𝖜𝖆𝖓𝖉𝖊𝖗𝖊𝖗 | ᴄᴏʀᴘꜱᴇ ʜᴜꜱʙᴀɴᴅ x ᴏᴄ | ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴏɴᴇ

The Poet & The Crybaby

Friday

After not nearly enough sleep, Violet was greeting the marketing team as she sipped a bloody mary and waited for the Adderall to kick in. Everyone was relaxed and happily supportive of her work as she got to know everyone a bit, going into more detail about her travels and understanding of the digital realm as they discussed all the options on how to brand and promote her work. They were a good team, and she was excited to have them backing her. The only thing missing was Jack. The boy in the bar who'd been the first person she told about what she was writing in the first place. He'd always been so inquisitive and excited when she talked about it, and it wasn't that her other friends didn't care about or encourage her passions, it was just that he'd changed her perspective on the pertinence of her work... and now he wasn't here.

She missed him. Much more than she expected to given the past few weeks. But she was used to people leaving, and she needed to keep moving forward, just as she always had. She was looking for genuine connection, and meeting these new people was just another step toward that. Even if it was just for work, it was a start.

Markus had told her about the company party a few weeks in advance. There was apparently a theme, fanfiction tropes. And of course they'd settled on Spring Break, meaning everyone would be in some form of swimsuit. Rolling her eyes at the additional trope she could add to her life, she was at least grateful to be able to prepare her social battery for the ridiculously long day of drinking and networking in a swimsuit. She'd even bought a new one for the event, and Markus had been annoyingly complimentary of the tall wedges she'd decided to wear with the mesh skirt tied around her hips. But as they parked and walked down the path toward the private beach, the amount of people already there had her heart racing. She had to remind herself that this wasn't like the last few parties she'd been to, she had a fresh start with these people. And, if worse came to worse, she'd likely never have to see most of these people again. Even if it was for work, it was still spring break- she was supposed to party, forget the bad shit, and enjoy herself. That had honestly been the entire point of this visit; she needed to finally let herself relax.

>>From: Jack

Are you okay? Why didn't you come home last night?

If you're mad or something, I'm sorry. Idk what I did- I'm sure something stupid and out of line- but can you just let me know you're alright? I'm worried

Confusion spread over Violet as she read Jack's texts. She'd definitely told him beforehand about her trip- had given the dates and even times for her bus. She knew it had been a while, but for him to actually seem worried had her worried.

>>To: Jack

No need to worry, I'm fine, I'm in San Diego for the weekend remember? I'll be back Sunday

Irritation pricked over her skin as a red exclamation point popped up over her message, unable to send. Huffing, she opened the Snapchat app to respond to him there, only to see that her responses from last night hadn't even been sent. Regardless, she typed out her message, telling Jack not to worry, she was okay, and would be back in a couple days. Then she walked carefully down to the party with Markus and Anthony on each arm. With an edible kicking in and drinks awaiting her, she was more than ready to enjoy a day at the beach.

Her first drink was finished as she chatted with the marketing team again before someone named Robin introduced her to a few of the authors they worked with. It was easy chitchat, talking about inspiration and what platforms they were utilizing to publish and promote. It wasn't as scary as Violet had thought it would be, but there was still something missing in their conversations that she couldn't tell if it was due to where her head was at, or due to the professional situation- despite how casual the surroundings were.