Heat Waves

Fezco x Lexi - Euphoria

It’s been eight years. Eight years since that New Years Eve party.

Six years since she saw Him.

On the occasional visits to her mom’s house from L.A., Lexi always seemed to keep an eye out for that familiar Cadillac.

Honestly, she thought about Him a lot. They spent a lot of time with each other after she returned that green sweater. Countless drives around town when her mom was being too much. Countless smiles and laughs.

He would always look right into her soul when she spoke. Listening whole heartedly, no matter the topic or tangent.

He told her once that he loved the way she spoke. Full of passion and earnest.

She loved that about him. How he was always focused on her. Made her feel seen, for once.

Lexi let out a huff of air and fixed her hair, coming back to reality. Her sister invited her to this new club that opened last week in downtown. So here she was, sitting in the corner of a booth while Cassie was being the social butterfly she was.

She continued sipping on the wine she had gotten earlier and people watched like she always did.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a man with a red beard. She turned to get a clearer view. Short, cropped dark hair and a neatly trimmed beard.

No way.

He was walking closer, talking to a semi taller younger man. He turned and she noticed the scar. Even through the hair he had let grow a bit, it was still visible.

She fidgeted with the dress her sister convinced her to wear out. A dark purple bodycon dress with thin straps. Nothing like what she would normally wear.

Taking a deep breath, Lexi moved from her booth.

I’ll just happen to walk past them. Yeah, that’ll work. If he notices me, he notices me. If not then I’ll just go to the bathroom. Yep. Here we go!

Lexi held her head up as she made her way by. It felt like time slowed down the moment they passed each other. Her shoulder barely grazing his in the crowded room. She noticed in the mirrored wall across the room how he had turned his head a little before continuing his conversation. When she arrived at the bathroom, time sped back up to normal. She let out a breath she didn’t realize she had held.

Taking this moment of seclusion to check her reflection. Her once brown hair now dyed into a blonde balayage and up to her chin. She adjusted the soft waves of her hair a bit.

No longer did she look like the eighteen year old Fezco last saw. Twenty-five year old Lexi was different. Mostly.

So what if he didn’t say anything to me. I’m not even here for him. I’m here to get out of the house and have some fun. I’m going to go right back out there and-

As she opened the door, Lexi froze. Leaned against the wall across from her, Fezco looked up from the floor. A grin spreading across his face.

“I thought that was you,” Lexi couldn’t say anything for a minute after he spoke.

“Fez?” She asked, trying to control her voice. He nodded before pushing off the wall.

“Look at you all grown up, little Lex,” she blushed at his words, “What are you doing here?” He asked.

Lexi fully exited the bathroom and stood closer to him, to keep out the way of others of course. No other reason.

“I came with Cassie. She wanted to show me the new club that opened,” Lexi replied, not able to look away from the blue eyes focused on her.

“How do you like it so far?” He asked. The timbre of his voice, nearly making her spiral.

“It’s nice, nicer than most other places around,” this caused Fez to smile wider, “What? What are you doing here anyways?” She asked, suddenly confused by his presence in the building that was definitely not in East Highland.

“Come with me, it’s getting a little loud,” he held a hand out to her and she let him wrap his larger hand around hers. The familiar feeling sending tingles through her.

They walked to the back of the building, leading to what seemed to be an office.

Fez led her to the couch, “Drink?” He asked as he went to the little bar cart in the corner.

“Uh, sure,” Lexi mumbled, taking in the room around her, “This is fancy.”

Fez chuckled as he returned with a glass for her and himself. He sat beside her, “Thanks. Took a lot of work but Ash and I scored a good deal with the place.”

“So this whole building is yours?” She asked, looking back to the man who lived her memories.

She then realized just how close they were. How his bright blue eyes zeroed in on her.

He hummed a reply before saying, “Enough about that, for now. Catch me up on you.”

“Well, I’m a business analyst now. I work with a few different start ups around L.A.,” Lexi informed Fez, “So if you ever need any help let me know. I’ll cut you a good deal,” she mustered the courage to give him a wink.

He smirked at that, “Little Lexi went and got that degree.”

“Yeah, well, you made sure of that,” she couldn’t help the little pang of hurt in her heart. Remembering the last day they were together.

<<<<

The last few weeks before Lexi was supposed to leave for college, she felt Fezco pulling away from her. When before he would drop almost anything he was doing to go see her, now he was suddenly busy every time she texted him.

She had finally had enough of his shit and stormed into the store. Ash looked up in minor surprise.

“Where is he?” She demanded, a little shocked at her own tone.

“Look, Lexi, he’s really busy right now-“

“I’m sorry, Ash, I really just need to see him. He’s been dodging me for the last two weeks!” She was beyond frustrated.

“That’s not-” suddenly the office door opened, and Fez came out. He had a black eye and his knuckles were tore up.

“Oh my god, Fez! What happened?!” She hurried over to him, holding his face in her hands. He closed his eyes, leaning into her hand before swiftly stepping away.

“Lex, you need to go home,” he said, voice stern.

“Where have you been?” She asked, purposely ignoring his command. How could she leave when he was hurt?

“Alexis,” Lexi stopped her fretting, eyes wide. He never called her that.

“Just talk to me,” she whispered, “please?”

He sighed before looking to Ash and nodding his head to the side, a signal to leave.

“Why are you avoiding me?” Lexi asked, voice so soft it was almost a whisper.

“You need to understand,” Fez started, gently caressing her cheek, “You are going to go to great things. Gonna go to college and made something of yourself. Me? This is it for me.”

Lexi just shook her head, holding onto his forearm, just wanting to feel his touch a bit longer.

“You just need a better life than this. You need something I can never give,” He kissed her forehead, “I care too much for you to keep looking back here. Back at me. I’m just gonna hold you back from your potential.”

“That’s not true,” Lexi said through the tears that started to fall.

“It is,” he gave her a sad smile, “You’re gonna be awesome, Lex. No doubt about that. You’re fucking fearless.”

“You say something so loving, but…” she sniffled and hugging him tight to her.

“I’ve gotta let you go. You’ll be better off in something new,” he pressed a kiss into her hair, relishing in her scent.

“I don’t wanna be alone,” she mumbled into his chest.

“You know it hurts me too,” he let out a slight shudder of breath. He pulled away slightly and took a look at her tear streaked face, “You look so broken when you cry,” he wiped her tears away. He held her face in his hands, gazing into her deep brown eyes. The eyes he always got lost in.

He leaned down and kissed her, gentle and careful. Wanting to remember that feeling forever. Loving the way Lexi ran her hand over his buzzed hair and his chest.

When he finally pulled away, Lexi kept her eyes closed. Tears still fell, slowly. She finally opened her eyes and Fezco had to convince himself that, yes, this was the right thing to do. For her. Her future, that was much brighter than his.

Lexi rubbed her thumb over his scruffy beard, “One more, and then I’ll say goodbye,” she whispered.

Fezco nodded, running his hand through her brown curls, before bringing her lips to his once again.

>>>>

“Where’d you go?” Fez asked, noticing Lexi spaced out, “I was starting to miss ya.”

“Oh! Sorry, just remembered something,” Lexi sheepishly giggled.

“Mmm, wonder what thoughts are going on in that pretty head,” he leaned back against the couch.

Lexi hummed in response before also leaning back against the couch.

They just looked at each other before Lexi said, “This feels familiar.” Fez chuckled and nudged her with his elbow. Lexi smiled, just taking him in, “You’ve aged well.”

He just shrugged, “I did alright.”

“What made you pick this spot?”

“East Highland got a little… small. And I got tired of the bullshit. Ash got really into the whole investment thing and we ended up being able to buy this place,” he finally explained. Fez noticed her questionable expression, causing him to chuckle again, “It’s all legal now. Got our licenses and everything.”

“I’m so proud of you, Fezco,” Lexi reached over and caressed his chin, “I always knew you would do great things.”

Fezco reached over and played with a strand of her hair, twisting it around his finger, “I missed you a shit ton, Lex. I wanted to be better. You made me want to be better.”

Lexi couldn’t keep the smile off her face, stray tears finding their way free, “Sometimes, all I think about is you.”

Fez wiped the loose tears away, “Don’t wanna mess up that pretty face, now.”

“Shut up,” she giggled. A few memories popped up from all the times he said that exact sentence whenever she was dealing with bullshit at home.

“I think about you, too, Lex. Every damn day. Thinking back on if I made the right decision. Pulling away from your life like I did. Seeing you now… makes me glad I did. You’ve done great for yourself, it seems,” Fez gave her that look that always made her stomach flip flop.

Lexi took a sharp inhale when she noticed they somehow managed to get closer without realizing, like they were still drawn to each other. She watched with bated breath as his eyes flicked between her own eyes and her lips, the action causing her pull on her bottom lip slightly with her teeth. This caused a soft groan in Fez’s throat before he held her head in his hands and pulled her to him the rest of the way.

The quick action made her gasp, leading him to slide his tongue into her mouth and elicit a soft moan from her.

Next thing she knew, she was straddling Fez on the lush couch. Her dress tight enough to rise to her upper thighs. She wrapped her arms around his neck, resting on his shoulders as she combed her fingers in his hair. Something she was never able to really do before.

Fez moved a hand to the back of her head, fisting a handful of hair only rough enough to cause her to moan once more. His other hand traveled to her lower back, making her arch toward him. He tilted her head back and began leaving a trail of kisses and small nips down her neck to her now prominent chest.

Fez noted from the moment he first saw her how much she matured in the last six years, filling out more than she was before. And he loved every bit of it.

A sudden knock on the door caused Lexi and Fez to freeze. Lexi scrambling from his lap. She readjusted her dress and hair as Fez went to check who interrupted them.

“What the fuck do you want?” He asked, Lexi noticed it was the young man from earlier that Fez had been talking to. Only now realizing that it was Ash, all grown up.

Ash looked behind Fez and saw her, “Holy shit, is that Lexi?”

“I asked, what the fuck do you want?” Fez reiterated, growing impatient. Wanting to get back to the girl he once let go, but now she was just within reach.

“Some dickheads started fighting in the lot,” Ash informed him.

“Fuck,” Fez turned back to Lexi. She looked so beautiful. Her kiss swollen lips and mussed up hair, “Give me a second. Go handle it until I get there,” Ash nodded, giving a quick glance to Lexi before leaving.

Fez came back to where Lexi was sat, squatting down in front of her, running a hand up and down her calf, “I gotta go deal with some assholes. You gonna stay for a bit or do you have to go?”

Lexi glanced at her phone.

12:30 a.m.

“I can stay for a little while longer,” she said softly. She watched as his blue eyes crinkled with his smile.

“I’ll be back in fifteen,” he gave her a quick kiss before rushing out the door.

When the door shut, Lexi threw herself back on the couch before squealing.

College Note-Taking System

Having cohesive and effective notes is one of the key skills I think one should have, especially in an academic setting. When you’re receiving a ton of information each day, you want to be able to keep track of that and remember what you’ve learned. I’m constantly trying out ways to make my note-taking more effective and tailored to my needs. Here’s what my note-taking system looks like so far.

Quick note: click on the images for better quality!

Class Notes

Taking notes in class is an invaluable way to keep track of the new knowledge you’ve gained. However, depending on the mode in which the lecture material is conveyed, I take my notes differently. Here’s a summary of how I take my notes for each type of lecture, as well as some examples from the classes I’m taking now.

Slides (e.g. Macroeconomics)

Macroeconomics is a class in which you should be able to intuitively understand a lot of concepts but also remember a lot of things. Because of this, I’ve tailored my note-taking method and habits to achieve that goal.

I write my notes by hand because handwriting is more effective in committing things to memory.

As for what I actually do - and this is what I’ve done for other classes in which the professor/lecturer uses slides:

Read/skim over the slide.

Read each bullet point as the professor goes through them.

Copy it down if it’s straightforward or write it down in a structure and diction that I understand better (not necessarily in my own words - sometimes it’s just restructuring, e.g. splitting things up or joining different bullet points together).

Take note of any other important details the professor says about any particular point unless I think it’s intuitive or common sense.

Here’s an example from a Macroeconomics lecture.

Oral Presentation (e.g. Anthropology)

During classes in which the professor just speaks and doesn’t use much visual material, I listen before I write instead of attempting to write down every single detail mentioned.

Also, I type up my notes instead of handwriting them since the exams are all open-book so I don’t really have to commit things to memory.

Here’s what I do:

Listen for a cue that tells you what this particular part of the lecture will be about (and write it as a heading).

Write down main ideas and their supporting facts/details. If the facts/details come before the main ideas, then I’d usually draw an arrow.

Write down ideas and details from readings in their own section/subsection.

Sometimes, my professor also shows short clips in class, in which case I’d write down the message that I think the clip was meant to convey, as well as things that the professor points out that I didn’t think of on my own.

I’d also look up concepts/ideas/people/events (in real time) that are important to my understanding of the lecture material.

Here’s an example of a Google Docs document from an Anthropology lecture.

Demonstrations and Sample Problems (e.g. Computer Science)

Classes in which the lecture is mainly going through demos and problems are kind of tricky, because you want to know and understand what the professor is doing, but you also don’t want to be writing down every single step that’s being executed. Here’s what I’ve found to be the most effective so far:

If there are any, I import the slides/handout onto OneNote and annotate directly on the slide. If not, I just write down things like definitions, important concepts, and syntax-related things.

I focus on understanding what the professor’s doing with the demo or problem.

I then summarize the steps they took and

Write down comments and points they brought up, e.g. common errors, desirable habits/practices.

Also, these kinds of classes are usually classes in which you’d learn better when you actually do problems yourself, so I definitely learn more when I do assignments and labs than when I’m in class.

Here’s an example from a Web Programming lecture.

Here’s one from an Object Oriented Programming and Data Structures class. I often draw things to help me visualize the general points.

Rewritten Notes

My rewritten notes have definitely changed a lot since high school. Since most of my classes don’t require a lot of memorization, I organize my notes in such a way that they’d be easy to index or find information from. Here are some of the ways I do that:

Establishing a Visual Hierarchy

Having a well-defined hierarchy helps me flow through my notes really well as i read them. It helps me organize information like a mind map without actually making a mind map - I know the big topics and their subtopics and sub-subtopics and details … basically it’s easier to see how these ideas fit together.

But why don’t I just make mind-maps? See, the thing is, a lot of my notes require sequential or linear thinking, e.g. in macroeconomics it might be the sequence of events following a change in the economy, or in computer science it might be a general algorithm for solving a certain type of problem, or it might be proving or deriving a certain equation. These sorts of things just generally don’t work well with mind maps. Instead, establishing a visual hierarchy in my notes helps me organize different ideas while retaining the linear nature of the information.

Here’s what the hierarchy looks like.

Here is an example from my Web Programming class, which is a purely project-based class, so no prelims or exams. As you can see, I draw rectangles around important terminology so that I can easily find them while I’m working on a project. I also include examples from in-class activities as well as notes on syntax so I have an idea of how to implement certain things. These examples and notes are further grouped by terminology/concept.

Structuring Them for Easier Flow

My syllabi for my college courses are nowhere near as detailed as the syllabi for my high school courses - those of you who take/have taken Cambridge exams would know. In college, my syllabi are only lists of topics and not what you’re expected to know for each topic. Because of this, I have to find a way to arrange information so that I can achieve the most comprehensive and cohesive understanding of that topic, i.e. so that the flow of my notes is similar to the flow of my thinking.

For example, in my economics notebook, I like to have the details first (e.g. the separate markets: the goods market, the assets market, and the labor market) and then the big picture later (IS-LM-FE). Some people prefer the other way around - seeing the big picture and then going into the details - which I can understand and have done myself for certain topics.

Making Use of Proximity and Spacing

I very much dislike notes without good use of spacing and grouping things together. Keeping related ideas in visual proximity helps your brain (or at least mine) organize this information. It’s also a lot easier to find things and visualize your notes when they’re not just a huge chunk of text.

One thing I should probably mention is that I don’t use colored pens anymore because it just takes a lot of time to switch pens and think of a color palette. I also don’t have much use for it. In the past, I used color to help me memorize and group things in different categories, but now, I’ve found that there aren’t a whole lot of categories I need to keep track of, and when I do, I can do so with just one pen but changing the style of the text.

And that’s what my note-taking system currently looks like. It’s working well so far, but I still think there are other things I could try out that might be a better fit.

So yeah, hope this was helpful, and as always, feel free to drop an ask if you have any questions, or even if you have any suggestions or would like to share your note-taking system. Have an awesome week!

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mariana1963-blog

5 years ago

2019 10 06

from my instagram

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mariana1963-blog

5 years ago

I havent seen anyone talk about this yet so im making a post.

So lets say you’re researching something for a paper (or just for fun) and the research paper you want to read is behind a paywall, or the site makes you create an account first, or makes you pay to download, or limits you to only 5 free articles, or otherwise makes it difficult for you to read what you want.

do not fear! copy the link to the article

go to sci-hub.se (the url is always changing so its best to check out whereisscihub.now.sh to find what the current url is)

slap the article link in there

bam! free access!

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mariana1963-blog

2 years ago

Manifesting academic success and an unlimited supply of cute stationery for the person whom you reblogged this from

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mariana1963-blog

5 years ago

Some aesthetic playlists for writing

For when you’re in an 80s teen montage

For when you’re in a jazz coffee shop in NYC

For when you’re on a quest to find the fae queen

For when you’re in a teen road-trip scene

For when you’re chilling on a spaceship hopping from planet to planet

For when you’re running along the roofs of renaissance Italy

For when you’re a farmhand taking his lunch break in the meadow

For when you’re a high end classy ass art thief

For when you’re kicking butt with the beauty and sass of a k-pop star

For when you’re attending a coronation ball for the crown prince

For when you’re going on an adventure

For when you and your best friends are trying to figure out life together

let me know if you want me to add more!!!

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mariana1963-blog

5 years ago

let’s spend the entire day studying and watching gilmore girls (season four when rory goes to university) productivity, here i come. finals are right around the corner so i must study really hard.

Instagram / Youtube

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mariana1963-blog

5 years ago