𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙨𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 ꩜ 𝙟. 𝙡𝙞

chapter three: back and forth

☆ CELESTE ☆

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

I've been sitting on the curb for what feels like hours when Jordan, in her female form, comes and sits next to me.

"Are you okay?" She asks me, close enough to provide comfort but far enough way to give me space. I wish she was closer.

I look around me, the cleaners in yellow hazmat suits, the piles of organs and blood being shoveled away like Luke wasn't a living human being just a few hours ago.

"Do you want me to answer that honestly?" I look at Jordan, and she looks back at me with a look in her eyes that makes me feel like I could tell her anything. 

"No, I'm not fucking okay," I say with tears threatening to seep from my eyes. Then, the unexpected happens. Jordan hugs me.

Jordan was always a pretty affectionate person when we were best friends, but I can't remember the last time they hugged me like this. She holds me for a moment before muttering into my shoulder, "I'm so sorry."

That's when all the tears I was trying my hardest to not let fall began to pour from the eyes. I can only hug Jordan tighter as I cry into her shoulder.

"He was right there, Jordan. Right fucking there, I thought he was calm and okay, and everything would be okay, and then he just. He just fucking killed himself."

"I know, I know. You did everything you could, Celly."

At the sound of my old nickname, I break our hug but still stay as close as we were and look up at Jordan. I can't help but swoon as Jordan tucks a stray hair of mine behind my ear.

"Are you okay?" 

"No, but I will be."

Jordan is still touching my face and combing my hair when her eyes see the now purple and green bruising on my neck from Luke's grasp. I see a tear slip from her eye as she lightly pulls my hair back to get a better look. I shiver as she lightly brushes my neck.

"How bad does it hurt."

"Not too much, I can still talk alright."

"Well, I wouldn't necessarily say that's a good thing," She jokes, bringing some lighthearted banter into an awful situation. Her hand has now returned to the spot where she was combing my hair and cradling my face, her thumb lightly brushing against where there is a cut on my cheekbone. Once again, we are close enough that if I were to lean forward just a couple of inches, my mouth would be on hers. I look into her eyes, and I know she has the same thought in her head right now. Just when I think we are about to kiss, she instead leans forward, places the lightest kiss on the cut on my cheek, and stands up.

"I should get back to my dorm, and you should probably help Cate get to your dorm, good night, Celeste."

"Good night, Jordan."

I watch as she walks away, wishing she would have done more than just kiss my cheek but kissed my lips instead. As she fades out of view, I turn to a distraught Cate being comforted by Andre. I walk over and help tear Cate away from the view of her boyfriend's blood and guts. She continues to cry as we walk back to our room, ignoring questions from other students who want to stick their noses into what is going on.