Weird but Fucking Beautiful

Chapter Two: Flecks of What Could Have Been

Ronan's Pov.

I am woken up in the morning by the sound of my phone ringing. I pick it up...correction, I woke up in the afternoon to my phone ringing. To my surprise, Evie is calling me. I answer the call, and before I can speak, she launches into a tirade.

"What the fuck happened last night with Cassia? You said you would take care of her? Her dad is fucking freaking out! He trusted me to look after her at her first college party," Evie exclaims, nearly deafening me. It's interesting that she suddenly cares about Cassia's well-being now."What the fuck are you talking about, Evie? You couldn't have cared less last night! Cassia is literally right here, still asleep. She chose to stay over because she was still on that weird I'm gonna die kick and so she slept over. It's surprising that she's still sleeping, considering your attempts to rupture eardrums within an 80-foot radius of the phone," I respond, trying to keep my voice down. I glance at Cassia to make sure I didn't wake her, and I see her curled up in my comforter, sleeping soundly with her disheveled blonde hair. Some of her mascara is still visible on her face from last night's tears. Evie lets out a frustrated sigh.

"Ugh, she would have been fine. You should have just taken her home. Since she had never drunk before, she probably just became emotional and acted strange. However, her dad is definitely going to overreact because she stayed with a guy! He's like crazy Ronan," Evie says, sounding irritated with me. I roll my eyes, even though Evie can't see me. If anything, she's just further proving that she's a terrible friend. I mean, it was Cassia's first time drinking, and Evie was just going to abandon her at that party? Thank goodness I was there to step in. I take a deep breath.

"Honestly, Evie, I'm not going to argue with you. You were busy making out with a stranger instead of taking care of your friend. That's on you. I made sure she was brought to you, and when you didn't take her, I made sure she was safe and did what she wanted. I'm not going to forcibly drag her to the car, screaming and crying, just to make her go home. I did my best. Come pick her up," I say, before hanging up the phone and burying my face in my pillow with a sigh.

Cassia's Pov.

"Hey, Cassia, wake up," I hear someone whisper gently touching my shoulder and giving me a small shake. I sit up slowly and open my eyes to see that I am in a room with gray walls that are covered in guitars. I am lying in a bed with plain black sheets, curled up in a matching blanket. I look over to see who woke me up. Ronan is sitting on the edge of his bed with his shoulder-length brown hair slightly disheveled. His brown eyes seem tired and he has bags under them. His shirt is off, revealing his muscles and tattoos. With him this close, I can detect a mixture of scents - weed, alcohol, and cologne. Last night's events were not a dream... he is really here. I feel the urge to embrace him again, but I resist because that might be inappropriate. It's surreal that I actually traveled back in time and changed history. Last time, I didn't go home with Ronan after Chris' party. I only saw him briefly and later took an Uber home after Evie decided to go hook up with her eventual boyfriend, Greyson, who she met there. I yawn and rub my eyes, feeling the aftermath of the tears I shed last night combined with the strange experience that followed after I spoke to the mysterious person who granted me this opportunity. But why did they send me back so far in time? I simply needed to prevent Ronan from driving that night, right? It's peculiar. I suddenly blush, realizing how strange and clingy I must have appeared to Ronan last night. He must think I am overly emotional, but I genuinely believed he would disappear when I blinked my eyes. That we would be back in the hospital... I push these thoughts aside.

"Good morning, Ronan. I apologize for being a bother last night. Thank you for taking care of me," I mumble, feeling ashamed and avoiding eye contact. My blush deepened as I realized how I acted last night, crying as if he was already gone when he stood right in front of me. He assumed I was intoxicated, so maybe he wouldn't think I was being unreasonable...