𝙋𝙀𝙍𝙁𝙀𝘾𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉 || EDDIE MUNSON

Strange Delights

THE week continued as normal, nothing was out of the ordinary. Brandy continued to avoid her mother, but she could at least now hold small conversations with her in passing. Her classes stayed at the same level of difficulty. Cheer practice every other Friday continued as scheduled. Nothing had really changed that much, however something was bothering her. Something that had broken a dam in her mind. It scratched and tapped away in her psyche like a pest. What had been bugging Brandy was what Eddie had said. More specifically his thoughts on her friends. It was like when someone else had said it out loud she couldn't help but notice every single rude or backhanded comment that they made.

Tracie was a bit rude when it came to any social situation, she simply had a lack of filter and it was hard for her to hide her emotions on her face. Tate was blunt, it wasn't a necessarily a bad trait to have, just when she had become so accustomed to being able to say whatever she felt to Brandy just because she never said anything back. Chrissy wasn't rude, nor was she blunt, but when Jason or his friends had unsolicited opinions or snarky comments about her friends she stayed silent. There were no repercussions, no defense, not even a playful scold from the girl.

Brandy stood silently from the table, not particularly interested in hearing Jason Carver bash other people he viewed as below his social status. She smoothed out her cheer skirt, grabbing the apple on her tray. Everyone stared at her like she was a car wreck you couldn't look away from.

"Where you going, BB?" Tate spoke first.

"I forgot that I was supposed to help set up before class," She lied. Truth be told she wanted some fresh air, the room felt stuffy. Not just because of how crowded the cafeteria was, but because of the thoughts, she felt about her friends. The look on Chrissy and Tates faces let her know that they thought her story was bullshit. But at that moment Brandy didn't care all that much.

She hated having nasty or hostile thoughts about people, it made her feel like a bad person. As if there was something rotten about her. She swiftly walked off, leaving her friends with skeptical and not entirely surprised expressions. As soon as Brandy had left the cafeteria she had guilt seep deep into her veins like mud into a water well. It wasn't like she was actively talking bad about them, but her agreeing with Eddie the other day was enough to send her into dread. It's not like they had known she said they were rude. But what of they do? The worries in her subconscious picked away at the paint in her mind. What would happen to Brandy if she lost the only friends she had? Where would that place her?

By the time she reached the outside, an uncomfortable heat had nestled its way into her stomach, her nerves were high and her eyes fidgety. Brandy took a deep breath, calming herself down. Her stomach gurgled in agitation, thankfully she had the foresight to bring her apple. The first thing she noticed when she got outside was the oppressive humidity. The sun stung her eyes as she blinked rapidly to adjust her vision. When her eyes finally got a handle on the brightness she was met with the brilliant blue sky with fluffy cotton-like clouds.

But no matter how gorgeous the day, there was still a tick of anxiety in her stomach. She rounded the corner, planning on eating her lunch on the football field bleachers. A few people were walking around the track that surrounded the football field, some of them were in the center of the grass tossing around a ball. Brandy sat on the far edge of the bleachers, she leaned backward. Resting her head on the seat behind her she looked up at the clouds. She took a bite out of her apple, her mouth-watering.

When she was younger she used to cloud gaze a lot, her creative mind would make up little scenarios that the clouds were doing depending on what form they took. If they were shaped like a dragon she imagined a princess slaying it, as opposed to a knight coming to save her. She was never one for a play of damsel in distress, she would often have Jameson be a damsel when they were younger.