Village of Smoke (Connie x Fem Reader)

Chapter 5; The Hardships of Adolescence

You had quickly noticed just how dull and lonely your village was without Connie; not a single day living up to the standard of fun he had set for you ever since he left five months ago. You spent the days learning crafts useful for your family's business, as well as helping Connie's family out with their kids whenever they needed an extra hand.

Filling your days with empty tasks and keeping busy at least meant you had a distraction from your longing thoughts. It's gotten better for each day that went by, and you knew it within yourself that this shouldn't be enough to break you; but damn was it hard to stop thinking of what could have been if he just stayed or if you just followed him, like you truly wanted.

Though you were prepared to feel like this, something you never would have expected to happen, was the amount of teens your age who seemed to go above and beyond to include you in their activities. You were quite sceptical of their true intentions as they've tended to shy away from you most years prior. Your suspicion was at an all-time high when even Jürgen and his group talked to you in a civil manner. But the longer this went on without anything extraordinary happening, you let your guard down and tried to reconnect with the many friends you hadn't properly talked to since your early childhood.

This wasn't all that easy though as you couldn't help those lurking feelings of guilt and even disloyalty from settling in the back of your mind. You know for sure Connie would've never hold something as healthy as socialising against you, but you still felt like a two-timer even just hanging around his bullies. You naturally tried to distance yourself from the people who've done most of the damage; there's simply no way you could overlook that and pretend nothing happened. But if you were to push away everyone doubting your best friend, you wouldn't even be able to be around your own family. That was the extent of people he had to prove wrong.

"Hey Y/N! We're heading for Trost to catch a performance tonight, wanna come?", May asked you once she caught up with you carrying the basket of wet clothes you just washed in the river. She looked at you hopeful, even doing those tiny jumps she does whenever she's excited.

"Performance? What performance?", you asked intrigued. You were supposed to complete a long list of chores since your mother is bedridden from a common cold. It was sure to take up your whole day, meaning there was no way your parents would let you go...

"There's this group playing various string instruments! I got to listen to the final song of their concert randomly one time I visited my aunt and uncle, and they sounded really good! My auntie just sent me a letter saying that they're going to perform again tonight! There's already a group joining, but you should come too!"

You eyed her expression before looking over at your house. You somehow suddenly felt very sick and bored of looking at the same houses and buildings day in and day out.

"You know what, I'll go!", you smiled determined, looking back at her.

"Yes! You won't regret it, I promise!", she cheered. "The rest of us are meeting by the apple garden at five! I'll see you later!", she waved before running off.

You grasped a harder hold of your basket, quietly scolding yourself for getting into a predicament where you'd have to leave for another town without your parents knowing.

'No, you deserve a night of fun. This will be good for you'

With another deep breath, you suddenly felt as though you couldn't bother enough to care if your parents found out or not. You'd just continue doing your chores, make an excuse and then join the others. You were leaving this town tonight, even if it's just for a handful of hours.

...

It was almost time to leave, and you folded the laundry that had already dried in the warm sun.