So I lied when I said there would be only two or three parts... There's actually going to be at least one more after this update, which I guess is good news! Maybe? Haha, I honestly don't plan out what I write. I have a vague idea and goal ending in mind, and then things just go from there so the direction these stories go in is always changing.
Disclaimer: Do not own any of the characters from Glee, this is simply for fun!
This is social suicide and he knows it.
People are looking at him, watching confusedly as he stands among a crowd that shouldn't be at his party in the first place. They whisper as they walk by and some even have the nerve to point at him, as if he doesn't see them.
"What the hell is Hudson doing," an underclassmen boy slurs to his friend. "Is he going mental or something?"
"I don't know, but it looks like he's joined homo explosion," the other guy replies, shaking his head. "What a waste."
"Why the fuck would he do that?"
"Don't know dude. He must have a death wish. There's no way he's on the top of the food chain anymore if he does join."
"Mr. Popularity's reign over McKinley is over then?"
Finn shoots both of them a glare, "mind your own damn business."
The two scurry off, but not before he hears one of them say, "Hudson has clearly lost it."
Finn lets out a frustrated grunt, chugging some beer down as he mulls over his current situation. Why in the world was he standing here?
He looks over at Mercedes and Tina, who are hysterically laughing over some picture on their cell phones. Clearly they fell into the category of 'happy girl' drunk.
He looks on the other side of him and sees Blaine crooning a drunken version of Teenage Dream by Katy Perry to Kurt. His brother is annoyed that his hair has been losing its volume, but he's attempting to fix it while holding up Blaine.
Finn fidgets in place as he once again wonders why the hell he has put himself in this position. Shouldn't he be over there with Puck and his football teammates doing keg stands?
All of a sudden, two small hands cover his eyes and a small giggle sounds in his ear.
That's right. Now he knows why he's there.
"Guess who?"
He chuckles, as he forgets his worries instantly, "is it a really hot girl in a pink dress?"
"You would be correct." Rachel uncovers his eyes, allowing him to turn around. She kisses him eagerly. "How are things going handsome?"
Finn shrugs, wrapping an arm around her waist, "much better now that you're here."
Rachel grins, patting his chest lightly, "charming."
"I try," he winks. "So where did you disappear to? I was getting lonely."
"I had to call my dads they were worried about me. They're leaving this weekend for a business trip in San Antonio, and they won't be back until Tuesday night."
"Girl, did I just hear you say your dads will be gone all weekend?" Mercedes asks, sipping her drink from a straw.
"Yes, 'Cedes they will be," Rachel says. Finn's ears perk up at that news and she gives him a devilish smile.
"Great, then we'll have a sleepover at your house this week," Mercedes decides, not noticing their exchange. "I've been dying to get my hands on that karaoke machine of yours and sing on a stage again."
"And we're doing something about that hideous wardrobe of yours," Kurt commands. "You will not be wearing reindeer sweaters and plaid skirts on my watch."
"You have a secret love for them, Kurt, and you know it," Rachel teases.
"They make me want to gag," Kurt fires back. "They should be illegal to wear, along with the puffy vests that Finn wears in the winter."
"Hey!" Finn protests, "They're comfortable and warm."
"Yeah, and so is a nice cardigan and fur parka," Kurt exclaims. "Seriously Finn, for someone so concerned with how people see you, the least you could do is try to be a little more fashion-forward."
"Whatever," Finn rolled his eyes at his brother, noticing a couple of guys walking by them snickering.
"I can't believe your dads are leaving you at home," Tina interjects, speaking to Rachel. "You'll be all by yourself?"
Finn smirks at the glint that shines in Rachel's eyes, and squeezes her side subtly. "Yes T, I'll be home all alone. My dads trust me."
"Damn, I wish my parents were that cool," Tina complains. "Oh! Mercedes, I forgot to tell you I-"
Before he can listen closely to what Tina is going to say, Rachel takes his hand, earning his attention. "Will you come with me to get something to drink?"
The two of them walk off together, and when they're in the kitchen Finn lets go of her to grab a pink drink out of the fridge. She leans against the counter, accepting it gratefully as Finn smirks at her.
He takes a step closer to Rachel, trapping her when he puts his arms on either side of her. She opens the drink and takes a sip deliberately licking her lips once she's done, making Finn want to take her right then and there on the counter top.
"What are you thinking about," Rachel asks, a knowing smile playing on her lips.
"I think you know," he says lowly.
"Tell me," she urges, tracing her fingers over the plane of his t-shirt clad stomach, making goose bumps break out over his skin.
He grabs her wrist, stopping her before her hand has the chance to dip down below his waistband. He narrows his eyes playfully, as he decides to play her little game as well. "Oh, I think you know, Rachel," he says, his own hands going to her waist and slowly moving towards her ass. "I'm thinking about that little tidbit of information that you just dropped out there."
She feigns innocence as she hooks her fingers in the belt loops of his jeans, "what ever could you be talking about, Finn?"
Giving her ass a quick squeeze, he hears the little moan that escapes her mouth. Rachel's eyes darken and he asks, "Your house is empty? No one is staying with you?"
She smirks, "nope. I have the house all to myself for the next few days."
"Well, don't you think that's a bit unsafe," Finn teases. "I mean, you might need somebody to protect you."
She raises an eyebrow, enticingly, "that's very true. And you would know someone who would want to keep me company?"
Finn dips his head down so his lips are next to her ear, as he whispers huskily, "I think I may know someone."
She lets out a breathy moan as Finn latches his mouth onto the spot just below her ear, and he smirks into her skin. Before he can leave a mark, Rachel tugs his face away from her neck and back to her own mouth. He eagerly obliges with this, picking her up easily and depositing her body on the countertop so that he doesn't have to strain his neck.
Rachel parts her legs, letting him step between them and trail his hands over the smooth expanse of her toned legs. Her arms circle him and she threads a hand through the hair at the nape of his neck. She sighs in pleasure as she allows his tongue access to her mouth.
Finn can feel himself losing it. He's getting hard and he can't fucking believe that this amazing girl is as attracted to him as he is to her. It's frickin' great and as he sneaks his hands underneath the hem of her short pink dress, he faintly hears whoops and hollers and even some catcalls, as people move about the room they're in.
"Yeah! Get it Berry!" Santana cheers, gliding up to the pair. Rachel pulls away, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment, and Finn just smiles at her. "Oh come on! The show was just getting good. Britt and I want to see the T-Rex eat the Jew."
Finn rolls his eyes at Santana's badgering, "ha ha. You're hilarious Santana. What do you want?"
"Can't a girl just say hi to her friends," asked Santana, feigning hurt.
"When it's you, no," Finn fires back, pouting when Rachel loosens her grasp on him. She reaches behind herself and grabs her drink, taking a swig of it.
"What happened to your clothes?" Rachel asks, appraising the two girls in front of her who are both standing in just their bras and skirts.
Santana eyes a boy passing by and he instantly offers her one of the shots in his hand. She tosses it back easily and says, "I find it's easier to get more alcohol from boys when you have less clothing on."
"Yeah," Brittany pipes in. "And they love it when you dance too. We've been offered so many more drinks since losing our tops."
"Boys are so easy to manipulate this way," Santana adds, eyeing the small brunette. "You should think about losing the dress, Rachel."
"Excuse me," Rachel gasps with a laugh.
"You heard me," the Latina smirks. "I bet that dress is hiding a tight, little body that all the boys would be lusting after, if you stripped."
Rachel's cheeks blush furiously, and the red deepens when Brittany says, "I've made out with almost everyone at our school, and I'd totally make out with you, Rachel, if you were willing."
"Ditto," agreed Santana. "You don't have much of a rack on you, but your ass and legs definitely make up for it."
Finn chuckles in disbelief that this was happening. "I can't believe you girls just said that."
"Like you wouldn't pay to see that Frankenteen," Santana says, pointing to his groin. "Little Finn would definitely be up for that show, more so than he even is now."
Finn looks down and sure enough his semi-hard member can be seen through his jeans. He repositions himself between Rachel's legs so that it's hidden, but it's also pressed against Rachel's inner thigh. She gives him a sly grin, loving how he's turned on by her.
"So what exactly are you over here for anyway," Finn asks, trying to direct the conversation somewhere else.
Brittany shrugs, throwing back a shot herself, "we were looking for somebody to dance with, and we were hoping that Rachel would."
Rachel raises her eyebrows and points at herself, "you want me to dance with you?"
"Is there another Rachel around here," Santana replies, amused. "Yes, you. Now come on Berry. Come dance."
"But she's hanging out with me right now," Finn argues.
"So what? This isn't up for discussion," Santana says. Then she looks at Rachel, "you have two minutes before I expect to see that tiny butt of yours out on the dance floor. Come on Britt."
Rachel laughs at the way Finn's hands tighten on her waist once they walk away. "Guess we'll have to hide so Santana can't find us."
"Finn," she giggles. "I actually do want to dance with them. I think it might be fun."
"What? But babe I thought we were in the middle of something," Finn protests.
"We were," she admits. His lower lip juts out and Rachel kisses him swiftly, pulling it between her teeth teasingly. When she pulls away, the dazed look in his eyes makes her giggle, "now I have to go dance."
Rachel hops off the counter and squeezes his arm when it snakes around her waist again. "Please tell me you're joking," he groans.
She shoots him a smile as she breaks out of his hold, "you could join me on the dance floor."
Finn shakes his head, chuckling, "not gonna happen. I'm a terrible dancer."
"Suit yourself," she says, and then she bolts out into the living room already swaying her hips to the beat.
How the hell had he gotten so lucky, he thinks as he watches her go.
"Damn, that girl's smokin'," someone says, surprising Finn with their proximity.
Finn glares when he sees none other than Brody Weston, his obnoxious classmate in weight training. The dude thought he was so cool because he had rock hard abs and could charm his way into any girl's pants that he wanted.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing here," Finn sneers, his muscles already tense, aching to beat this guy up.
Brody shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly, "isn't it obvious? I'm enjoying the Quarterback's party, just like everyone else is."
"The difference being that everyone was invited, except for you," Finn spits.
"Come on, Finn," Brody taunts, grabbing a beer from the fridge. "I thought we had put our differences aside long ago. Besides, its all out in the open anyway. Everyone knows."
"Screw you, man," Finn says, knowing he needs to get away before he can punch the guy in the face. Finn knew that the history between the two of them would never be salvaged in any way.
"Oh, I plan to screw somebody alright," Brody says smugly. "In fact, I'm thinking I just may go out onto that dance floor myself. I'll show that girl of yours who she should really be walking away with tonight."
In a second, Finn yanks Brody up by the collar of his shirt, and pushes him hard against the wooden kitchen cabinets. People around them pause their conversations to watch the spectacle. Some gasp, while others soon start whispering amongst themselves trying to decipher what's going on.
"You stay the fuck away from her," Finn warns, adrenaline pumping hard through his veins, aching to be released. "If you know what's good for you, you'll stay the fuck away from her. You understand me?"
Brody pushes Finn off of him, his own breathing heavy from the confrontation. "Or you'll do what, huh? Beat me up?"
Finn narrows his eyes, "don't tempt me."
"Wouldn't matter anyway. She'd realize what a joke you are once I talk to her and she'd drop you like that."
"Rachel's not like that," Finn argues. "She's different."
"And Quinn wasn't," Brody mocked.
Finn's blood boils at the mention of his ex and his vision starts to turn red. "You better stop-"
"You're just pissed that I slept with your girlfriend," Brody taunts. "You were together for two years and when you couldn't deliver what she needed anymore, she came to me."
Finn's fists clenched. "You know she was practically begging for me," Brody says. "She was so ready for me to take her, Finn. All she wanted was some attention from her loving, perfect boyfriend, and you neglected her. You pushed her away. The quarterback couldn't even keep his girlfriend satisfied. How pathetic is that?"
"You don't anything about how our fucking relationship worked so shut the hell up!"
"Why? Because it's the truth? Quinn didn't want you anymore at the time because she could see how much of a joke you are. She wanted-"
"Fuck you. I swear-"
"-a real man to please her. And I'm sure that girl of yours tonight, Rachel, would appreciate the same," Brody claims. He narrows his eyes, a snide smile on his face. "Don't worry Finn. I'll take her and give her the pleasure she really needs and she'll forget all about you. She'll be screaming so loud that-"
Whack!
Finn's on top of Brody in less than a second, tackling him to the floor. People gasp in surprise but Finn doesn't notice. He's bashing his fist into the asshole in any place that he can reach.
He had warned the guy to stay away from him and stop talking. Brody knew how sensitive Finn was still about the whole Quinn cheating scandal, but he didn't stop. Brody had always gotten on his nerves, and when he found out from Marley that she had heard Quinn was cheating with him, he had hated his guts even more.
Finn knew his and Quinn's relationship last year had been rocky when he had started training harder with Coach Beiste for football and got a job with Burt at his tire shop. He didn't have the time to be with her like she wanted, but he hadn't stopped loving her. So it hurt when he found out the truth, that Brody and Quinn had slept together, and in front of the whole school no less.
A huge crowd had surrounded them a little less than a year ago in the hallway of McKinley as Finn and Brody fought one another while Quinn cried. She had tried fruitlessly to apologize, claiming that she hadn't meant to hurt him, but the damage had been done.
This fight, right now in his kitchen, reminds Finn vaguely of that fateful afternoon. Brody struggles underneath him, and loud chants of "fight, fight, fight!" could be heard all throughout the room.
Suddenly, Finn feels a two pairs of hands grab him on either side and yank him off of Brody. He goes to swing at them, prepared to take on more due to the adrenaline pumping through him, but he stops when he sees Puck and Sam.
"Dude, hey, it's okay. It's just us," Puck reassures him.
"Are you okay," Sam asks, concerned. "What happened?"
"I'm fine," Finn grumbles, shaking his arms free from their grasp. "That asshole's just trying to mess with me, and I'm sick of it."
Brody is lying on the ground, groaning in pain, and oddly enough it doesn't give him the same satisfaction as it did a year ago. All he finds himself really wanting to do is go find Rachel. Somehow just being around her, he knows, will make everything okay again. She'll understand him.
"Dude, don't worry," Puck assures him. "We got your back."
"Totally, Captain," Sam agrees. "Do you want us to take care of him? Throw him out?"
Finn shakes his head, flexing his surely to be bruised fist, "nah, dude. Don't waste your time. You guys just leave him and go enjoy the party."
"If you're sure," Sam says.
"I'm sure. I'm cool, bro, thanks."
Sam walks off, taking interest in the beer pong game set up in the dining room, and leaves Puck with Finn. Puck glares at Brody, who's slowly getting up, then he turns to his friend.
"You're sure you don't want me to clock him again," Puck offers. "I know how much shit this guy has given you, Finn. He's a prick. Just say the word and I'll-"
Finn puts his hand on his shoulder, earning his attention. "I'm good, honestly. Thanks though."
They both watch as Brody picks himself off the ground, shooting one last look over his shoulder, before he's out of sight. Finn sighs, accepting the shot that Puck holds out to him, and they both knock it back easily.
"So what'd he want anyway," Puck asks.
Finn rolls his eyes, "he was just being a dick talking to me about Quinn."
"You fought over her?"
"Kind of. I don't know. Mostly it was about Rachel," Finn tells him. "He says she'll drop me tonight to go sleep with him once he talks to her."
"Yeah right" Puck scoffs. "Berry might be batshit crazy sometimes, but she's not stupid enough to go after that."
"I told him that, but he's gotta be annoying and push it and I just lost it man," Finn says. "I can deal with him talking down to me because I know he hates me, and it wasn't even the Quinn part that pushed me over. It was the fact that he was talking about Rachel in that way."
"Gotta defend the lady. I respect that," Puck says, holding his fist out for a fist bump which Finn returns. "She's not just some random hookup then?"
"Definitely not. I like her, a lot," he admits. "Does that make me lame?"
Puck laughs, and nods his head, "I would say so Captain, but I support this insanity, as long as it makes you happy, and it doesn't screw with our football season."
"Of course not," Finn chuckles. Then he frowns, watching as the crowd seems to disperse around them. "How many people saw?"
"I'd say just a small group," Puck answers. "News travels fast around this town though, especially when it comes to you."
He sighs, knowing there is some truth to Puck's words. "How long until you think Quinn will hear about this?"
Puck looks at his wrist, pretending there's a watch there, and jokes, "I'd say any minute now. I bet you fifty bucks she's up in your face about this in t-minus-"
"Finn!"
Puck laughs in disbelief, "Damn, I didn't even finish that sentence. That girl is fast."
"Crap, I don't wanna deal with her," groans Finn. "You think I could make a break for it?"
A hand taps on his shoulder and he knows instantly who it is. Puck looks at him sympathetically and shakes his head. "Don't think so."
Finn sighs, nodding to Puck who takes that moment as his cue to leave, and turns around. Quinn is looking at him, accessing his reaction to her, when she frowns.
"What was the fight with Brody about?"
"It was nothing and it's none of your business."
"But I do think it's my business," she counters. "It's my business when my ex-boyfriend fights the guy I slept with over me."
Finn rolls his eyes, "nobody ever said the fight was about you."
"Then who was it about? Because that's not what I heard from Kitty Wilde."
"Kitty Wilde is your friend, not mine, so she doesn't know the first thing about me."
Quinn stomps her foot in frustration, and it reminds Finn of all the times they had fought when they were dating. It's sad, he thinks, that they had gotten in arguments so many times that that is something he remembers her doing a lot.
"Then what did you fight about? If it wasn't over me, who or what did you fight about?"
"Like I said, Quinn, it's none of your business. Please just drop it."
The blonde cheerio narrows her eyes at him, and he wishes more than anything that she would just let go of that part of herself that keeps thinking he'll come back to her. Did he still love her? In some ways, yes, because she was his first real girlfriend, and he'll never forget that. However, she was also his first real heartbreak, and the mark she left will never go away.
Her eyes soften just a little bit, and she says quietly, "I still love you, Finn. Why can't you accept that and realize what I did was a mistake?"
It takes Finn aback at the vulnerability he sees on her face. This was the girl he loved, Quinn Fabray, the pretty girl he met in biology 1. When he saw her like this, he could see himself falling back together with her. But, then he remembers how she had lied for quite some time to his face, allowing him to believe that he was the one who was at fault in their relationship for not putting in enough effort.
"I am so sorry Finn. Please just accept my apology, and then- then we can be together again," she suggests hopefully. "We can be in love again. I know it."
"I can't accept your apology Quinn," he watches as her smile deflates. "I really want to, and I think eventually I will but-"
"But?"
"There's no way we can be together again. The relationship just wasn't good, for either of us," Finn admits. He sighs, knowing he has to tell her the next part before she hears it from anyone else. "And if you have to know there's somebody else I'm kind of into right now."
It's a split second of disbelief and sadness that crosses her face before she masks it. She reacts just like how he knew she would.
"I'm sorry. What," she gasps, crossing her arms defensively.
"Quinn-"
"Who," she demands.
"Does it really matter? It's not going to change anything between us."
"Of course it matters," Quinn stresses angrily. "She's the reason we can't be together, so I should know who this special girl is."
"Come on Quinn, I thought you could at least be reasonable about this," Finn says, but she completely ignores him.
"Is it Bethany Sanders, the one with the uneven ears, from math class?"
He sighs, annoyed, "no."
"Is it oddly-shaped boobs Kate Turner from speech?"
"What? No."
"I know. It's that creepy goth girl Tina Cohen-loser, isn't it? Someone said you were with her earlier."
"I was but it's not-"
"I can't believe you'd go for someone like her, Finn, when you could have me! She's a glee club loser."
"Hey that's not fair-" he tries to defend.
"So it is Tina?! I don't believe this! Are you stupidly trying to be unpopular by the time the school year starts? Because I mean-"
"No! It's not Tina, but see Quinn this," Finn exclaims, tired of listening to her rant. "This is why we aren't good together! You get angry over who I'm with all of the time and-"
"I just have your best interest in mind Finn! Can you say the same about this girl? Whoever she is," Quinn asks. "Will she put you on top or will she drag you under to the bottom of loserville?"
"Rachel is a nice girl. She's beautiful and she's thoughtful and whatever happens between us matters more to me than popularity," Finn argues, knowing deep down that it's true. "I learned my lesson from dating you, Quinn. Being popular, and the 'it' couple in school, doesn't make someone instantly happy."
Quinn looks at him as if he's slapped her, and he thinks maybe in her mind he has. Being popular means the world to her.
Her eyes harden then and she steps closer to Finn, her face inches from his as she says, "well, I hope this Rachel girl is worth it, Finn, and you better warn her that she should get used to being on the bottom of the social ladder at McKinley because I'm going to make sure she knows it."
With that, she storms off and Finn hangs his head, tired of the drama that always seems to come with being involved with Quinn Fabray.
"Dude, you have to come see this," his friend Ryder commands a minute later, walking up out of nowhere to Finn with a smile. "That random new girl you were making out with like twenty minutes ago-"
"Rachel," Finn interjects. "Her name's Rachel and she's not some random girl."
Ryder raises his eyebrows in surprise, but doesn't comment on Finn's clipped tone. "Okay, sorry man, but Rachel, well, you have to see this," he says with such eagerness that Finn's confused.
"What's going on," he asks, following his friend to the next room with the dance floor. "She's supposed to be with dancing with Santana and Brittany."
"Oh, she is," Ryder laughs. "And they are putting on quite a show."
Finn and Ryder move quickly through the mass of people gathered in the room. Some look at him and stare, others high-five him on his fight with Brody, and others congratulate him on a well-thrown party. Once they break through to the front of the dance floor, the music is booming so loud that Ryder just points to what he was going to show him rather than trying to yell the words at him.
Finn follows Ryder's direction and looks, his eyes widen and his jeans instantly feel two sizes too small. All the blood is in his body is suddenly rushing south.
On top of the coffee table stands Brittany and Santana, both still just have their bras and skirts on. They dance around in a sexy manner, moving their hips enticingly to every beat of the song, but standing in between them both is Rachel.
She's stuck in between the two taller girls, but the way that she carries herself, confident and sexy, makes her easily the one most people have their eye on. Her short pink dress is hiked up further than it was before due to dancing, resting just below that perfect ass of hers, and showing off her very long legs. The carefree smile of hers is perfectly in place as she rocks her hips to the beat of the song along with the other girls.
When the song changes, it starts playing something more sensual and Santana leans over and talks into Brittany's ear. The blonde stops dancing to listen and Rachel looks at them curiously as they both eye her up and down. A second later both Brittany and Santana step even closer to Rachel and start grinding against her.
One of Santana's hands rest on Brittany's backside while the other rests low on Rachel's hip. Brittany rests both of her hands on Rachel's body and moves just a little to the side so that she's grinding against Rachel's leg.
It's incredibly hot and practically the whole room has their attention on the girls who are dancing with somebody they've never seen before. But if Rachel didn't catch their attention before, she sure has it now.
Finn's eyes are stuck to her as Rachel takes the new position the girls have her in stride. She grinds her own ass back into Santana behind her and rests a hand over Brittany's while threading one through her own hair. It's such a turn on to watch her that, for the moment, Finn ignores the jealousy raging deep down inside of him since other guys are watching his girl dance in such a sexy way up there.
Santana catches his eye and then raises an eyebrow at him suggestively. Smirking as she leans over to Rachel's ear, he watches as she tells the small brunette something, making Rachel's eyes dart straight to him.
He's entranced as he watches her, Rachel's eyes dark with lust as they look up and down his body. Her curls in her hair are losing their volume from the heat of the room and he can see the light sheen of sweat that sticks to her skin. She smirks at him as she runs her hands down her body and grinds even more into the Cheerios surrounding her.
When the song is slowly coming to an end, Rachel looks at Santana and Brittany, telling them something, before she hugs them both and hops off the table. With the show over, some people go back to their own conversations or whatever they were doing before. Some continue to watch as Santana and Brittany both dance with one another on the table and others (mostly guys, much to Finn's annoyance) watch Rachel as she moves towards Finn.
Her gaze is steady on his as she breaks her way through the crowd and she bites her lip once she's in front of him. She giggles to herself, her cheeks flushed pink from the heat of the room and the alcohol she's consumed.
"Did you like our dancing," Rachel asks seductively.
"I- I- uh," he stammers, shifting uncomfortably in place because of the hard-on he's trying to hide.
She smiles mischievously, "I'll take that as a yes."
Finn chuckles, and pulls her close to his body, his not-so-little problem pressing into her. She raises an eyebrow in interest, a smirk playing on her lips. He kisses her hungrily, and says, "you most definitely can take that as a yes."
Rachel wraps her arms around his neck and brings his ear to her lips. "I think we have some business to take care of Finn," she declares, kissing below his ear. "Shall we have some fun?"
Already grabbing her hand and pulling her along with him, Finn replied, "oh hell yeah."
A/N: Yay for updates and thank you for your kindness and patience! You guys are awesome with your reviews, favorites, and follows:) please keep them coming!