𝚅𝚒𝚘𝚕𝚎𝚝𝚜 𝙵𝚘𝚛 𝚁𝚘𝚜𝚎𝚜(𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚂𝚘𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚢)

𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒯𝓌𝑜

♥*♡∞:｡.｡♥*♡∞:｡.｡

song of the chapter: don't stop by fleetwood mac

"don't stop thinking about tomorrow"

♥*♡∞:｡.｡♥*♡∞:｡.｡

"What are you talking about? Like naked people dancing around an open flame?" Cassandra asked Allie as we took a walk that morning.

"Okay. Now you're gonna be disappointed it's not like that," Allie acknowledged, her eyes twinkling.

We laughed at the original hyperbole. I perked up as I saw a red-head named Gretchen sitting on the bus stop bench.

"Hey, Gretchen. Everything okay?" I wondered, smiling at her.

"Yup," Gretchen nodded, beaming.

"What are you doing?" Cassandra challenged a blank expression on her face.

"I'm waiting," Gretchen informed us, shrugging her slim shoulders. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Waiting for what?" Allie quizzed, glancing at the girl through a clouded gaze.

"Today is the day we were supposed to come home from the school trip, so I'm waiting," Gretchen reminded us, nodding her head. Pity filled my heart for the young girl.

"Gretchen--" Cassandra began, sighing deeply.

"Maybe my mom and dad will come looking for me. Maybe all our parents. Maybe the buses will come to take us home," Gretchen shrugged, grinning. I smiled at her optimism.

"Well, I think if that happens, you know, like . . . someone would notice. So you don't have to sit here," Allie told her, tapping her foot.

"You can hang out with us," I offered, putting my arms out welcomingly.

"No, I should stay," Gretchen assured, shaking her head back and forth.

"Okay," Cassandra answered, pushing us along.

"Bye, Gretch," I waved. She smiled, waving back.

We strolled into the park to see several students sitting in a circle meditating around a stack of rocks.

"What's going on?" I asked Campbell and Harry as we passed the boys.

"Don't ask us," Harry scoffed with an amused expression on his face. I walked over to the gazebo with my cousins to watch this.

"Oh, if it's something we did tell us!" a girl yelled up to the sky.

"If it's something we need to do, give us some clue," Lexie sneered.

"Useless," Helena added, scoffing from next to us.

"Never would've pegged Lexie as a conduit to the heavens," Cassandra articulated, leaning against the gazebo.

"You have to admit, they're fair questions given the circumstances," Allie mentioned, crossing her arms.

"Hey, guys, look!" I heard someone yell.

"Whoa!" another commented, pointing to the sky.

I furrowed my eyebrows, glancing up. It was a solar eclipse. Everybody started chattering with worry as it started getting darker. I began fidgeting with my hands.

"We asked for a sign!" Lexie trilled, holding her hands up.

"What does it mean?" another quipped.

"It doesn't mean anything," Gordie addressed. We all turned to him. "It's a fucking solar eclipse! It's not a sign. It's a predictable astronomical event. Just don't stare at it, and we'll be fine."