former general counsel of a huge fund"? After being exposed by netizens, Wen GUI shamelessly mentioned "former Clinton's staff", "President Trump's cabinet", "the Brazilian president's most trusted person" and so on as topics. The author also has to admire Wen GUI's imagination and the depth of the play. But Guo Wengui the more exhausted can make up the facts, the more difficult to hide their own has been at the end of the road, no one asked the fact. Today's Wengui lives in his own imagination every day, self-directed superhero to save the world drama, lies say too much, even himself also believe.
Guo Wengui recently followed the network hot spot, what things the most fire he said what, really hollow out the mind, laborious brain. In the final analysis, Wengui is now at the end of the road. I advise you to stop doing useless work, getting lost, and not to continue to live in your own self-perpetuating lies!

Mirracles do happen! Some great matches in the second round and some really zesty stuff in the third. Ladies first tonight, the ATP should be up in a few hours. Congrats to noomuam, Belle23, Dikkeduece, TehoInBugg, and Bmr33 on rounding out the top 5 in the WTA bracket contest so far <3.

Swiatek vs Wang :

Swiatek had some early difficulties against Liu. She gave back a break, she seemed frustrated by umpire overrules, and there were some swats at the ground with her racquet. It has to be tough to get as fired up as she does to compete and then not see the ball go through the hoop when the hoop feels large. Claire Liu doesn’t really have the game to compete with Swiatek, but a lot of players on tour beat themselves when facing a top player and she stayed steady in the first set. The second set was the usual Swiatek roll. The freedom to open up her game and the lack of scoreboard pressure really turns her into another opponent, which is why I think she struggles against the big servers at times.
Up next for Iga is a much tougher test against Xinyu Wang, who got past Rebecca Peterson in two very competitive sets. While checking out the 5-5 game in the first I realized there are a lot of matches on tour that aren’t very influential in the grand scheme of the draw, so they just get overlooked. Peterson and Wang was objectively a higher quality affair than Swiatek Liu, but the networks stick with the big names. When the big names aren’t there though, they wonder how to promote the game. It’s the same issue that golf had for a while after Tiger Woods left. Promote the sport first, not the players, and the fans will get to know the players on their own.
This match will be the first real look at Swiatek’s level, the same way Fucsovics was our first glance at Djokovic. Wang has a solid serve, and a really capable forehand. Her backhand isn’t anything special, but it isn’t a liability either. She beat Peterson by being a bit more able to generate winners off her forehand wing, so Swiatek should be okay here but still will need to improve her level. I do think that Wang’s classic approach to the game plays into Swiatek’s hands here a bit. Liu has a funkier game and hits a bit flat and uses dropshots, so if her execution is on and the flow of play is so slow she can create scoreboard pressure. With Wang, it’s the same equation throughout and I think Swiatek will find her timing and be able to create chances to get up court during the forehand to forehand exchanges. Swiatek in 2 with Wang winning around 6 games.

Andreescu vs Tsurenko :

Sometimes it feels like the players know that people are doubting them. Ahead of her match with Navarro, Andreescu was set at just -160. This seemed like a lot of respect to me for the challenger, and when this line moved to -145 as people backed Navarro, I thought something was up. Andreescu played as if she had a chip on her shoulder in this one though, and there is a small chance that hearing people were doubting her gave her a bit of extra fire. Andreescu’s power was the big difference here. Navarro never really settled in the first set, and despite going up 4-2 in the second, it felt like any errors from her would cost her a game whereas Andreescu was able to score by hitting to pretty big targets. Absent the prices, I’d have expected Andreescu to win too, and since she beat Azarenka, I think the run continues against Tsurenko.
Lesia got a walkover against Lauren Davis, and hopefully she has a quick recovery for grass season. Tsurenko is a good test of Andreescu’s consistency and stamina, as she’ll put more balls in play than Navarro who is really looking to trade power. The problem for Bianca’s opponents is going to be protecting their serves. Andreescu was able to get full swings in a large chunk of the time against Navarro, and Tsurenko doesn’t have a ton of power in her delivery. I expect given the quick nature of Andreescu’s match today that she’ll be fresh for this match. Andreescu in 2.

Schmiedlova vs Day :

Big upset for Kayla Day, probably the win of her career if you set aside minor and junior titles. Keys was able to level the match after winning the second but she just couldn’t avoid unforced errors and the pace of the slightly slowed-down RG courts allowed Day to run down most of her shots. It looked a little like the play of Fernandez, but Day hits the ball with more zip and this allowed her to beat Keys in the rallies where Madison went safe. The best of Day’s game is her inside-out forehand, because the footwork she uses is identical to when she goes cross-court. This next match is very winnable, but it’ll be a big test of her physical strength because Schmiedlova hits a very heavy ball and doesn’t miss often.
A.K. Schmiedlova was lucky to get a qualifier in round two, and made the most of it by edging past Bolsova in two hard-fought sets. Kudermetova gifted her the first round win via unforced errors, but Schmiedlova’s height and her reliable baselining let her get across the finish line. I think Kayla is a slight favorite, but thus far she’s competed against offensive talents and this one will require her to improve her ratio of winners to unforced errors (10-23 in round two). Keys gave Day 74 unforced errors in their second round, and Schmiedlova is really not looking to force the issue so this should be a long one. I do think Day’s serving is a bit sharper, and her forehand is good enough to put away the rallies she gets ahead in. Should be a marathon, but I like the junior standout. Day in 3.

Andreeva M. vs Gauff :

OH FLUFF. This is ominous, like when you find an avocado you sort of forgot you had and go to squeeze it. Mirra Andreeva is one of the most reliable phenoms I’ve ever seen. When she’s slated to win, she wins. It isn’t a gimmicky or one-dimensional game either. She moves the ball well, seems very well coached and often chooses the right shot regardless of the importance of the point, and her serve isn’t half bad. Parry hung around early but Andreeva just doesn’t give you anything. She beat Haddad Maia earlier this year but I think this is the biggest test of her career thus far. Gauff is through after dismissing Rabat finalist Julia Grabher in two quick sets. Grabher went up a break in the second, but she was unable to hold serve at all in this match and it was a good reminder that Gauff’s troubles on court really only pop up when there is actual scoreboard and career pressure (playing a big name or another junior contender). I’m not sure what she’ll feel here, playing a player who very likely watched Gauff and gained some belief from her early wins on tour. Gauff is pretty mature though, as was evident by her court chatter down a break against Grabher. After a few misses, she advised herself to calm down, and it worked.
Andreeva is good enough to play with Gauff right now. Good enough to hit through her though is a different story. I don’t expect Mirra’s level to falter because of the opposition, but Gauff is the stronger player and can serve bigger. One of them has to lose here but it doesn’t feel like either are going to play poorly. Gauff’s weight of shot is heavier but she’s a little more error prone. I’m thinking Andreeva might be good for the upset here. Andreeva in 3.

Rybakina vs Sorribes Tormo :

Sorribes Tormo was clinical today in slowing down Petra Martic’s highly skilled offense. It sets up a challenge I know Sara will be excited for even though it likely ends her tournament. Rybakina beat the tough Czech standout Linda Noskova in straight sets, and though she’s been struggling on clay this is still a quality win. Rybakina vs Sorribes Tormo may take a while, because this is the classic match where Rybakina struggles. The players who used to be able to make her play a lot of balls could get the benefit of errors. At this point in her career, it’s not clear that those will come. Tormo’s serve is not strong enough to keep Rybakina at bay, and her willingness to give up court position and try to outlast and outmaneuver her opponent is not ideal with Rybakina has such a good technical production when she has time. Tormo’s slices could cause some troubles for Rybakina since she’s pretty tall, but I don’t think Rybakina is going to hit herself out of this match, nor do I think it’ll be over quick enough (if Tormo gains the lead) for Ryba not to reset her game and play a bit more conservative. Rybakina in 2.

Alexandrova vs Haddad Maia :

Haddad Maia had the much tougher match in her second round, barely squeaking by the big hitting lefty Diana Shnaider. Shnaider seems perfectly still then uncorks huge winners and deft dropshots. It’s really fun to watch and it’s unfortunate for her that she ran into BHM in such good form. Another huge hitting affair is in store here as Alexandrova comes in playing her best tennis. She rolled Friedsam who is generally a tough defensive test, and she’s one of the only players who’s taken a set off Swiatek on clay this season. Haddad Maia won both their previous matches, but this one should be very close. Alexandrova’s defense is a bit lacking here which could be the big difference, but defense doesn’t matter if you get the first big swing in, and with both her and Haddad serving well and hitting big it’s hard to point to any other real differences. Haddad Maia in 3.

Cocciaretto vs Pera :

I caught a good chunk of Vekic vs Pera and I was surprised by how hard Pera was hitting the ball off her backhand wing. It’s usually the more error prone side for her but she really was focused today. Vekic’s movement was a little slow, and she sent a lot of forehands into the net where it just looked like her swing was a little bit late. It’s hard to pick against Pera after what I’ve just watched her produce, so I probably won’t. Cocciaretto is a really good serve though, and she has a baseline game that looks like it’s low-percentage but is relatively steady. She beat Waltert pretty easily, and she’ll have a lot of crowd support which the Americans typically have none of at RG. I expect Pera to lose the same set she did to Vekic, but for her overall power and ability to redirect on her forehand side to give her a slight edge. Really close match, but Pera in 3.

Danilovic vs Jabeur :

Paolini had the second set locked up and was up 5-2 at one point, but her legs had left the building. It’s not surprising that her recent run of matches would eventually come to an end, and once she was visibly laboring, Danilovic’s job was easy. Credit to the lefty for hitting to the open court and not missing when the match got tight. She faced some break points in the 6-5 game as well, but she could see the finish line and it has been some inspired tennis this week from the qualifier. This next round might not be winnable, but Danilovic deserves a chance to play a big name on a big stage. Jabeur has been dealing with some fitness issues and has been somewhat underwhelming this clay season, but she’s rolled through all her matches so far this week. Danilovic’s forehand is how she scores most of her points, and I think Jabeur’s power will make it tough for her to really impose her will on rallies. This is Jabeur’s first big test this event, so it’ll be interesting to see how her defense is. Jabeur in 2 close sets.

Muchova vs Begu :

Podoroska did well to win a set against Muchova, and it’s a sign that Muchova’s stellar defense against Sakkari may have been partially a matchup thing more than a consistent presence at this event. It leaves the door open in her next round for Irina Camila Begu, who advanced fairly easily past Sara Errani. Errani pushed herself to the limit, but her arm seemed a bit flat. She was rolling her serves in more than usual, and not really looking to exert. Her forehand struggled to create depth, and though she went to moonballs early, Begu knew she was safe and was employing the same strategy against a much shorter opponent. Muchova and Begu should be close, as Begu has excellent power off both wings and is used to playing extended matches. I think Karolina’s attitude on court is a lot better than Begu’s though, and having navigated a 3 set match already and defeated Sakkari, she will be familiar with adversity in a way that Begu is perhaps not yet in this event. Very thin margins to point to, but Muchova’s tennis is pretty solid also. She’ll be the less consistent player on offense, but I think her overall level is a bit higher and it’s hard to play a really sharp opponent after a slow match like Errani was. Muchova in 3.

Tauson vs Avanesyan :

This Roland Garros field is extremely strong, but there are a lot of new names making their appearance in the third round. Avanesyan was able to hold off a second set surge from Leolia Jeanjean and make her first third round appearance. It was a nice reward in terms of match difficulty because her first win was a huge upset against Bencic. This is another big name for her, and I think she’s up to the task but perhaps it will be a little tougher than Bencic despite Belinda being a much more well-known and accomplished player. The reason I think she struggles with Tauson is how much harder Tauson hits. She’s blasting her way through this draw, and Fernandez found a solid level last match but her defense couldn’t stop Clara. Avanesyan definitely is a tougher test since Leylah has been having confidence issues, but it’s a comfortable situation for Tauson playing against another junior standout. Tauson also has a pretty strong service delivery which I think will give her a small edge. Tauson in 2-3.

Potapova vs Pavluchenkova :

This is tricky because Pavlyuchenkova probably shouldn’t be here. Samsonova had a bunch of chances to put the match away including going up 5-2 in the third set. Pavs is really solid but it was an unlikely comeback so it’s hard to gauge whether Potapova, a similar offensive talent, will wind up in a similar position. These two have met once, on clay in 2021, with Potapova winning in a third set. Potapova is definitely in good form and she’s playing good offense, but Pavlyuchenkova is really consistent and the power she hits with has a way of forcing her opponents into errors. This feels like a match Potapova should win in 2, but I’d be very nervous heading into a third against Pavs.

Mertens vs Pegula :

It’s interesting to see Pegula has a heavy favorite here considering Mertens has won both their previous meetings. Pegula wins on consistency and I don’t really think that works against Elise. Mertens has one of the best games on tour for a player without a big serve, and she tends to be a gatekeeper for the later rounds but doesn’t win many titles herself. For her to beat Pegula it’ll require her to play solid and to play 10-20 shot rallies for 2-3 hours. It’s unlikely that Pegula falls flat here also because she got a walkover last round after winning the first against Giorgi. I just don’t think either player is going to be able to create easy points here, so it’ll likely come down to conditioning. Hard to ignore the h2h, but I think Pegula will win this in 3.

Blinkova vs Svitolina :

A rematch of last weeks Strasbourg final. That match was competitive but Svitolina was pretty much always in the lead. I don’t expect much to have changed here. Blinkova pulled off a tremendous upset win against Garcia, but she’s a defensive baseliner and Svitolina is the same thing but with more speed and a heavier shot. Her backhand is a little better also. Svitolina in 2.

Stearns vs Kasatkina :

Believing worked! Peyton Stearns USO futures you heard it here third! Jokes aside, that was a really good win. Ostapenko is capable of imploding but she’s a really aggressive returner and Stearns did well to get through. Up next is a match that it almost seems like she should win. Kasatkina managed to beat Vondrousova in 2 sets which is pretty impressive. She’s around -230 for the next round which might be fair, but if I look at their games on paper Stearns seems a little better. She has a better serve, she has a bigger forehand, and her backhand hits harder and goes down the line well. I know Kasatkina is playing tremendous, but this is on Stearns racquet if she can maintain the work ethic and play consistent on big points.
Stearns has a tendency to require two chances to win the same game. The break point opens up, but she sends the first return long trying to do a bit too much. The line is open, but she sends the first one a few inches wide. It’s a by-product of being in the college tennis world I expect. She was likely better than a lot of her opponents, so blasting away was a viable option. Against Kasatkina, those errors will cost you the match because she isn’t going to miss. It’ll take multiple shots per rally to maneuver Kasatkina into a spot where Stearns can safely go for a big shot, so hopefully her coaches are preparing her for a long and tactical battle. I’m fully expecting the upset, but if she loses it’ll only be to unforced errors. Stearns in 3.

Stephens vs Putintseva :

Big upset for Putintseva. Her dropshots were remarkable in this one and so was her work ethic. Zheng started off strong but she was rattled in this one and once Yelena got in a rhythm Zheng was really up against it. It makes me think that Putintseva has half a chance here against Sloane, but wow is Stephens playing well. Gracheva looked relatively helpless against Stephens. Stephens hit with more power, and her composure makes it seem like nothing you’re doing is having an effect. Gracheva is looking to play offense though, and the errors and forced shots hurt her. Putintseva is looking to wait for mistakes just the same as Stephens, so I think this will be a very close match despite Sloane’s form. Having just lost to Bronzetti, and with Putintseva having had previous success against Stephens (last win on hardcourt, and the only win on clay), I think she gets this one in 3.

Rakhimova vs Sabalenka :

Rakhimova led from start to finish against Frech, and she comes into this match being soundly disrespected by the books. Sabalenka is something like -2000 to win, and while I agree she should win, I don’t know if it’s going to be so straightforward. It seems at times that Sabalenka doesn’t really pay attention to what’s going on at the other end of the net. If she’s missing, she just keeps swinging. It’s a tactic that’s finally paying off because her serving woes are gone, but sometimes I think she’s the more consistent player and doesn’t realize it. Shymanovich fared well against Sabalenka, and it was mostly from hitting the ball solid and into the court. Despite her good play, I didn’t feel like Aryna was really in any danger, and Shimanovich did seem to be making more unforced errors than winners. I think she could have gone into hitting-partner mode and won quicker and with less expenditure of energy. Just a random thought, but sometimes you have to deviate from plan A for a quicker and simpler win.
This is a match where I also think Sabalenka doesn’t need to do as much. Rakhimova hits solid and breaks serve well. She doesn’t really deviate from the cross-court patterns and she doesn’t really go for winners from neutral. Sabalenka can look for her spots, but if she’s trying to just hit through Kamila, it may take this match to overtime since Rakhimova reflects power very well and her stamina is excellent. I’m sure Sabalenka will continue to evolve her game, but I do expect Rakhimova to win a handful of games here just due to Sabalenka forcing the issue. Sabalenka in 2-3.

New player here. I'm looking for shoes, have read a couple of threads here on shoes, and I'm hoping for recommendations from people with feet similar to mine. I wear Keen shoes almost exclusively because of the fit, as they don't crush my toes or transverse arch. I live in a rural area, and wear men's size 14 medium width (D) , so trying to find shoes locally would be very difficult.
At this point in my game/life, I'm thinking fit and protection would be my top priorities.
Is there anyone who has feet similar to mine who could recommend shoes? And recommendations for where to buy?
Thanks!
Update: thank you for all of the suggestions! I think “wide toe box” is the key element that several of you mentioned, along with Amazon ordereturn. I ordered a pair of K-Swiss Hypercourt Express 2 tennis shoes, which are said to have good support, traction, and wide toe box, found on sale for $65. I’ll start there, and see how it goes! Appreciate all the suggestions for a newbie!
I played volleyball, tennis, and fencing, I’m looking forward to something fun and competitive that is less impactful on the joints (volleyball in particular is a killer).

If I had to pick an embarrassing moment which will haunt me until I die—it has to be the time I tried out for The Sunbeam cheer squad last year. I was a freshman, and I wanted community. Friends.
I heard the cheer squad were just an extra-curricular group rather than an actual majoring level class, so I figured I’d give them a shot. It’s not like I could ignore them.
On my first day when I was moving into my dorm room, I must have walked into the same girl three times. I am in strict belief that it is not possible for a human being to be permanently happy.
And yet that was her. She wandered around like the sun shone right out of her ass, and it was both endearing and terrifying.
The girl resembled the sun herself, a halo of golden curls held in a scrunchie and a flaunting sundress, matching ribbons wrapped around her. The Sunbeam Squad were easy to spot because they were all wearing insanely bright yellow—waving around gold streamers, ribbons tangled in their hair. They all spoke in insanely high pitched voices like they inhaled helium for a living, but that must have been their shtick, right? It was kind of cute. I wasn’t expecting such a welcome in the shape of guy’s and girl’s looking like they had just stepped off of ABC Kids. The girl who handed me a flyer and yelled in my face about school spirit was practically hopping up and down, a bright grin splitting her lips apart.
I nodded and smiled politely, stuffing the flyer in my bag and heading into my room to finish moving my stuff in. When I looked out of my window a few hours later, the Sunbeam squad was still threaded through the crowd, each of them wrapped in glittering fairy lights illuminated in the late evening sunset glow. Sunbeam. Yeah, I got it, but it was still kinda overkill. They were starting to remind me of a cult.
That, however, didn’t stop me trying out. I’m fairly athletic, and they were exactly what I wanted. I’ve never had a group of people I could call friends.
Though it’s not like I could blame anyone but myself. I was a shut-in for most of high school. I either worked or preferred my own company in my room. One of my biggest regrets is pushing people away, friends I wanted to get even closer to. Because now they had built these lifelong friendships and relationships, and I was stuck at 18 years old with nobody but childhood friends I spoke to once a year when we sent mutual holiday greetings to each other. But college could change that.
At least, that’s what I hoped. I spoke to as many people as possible on my first day—and in my head I was making them. Slowly but surely I was actually making friends in my classes I wanted to hang out with.
Sunbeam were my attempt to go even further and join a club. Through word of mouth in my first few weeks of classes, I learned they were more of an extra-curricular group for fun.
They didn’t cheer competitively and had been formed in the mid-90’s by some kids who wanted to make a community out of positivity and school spirit. Sunbeam had a reputation for being Watson State student body’s beacons—and their team’s good luck charm. It was well known across campus that the squad was the reason behind the college’s fortune.
It had been like that since they formed 30 years ago, with members through the generations carrying out that pledge to spread as much pep as possible. While I say that they seemed nice judging from what I heard from others, they weren’t exactly the easiest clique to get into. Unless you were on the squad.
I saw them around campus between classes. They always moved as a group, the six of them with their arms wrapped around each other, brandishing the school colours. The guy’s in loose fitting varsity jackets, while the girl’s flaunted cheer skirts.
The way they acted was a little too close, like they were more than friends—and community and friendship had bled into something else. Like they had just walked out of an early 2000’s teen movie. Not that I was complaining. Their style was intriguing. They were like this untouchable group of god’s who had been placed on the highest pedestals. They ruled over campus, which made me want to get to know them even more. So, I tried out. Which was my first mistake of many in my freshman year.
It didn’t hit me that I was in way over my head until I was in the college gymnasium, standing in front of a four person panel like I was auditioning for a Hollywood movie. Sunbeam took their try-outs incredibly seriously. Which was weird considering they were known to be the complete opposite.
There were maybe fifty or so applicants, and we had to stand near the back wall and watch others try out one by one. Which was already setting off my anxiety. Weren’t they supposed to be closed try-outs? Initially, I was excited.
I had my routine in my head. What I had learned from watching the squad at my old school. High V, Low V, followed by a Touchdown, and then a backflip. I was confident. I mean, it ticked most cheer moves off, and even had a flip to complete the routine. My high school were a multi-sex quad, so I learned a lot from watching the guy’s moves during pep rallies.
I wasn’t really worried about the quality of the moves since they were known not to take everything too seriously. But watching the others try-out, impossible flips without crash mats and twisting their bodies in ways I didn’t know was possible, I quickly realised I was screwed. My competitors were acting like they were auditioning for an Olympic level team. My gut was dancing when I took centre stage.
The panel were made up of four members of the squad. Two boys and two girl’s, including the blonde who handed me the flyer on my first day. I was surprised when her eyes lit up with recognition.
"Oh, I know you!" She squeaked. Leaning forward, her smile seemed to brighten, illuminating her features. All four of them seemed to emanate a warm glow.
I felt myself relax slightly, the knot in my stomach loosening. Maybe their heightened positivity thing wasn’t a shtick, after all. The girl, as well as the other members of the team seemed genuinely happy to see me trying out. “What’s your name?” Her voice reverberated off of the walls, and I was suddenly aware of a dozen other students watching me.
“Alex.” I said, offering a shy wave. “Hey.”
Still grinning, she nudged a redhead next to her playfully. The guy was like no other I’d seen before. He was a god damn traffic light. He was easy to spot in a crowd and was usually one of the low-key members who kept his head down. All of those colours painting him, and yet somehow he wasn’t blinding people.
Though admittedly, he suited them; bright red hair clashing with the blue and gold of his football jersey, pasty skin and dark eyes drinking me in while the blonde girl pulled at his sleeve. “See, I told you annoying freshmen would work!”
In response, he chuckled, rolling his eyes. “Whatever you say, Evie.” The guy straightened up, leaning his chin on his fist, a curious spark in his eyes. “Alright.” Twisting around in his chair, he signalled for music. When it started, the beat slammed into me, rumbling under my feet. “Let’s see what you’ve got!”
I’m not going to describe my routine because I don’t have time to describe how fucking bad I was. In my head, I was doing okay. I was ready to finish with my back flip, but the music abruptly cut off and I found myself struggling to find my breath with my hands in the air, panting like an idiot. The blonde maintained her smile, but it was slightly strained. I could tell she was struggling to keep the façade of a Sunbeam member while also retaining critical thinking.
The redhead looked like he was in pain. He was first to speak, and I could tell by his sympathy smile I’d screwed up. The others who I hadn’t fully taken in until that moment, an asian American guy, and a girl with pigtails, were laughing like pre-schoolers. And they didn’t stop until the redhead shot them the warning eyes.
Weirdly enough, the crowd of onlookers didn’t join in. I expected the redhead to politely tell me I sucked, but instead he cocked his head, chewing on his pen. “You’re good.” He said. “You’re a good dancer, and I liked your moves…”
He trailed off. “But it’s positivity we’re looking for. And you didn’t smile once through your whole routine which made you look stiff. Like you weren’t even enjoying it.” He shrugged helplessly. “I like you, and I like your dancing. And I’m sure you could be better if you worked on it. There are countless dancing clubs here, so maybe you might be better fitted there.” After exchanging a look with the blonde, he sighed. “Unfortunately, you’re not the type of person we’re looking for.”
Evie nodded. “I agree. We pride ourselves on staying positive and smiling. I didn’t see that on you, Alex.”
“Same here.” Pigtails, still giggling, joined in. “I don’t think you’ve got enough school spirit.”
The other guy scoffed. He looked to be of Korean descent. Unlike the redhead, he was always at the centre of their group, always joking around and laughing. Just looking at him told me he was the leader. “Bullshit!” He slapped the table with one hand, running his hands through thick dark hair with the other. “I liked it. Fuck pep, amirite?” He threw his pen at the blonde, who retaliated in a squeak, lobbing hers at him. “Ignore these clowns. I think you’ve got what it takes. We just gotta work on you, y’know? All you’re missing is a cheesy grin.”
He pointed to himself, stretching his lips into the widest smile he could muster. “See? Like this.”
“Clowns?” Evie shook her head. “I didn’t see one smile. Sunbeam is all about smiling!”
“You make us sound like a cult.” The Korean-American caught my eye. “Which we’re not, by the way. These guys are just scared of change.”
“Okay, that’s too far.” Pigtails shot him a scowl. Are you seriously disrespecting the alumni who created us? Who birthed us?
“Well, yeah!” He threw his paper at her. “Sunbeam is a pep cult. We get high off of happiness. I thought we distinguished that.”
“Take that back!”
“Never! Why do you think I joined? To get high! Do you really think I joined for the cheering?”
They were joking around. I could tell by the smiles on their faces—a smile I knew I would never be able to mimic.
“Quiet.” The redhead shushed them. The guy had been sitting silently. Studying me. He leaned back, folding his arms.
“See, even now—even when I’m considering giving you a chance, there’s no hope in your eyes. Not even a glitter of excitement. You’re still not smiling and that’s what we want, Alex. We want people who will embody what Sunbeam is all about. Even if I give you a second chance to brighten up your routine your smile will be fake. And that’s not what we want. We want people who are willing to shed their humanity and become beacons.”
Beacons, huh?
And they were seriously saying they weren’t a cult?
The redhead stabbed at his sheet of paper with the end of his pen. “Can’t you just give us one smile? It won’t kill you.”
It was then when the others watching started to laugh—and I wanted to punch the asshole in the face.
“Dude, chill.” The Korean-American played with his pen, twirling it between two fingers. “He’s right, as much as I hate saying it. We do need smilers, unfortunately. But hey, you can try out next year! Just remember to smile, alright?” He threw something at me. A squashed candy bar.
Which made me look even more pathetic.
I found myself nodding, even when I knew it was all bullshit. Still though, what each member had told me hit me harder than it should have. They were just words, what could they do? It turned out, words were far more powerful than I realised—I just didn’t know it yet. I didn’t wait for the others to speak and made a quick getaway, my gut twisting and turning.
They were a cult. That is what I decided. These guys were a cult who needed members willing to throw away their souls. Probably for ritualistic sacrifice.
They needed weak people, I thought. Even when part of me knew they were right. I wasn't a smiler. Every photo I'm in, I'm either frowning or look constipated. Still though, I didn't dwell on the try-outs for too long. By the time a week had gone by, I had mostly forgotten about it and threw myself into my studies and college life.
Though something was wrong with me. It was as if the world had slowed down, had stopped making sense completely. Every day felt like a dream, and I myself felt like I was a ghost, like I was disassociating from my own body. Conversations with people felt fake. Like I was making them up.
I remember waking up day after day in a daze I couldn’t get myself out of. It was only several weeks later did the thick mind fog which had been blanketing my brain finally lift—only for me to hear the news that all six members of the Sunbeam squad had disappeared. I don’t know how I didn’t notice, how I didn’t see the police investigation, or hear rumours being spread around like wildfire.
According to the college, it wasn't technically considered a disappearance since the members were all over eighteen, no longer minors. However, an investigation was conducted, with a statement being released that they were due to be performing at Knoxville College, cheering on our football team. But they never turned up. And what made it worse, was their bus was found abandoned on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. Sounds bad, right?
Well, that's what we all thought. Vigils were already being held, and bodies weren't even found yet. Every time I walked back to my dorm after classes, the night would be lit up in warm golden light, candles flickering in the breeze. I'm not sure how many days had gone by-- they all seemed to blur into one-- when our college made another statement. The members of the Sunbeam squad were alive and healthy and had been sent to a training academy for professionals.
When the student body responded with confusion and scepticism, the college reassured us they were coming back once they were finished training. And while my classmates were relieved, I found myself confused. Sunbeam didn't cheer competitively. Their whole thing was that all they wanted to do was spread cheer and pep, regardless of how good they were. I had seen them perform, and they were good, sure. They were better than average. But definitely not good enough to be trained into pro’s. Their moves were too clumsy, too half assed—which I was convinced they thought overwhelming amounts of positivity could fix. So it didn’t make sense that they had been sent to some training academy. I kept up my scepticism until I saw them for myself.
The college were right. Sunbeam returned a week later like nothing had happened.
I did see a change in them. I think that was a universal opinion though. Sunbeam were well known for their pep and cheer, their constant smiling faces which drove me crazy—and it’s not like that stopped. They still smiled. They still walked around campus laughing together, in their own little world. That was when people were watching. When they had an audience. I caught them when they didn’t have an audience. Without eyes on them, they detached from each other, their eyes darkening, expressions twisting, like each of them could smell something rotten in the air. I started noticing they were getting progressively clumsier at keeping up that Sunbeam façade they must have pledged when they joined the group. I figured it was just tiredness. They must have been through some pretty intense training.
Anyway, months went by. I started to feel less distant, and the fog which had been choking me faded, thankfully. I started my junior year moving into a shared house with my roommate, and the only talk I’d heard about Sunbeam was that one of their ex members was rumoured to be pregnant. As for the rest of the squad, they were still popular, still talked about—but their disappearance had definitely made people wary of them. I even heard someone say they were considered bad luck. I guess people thought they had sold themselves out for a chance to get into the big leagues. And it wouldn’t surprise me.
Forced positivity can get you a long way, sure—but recognition can get you further.
It was just a few weeks ago when I was invited to a game. Our first of the season, thanks to delays due to cuts in the sports department. I’m not much of a sports fan, though I needed a distraction from the copious amounts of assignments I’d let pile on my desk.
When I sat down with a chilli dog and Coke, I wasn’t expecting to get so invested in a game where I had no idea what was happening. It was loud and obnoxious and I was choking on the stink of fried food, but it was fun. It was fun until Sunbeam walked out onto the side-lines. I glimpsed them in a blur of blue and gold, and a dull pain crawled across the back of my head. “You okay?” My housemate’s voice was barely distinguishable in my ears, when I found myself transfixed by the way they moved in erratic jumps, quickly taking position. They had gotten better. Everything which was Sunbeam had been stripped away. Their smiles were forced. Wrong.
I remembered they used to push and shove each other, making the crowd laugh. Now though, they were in almost perfect sync in the way they moved, no longer shakily, sometimes stumbling into each other. Their routine was longer than it usually was—and when the Korean-American guy perfected a triple flip, the crowd went crazy. I expected him to smile when he landed, grinning into the audience to generate what Sunbeam was made for. But his expression stayed stoic. Robotic. They were stiff. Heads up, backs straight, staring ahead of them. I was told when I tried out that fake smiles weren’t allowed, and yet that was all I was seeing. I was seeing egotistical grins and curled lips, quick glances between each member.
I expected looks of reassurances, and in jokes only they found funny. Instead, it looked like a mutual agreement.
They were planning something. From the looks on their faces, it wasn’t a firework show.
Sunbeam used to generate happiness. Their smiles, even under a façade, had always been real.
These guys emanated power. The way they stood. The guy’s at the front, readying what I guessed was a lift, and the girl’s on top of them.
Their routine ended with the music reaching a climax, and the two main girl’s being lifted into the air while performing High V’s.
But they didn’t stop there.
When the crowd exploded with applause, one of the girl’s slowly raised her arms and shot into the crowd with finger guns.
She shot twice—and with every time she pulled that imaginary trigger, her painted lips stretched into a maniacal grin.Until her gaze was on me. And then behind me. I could see it in her glittering eyes I could no longer call human. I met Evie at the start of my freshman year, and then at the disastrous try-outs.
I knew her wide smile, and the glint of passion twisting her expression—a love for the group and the members she couldn’t put into words. Right then I wasn’t seeing Evie, a Sunbeam cheerleader. I was seeing something else entirely, a being scanning faces in the crowd for a victim.
Her expression seemed to melt, from a gleeful grin, to something twisted and putrid, someone who craved the exact opposite of what Sunbeam preached. I watched her lips. I watched the words pop into existence, drowned into nothing by the crowds cheering. But I saw them in perfect clarity. “Drop.” She said, before pulling the imaginary trigger again.
No sooner had the words left her mouth before someone screamed behind me. I twisted around to see a guy had collapsed. He was pronounced dead five minutes later by his sobbing girlfriend who had attempted CPR. When I twisted back to look out onto the field, the Sunbeam Squad were gone. It didn’t make sense that they were the ones to cause the guy’s death—but it couldn’t have been a coincidence, right? Evie had shot into the crowd at the exact same time the guy had dropped dead. Finger guns weren’t a weapon of course, but the timing was too coincidental. I already knew there was something wrong with Sunbeam. And this just strengthened my claims.
Obviously, when I tried to tell people this, I was called crazy. Delusional. I reported it to the student information building and just got a blank stare.
The woman wasn’t even attempting to hear my story. She just heard “murder” and “Sunbeam” and her lips curved into an amused smirk. “You know, you are quite fascinating,” leaning back against her chair, the woman frowned at me through wonky glasses. "First you unexpectedly quit, and then you accuse them of murder. Which I can tell you is false.”
She flipped through a notebook in front of her. “According to the autopsy report released a few days ago, the young man died of a brain haemorrhage, not the result of being pretend shot at by a cheerleader miming finger-guns.” The woman cleared her throat.
“Tell me, what exactly do you have against the Sunbeam squad?"
“What?”
“You quit the squad at the end of your freshman year,” she said, “And now you’re trying to accuse them of murder? Fascinating.”
Her words struck me, a shiver sliding down my spine. The office was cosy, and when I sunk into the rich leather of the couch in front of a roaring fire I recognised the book on her desk. It was a dog eared copy of Harry Potter. I’d seen it before. But that was impossible. I had never been in her office. “Quit?” I shook my head. “No, I don’t…” I trailed off, stumbling over my words. “I’ve never been part of Sunbeam.”
“Were you not?” She shook her head, a crease forming between her brows. “Ah, I must be getting you mixed up with someone else.”
I nodded. “Just… can you just listen to me? That Evie girl was fucking—”
She cut me off. “Language.”
“Sorry. Evie. She was… I don’t know what she was doing... she was doing like... like magic?”
“Are you sure you didn’t dream it?”
“Yes!"
“Mmm hmm.” The woman cleared her throat, dismissing my protests. “I’m not a doctor, but If you’re experiencing memory loss and confusion, I suggest you go to the hospital. As for your ludicrous claims, you should keep them to yourself. That poor young man died due to a brain haemorrhage. Terrible and tragic, yes. But it was accidental, and not the work of… I’m sorry, what were you claiming it to be?”
“Magic.” I said, again.
When she raised her brow, I couldn’t resist a groan. “I saw her! She shot into the crowd and mouthed something!”
“She… mouthed something?”
“Yes! But—"
Again, her words sliced into mine. “Okay, let’s say you were right,” she said. “If you are saying this girl shot into the crowd with her imaginary gun, wouldn’t it be a gun shot which would have killed him? You said it yourself—, it was some kind of witchy magic to kill him. So, where was the bullet wound?” When I tried to speak, she raised her arm to shut me up.
“Exactly. There was none. Because the man suffered a haemorrhagic stroke, and nothing could be done to save him. Your claims a group of young people carried this out as a murder is not only blatant defamation, but also disrespectful to the young man and his family. Now, please leave my office. I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” The woman nodded for me to stand up. “I think you have been watching too much TV. Might I suggest focusing on your studies?”
I left her office, slamming the door.
My housemate wasn’t helpful when I told him. He told me I was maybe a little too obsessed with Sunbeam. He headed to work, and I ended up in the lounge trying to focus on an episode of Criminal Minds. But I couldn’t stop thinking about Evie.
I saw what she said.
Drop.
But it wasn’t the force of her imaginary finger-guns ricocheting back. It was the word. Drop.
It had been alive on her lips like it was a sentient thing bleeding into existence. I managed to fall asleep, twisted like a pretzel in my housemate’s favourite chair, when three loud knocks on the door tore me from slumber. I was on my feet, blinking, disoriented. It was rare when we got a visitor. Stumbling over to the door, I had a moment of hesitation. I imagined Evie on the other side.
I imagined her raising her hand and shooting her pretend finger-guns directly into my head.
When I opened the door, I was surprised to see three little kids. The youngest must have been maybe nine years old. To my surprise, they were dressed in Halloween costumes. There was a little witch, a ghost, and a scarecrow all carrying pumpkin shaped holders It took me a moment to realise I was staring at a group of Trick or Treaters. It wasn’t even mid-October yet.
“Hey there,” I said, “Uh, you guys are a little early.”
The little girl’s eyes were wide and unblinking. “We want candy.” She held out her candy holder. “Now.”
I decided to be firm with them. “It’s not Halloween.” I said, taking a small step back. I was grasping the handle, ready to slam it in their faces. These little shits were freaking me out. Not just their tone, but their expressions were vacant. There were no lights on and that terrified me. “Sorry kids, I don’t have any candy. But like I said, come back when it’s actually Halloween, and I’ll have candy bars for all of you. "
What I wasn’t expecting was for the Scarecrow to pull a knife out of his pumpkin shaped candy holder. He didn’t hold it like a kid should, clumsily, confused. There was a strategic way the way his fingers were wrapped around the handle—like he’d brandished one before. The kid held the knife up to his own neck and made a slicing motion. Like the little girl, his eyes were blank. Unblinking. There was something wrong in the way he was standing. Stiff, like a puppet on strings. “Are you fucking kidding me?” He squeaked out a laugh. I didn’t see him lunge forward, I was already moving back, stumbling, losing my footing.
The kid moved with impossible speed—and before I knew what was happening, the hilt of the knife was buried in my lower leg. I didn’t even feel pain. My body was being driven by adrenaline, pushing me to get away from him. I remember falling back. I remember my own trembling hands grasping hold of the handle and pulling out the knife. Red was pooling down my jeans and onto our hardwood floor. The little kids turned around and ran back down the steps into the night, and I watched them in a sort of daze.
They didn’t move like normal.
They stalked down the sidewalk like video game characters. The witch shoved a passing old man before pulling out a gun and pointing it at his head. But she didn’t shoot. The three of them ran off—and it was only when I was watching the top of the girl’s witch hat disappear into the night, when I glimpsed something—or someone—at the corner of my eye.
Before I heard laughter. The tree in front of me moved. At first I thought they were shadow’s. Before the shadows bled into figures. Four of them. I glimpsed the school colours. Blue and Gold. I saw twin ponytails, velvet and blonde-- as well as the tell-tale Sunbeam varsity jacket. The group were laughing, whispering to each other. Not exactly doing a good job of hiding. When they slipped from their hiding place, I recognised Evie. Her fingers gingerly on her nose while intense red pooled down her chin.
The others were the same, swiping at their faces with jacket sleeves. They didn’t seem fazed. The redhead’s gaze was latched onto the retreating children, his lips curling. I could sense he was still tethered to them. He was still commanding them to act out grand theft auto. They had caused the man’s death at the game and had controlled those children.
I wasn’t crazy or delusional. Evie had killed someone by simply shooting imaginary finger guns, and somehow the others were able to bleed into children’s heads, taking them over.
Pulling my phone from my pocket, I heaved out a breath. The pain was starting to hit in waves I had to grit through. I couldn’t move. I was stuck, curled up on my floor. While they laughed.
I was halfway through stabbing 911 into my phone when one of them came over. It was the Korean-American. The one who had been the nicest to me out of all of them. The real smile I remembered was gone, replaced by something inhuman. Something I didn’t want to question.
With his hands stuffed in his varsity jacket pockets, he approached me with mocking eyes, almost an attempt at trying to mimic his old self.
The guy knelt in front of me with a chuckle. “Kids these days, right? They’re animals.”
His voice, no, his words, were hurting me. I felt each one penetrate me like gunshots.
My wound wasn’t bad. That’s what I estimated, anyway. I don’t think the kid had hit anything vital. But I needed the emergency room. I still had one hand grasping at my side, drenched in red.
I managed a hiss, grasping for my phone when he pulled it out of my grasp and waved it in the air. “Fuck off. What did you do to those little kids?” I gritted out, trying to reach for my damn phone. I was starting to feel the pain in my side and it hurt like a mother fucker—dizzying bolts of electricity which felt like waves of boiling hot water slamming into me one by one. I tried to get onto my knees, but he pushed me back down again. The guy cocked his head to the side, confusion creasing his expression.
“Ouch. That must hurt.”
"What did you... what did you do?" I hissed out.
His presence was hurting me. Every time he opened his mouth, it was agony. Somehow, it was worse than the stab-wound. This kind of pain was no other I’d felt before. The type I’d rather die than feel. A cry was clawing at my throat, fight or flight taking over. Again, I tried to move, I tried to get away from him. But he was holding down my arms and prodding at my side before sticking his finger in the cut and twisting. "I didn't do anything, Alex.”
His voice barely hit me when my vision blurred and I screamed. Like a fucking animal, I screamed. But not because his fingers were digging around in my insides.
Because my brain was suddenly boiling, a metal rod piercing my skull and stirring it into a soupy mess. His voice was inside me. It was bleeding into me, taking over me. But not just his voice. The world blurred around me and I was no longer in my doorway, bleeding out against the wall.
Instead, I was moving. I was… I was walking. No, I was being dragged. Except these weren’t my memories. This wasn’t my mind. I could see bare feet beneath me delicately slapping on white tiles. When I looked up, I saw an expanse of white like I was being led straight into the clouds. This was a building. There were glass doors and electronic panels, people in black guarding each one. It took a while for me to gain my senses—or him to gain his.
We could smell something like chlorine and taste rusty coins at the back of our throat. Feel the ice cold tiles against our bare toes. A strange feeling at the back of our head. We kept wanting to run our fingers through our hair, but every time we did, our fingers only touched bare skin. Scuffed and rigged skin. Tight fingers were wrapped around our arm, dragging us further and further into a white oblivion. Until a glass door seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
From now on, I am going to describe his memories very vaguely. I’m just going to tell you what I saw.
The room we walked into reminded me of a classroom—but there were no desks. In front of me were the other members of Sunbeam pressed against the back wall. They faced forwards, their gazes penetrating nothing. But I saw they were trembling. Terrified. The squad were dressed in pale white shorts and t-shirt, ugly red spattering the front. There were still traces of blue and glitter on their faces, ribbons hanging from bedraggled curls.
Their feet were bare and filthy like ours. When we were shoved forwards, we took our place next to Evie who had half of her hair shaved off. Her arms were folded across her cheer uniform, her bare feet tapping a beat against the floor. When a woman with dark red hair held in a strict ponytail entered and asked if either of us wanted to show her what we had learned, Evie eagerly raised her hand. “Okay, Evie.” The woman’s voice was too sweet. Sickly sweet. She gestured for the girl forward. “Show us what you’ve got.”
The door opened, and a man stepped through. His hands were tied in front of him, his eyes blank.
Evie nodded, her eyes set in determination. She cleared her throat. “Shatter.”
Nothing happened.
“Intent, Evie.” The woman said. “It doesn’t matter how you say the word unless you use proper intent. Try again.”
The girl did, growling in frustration.
"Shatter.”
The man’s head flew from his torso suddenly in a river of red, and the girl squeaked in excitement.
While we watched in horror, the rest of the squad gave in to their own despair.
Different days bled into one—and we watched faces change. Heads were shaved. Hair grew back. Fear turned to joy.
A blonde girl exploded into bloody chunks, splattering against the walls.
“Yes!” The redhead high-fived pigtails, the two of them locked into some bizarre handshake. “That’s what I’m TALKING about!”
“Bang!” One of the girls used finger guns, and with each “shot” innocents dropped against the wall one by one, their heads blown through.
She jumped up and down in glee. “Bang, bang, bang!”
“Keep going,” the voice of the woman crackled through the speaker. “You’ve almost got it.”
“Divide.” Pigtails used her pointer finger at an old man who was skewed by an invisible force sending bloody chunks of him to the floor.
"Show off.” The redhead said in a sing-song voice. He was slumped against the back wall using his jersey to wipe blood from his face while the others painted the room scarlet. With simple words of intent and a hand gesture, they were able to take people apart piece by piece.
Pigtails snorted when another “test subject” was brought in. "Oh, you think you can do better?”
“Think I can? I know I can.”
This time he plunged two fingers into his temples. He was centre stage, the others against the back wall with their arms folded.
“Rip it out.”
The test subject’s eyes widened, her trembling hands clawing at her own head, fingernails digging into flesh. “Rip…rip it out?”
His lip curved. “That’s what I said.”
We didn’t see the test subject rip her own brain from her skull. We were already burying our head into our knees and screeching into the floor. Another flash. Like watching a movie.
This time we’re cutting into our wrist with shards of glass. Pulling back fleshy flaps of our flesh, there are two wires entangled with muscle and bone. One red and one blue. “Why won’t you submit?” A sharp growl, and I can feel our body pressed against metal. Our arms are restrained. “Out of all of them, you refuse it.” A hand slaps our face. “You don’t want it!”
He started to laugh.
“You don’t want… control?”
He leaned his face closer. “Tell me to mutilate myself. Tell me to… to tear out my brain stem! That’s the beauty of it! No matter how impossible the order is, it will be completed! Control, my boy. Use it. Do you even understand how much you are going to shape the world? Words! Do you know how powerful they are? When said from the right mouth, with the right intent, they can cause bloodshed, pain and misery-- a despair drowning our already shattered earth. And you will be the centre of it. You will bring this world to its knees, Jason."
"Now, do it. We call it cutting, but you will find familiarity in referring to it as erasure. You can make up your own words if you would like. What matters is the intent.” I feel something slicing into our arm. It’s nothing medical. It’s torture. He plunges something sharp into the same spot and twists the blade until we throw our head back and scream at the ceiling.
“You’re the last one.” The man hissed. “Do it.”
“No.” I heard his—our—voice. “I… I can’t!”
“Do it!”
He’s dragging us again, forcing us down a long winding corridor until we reach another door.
"Drown." The boy - - Jason's-- voice was suddenly in my head. I could sense it was trying to hold back, attempting to peel back whatever power his own words had. But the word came again and again until it was suffocating his mouth. “Drown. Drown. Drown. Drown.” We were standing in the doorway of a smaller room. In the corner there was a figure curled up with their head pressed against the wall.
It was a guy.
I recognised our school colours, a bloodied varsity jacket over shorts and t-shirt. When he lifted his head and twisted to face the boy whose mind I was in, I noticed he had an uncanny resemblance to me. His eyes wide, frightened. They were my mother's.
This guy looked exactly like me.
No, it WAS me.
My eyes were shadowed and haunted.
Like I had been drained of everything I was.
As quickly as the memories came crashing into me, they were yanked away when the guy must have pulled back.
I blinked rapidly, and Jason looked as confused as me. Slowly, he pulled his finger from my cut. The man's voice was in my skull, and it was agonising. I felt the command in my head, my body instantly reacting to... to nothing. I had my hands out, ready to do.... do something.
"That was… just a trick,” He said. “Yeah! Just a trick!”
I found myself nodding, echoing his words. Something warm ran from my nose.
"Just... a trick..." I whispered, the words forced from my lips.
Blood spattered down my chin.
“Louder.” He said.
"JUST A TRICK!" I yelled, the force of the wail sending me my knees, panting. The guy was frowning, seemingly unsure what to do with me.
He wrapped up my wound and told me it wasn’t bad—and it wasn’t. I watched in disbelief as my skin stitched itself back together.
"Go into your kitchen." Jason said, and I felt the power of his words ripping through me like bullets. My body moved on its own, and I got to my feet and stepped into my kitchen. He followed me, grabbing a scarf off of the table.
"Get on your knees." I did, dropping to my knees, my breath in my throat, my mouth sealed shut. I could sense the others in the doorway as he wrapped the scarf around my eyes, the heel of his shoe slamming into my neck forcing me onto my stomach.
"I want you to wait for me to kill you."
His words pierced into me. I did. Even when I knew he was gone, the door slamming shut-- I waited. I waited until the next morning, until I regained control over my own body and pulled the scarf from my eyes. I'm still waiting, my brain in constant panic, twisting around when I'm alone, looking into every corner.
I was roped into going to Friday's game against Harrington. During Sunbeam’s routine, they did it again. They had the crowd's attention, and Evie was mouthing something. I felt her words, sharp like needles cutting into me. But they didn't penetrate. They have done something to the student body. Ever since, I’ve been catching looks around me. Those whose heads they have crawled into. Mindless eyes. Every so often an arm will touch mine, fingers will wrap around my neck. I can hear their feet pitter pattering after me. Those little kids from that night. I keep seeing the little witch girl in the corner of my eye. They’re creating an army who are coming for me once he decides to kill me.
If only I knew what happened to the Sunbeam squad. Maybe I can help them somehow.
But something tells me they’re way past help.
And so am I.
I wonder if one day, I might be allowed a glimpse of my memories. What really happened to me during my freshman year.
And why, ever since going into his mind, I dream of a white room.