to lift her spirits, kevin took photos of salem with the bright fireworks behind her.
she would've been drinking right now, if it wasn't for the fact that she was going on a road trip with tavia the next day, and she'd rather not be hungover.
she knew that drinking was an unhealthy coping mechanism, but she only did it when she was heartbroken, and that didn't happen enough for her to be considered an alcoholic.
kevin had handed her a sparkler, because he knew he would be able to take more aesthetically pleasing photos.
meanwhile, ciarán sat by his windowsill, sighing at the sight of salem.
thanks to the sparkler illuminating her face, he spotted her in the large crowd of people.
he couldn't stand looking at her anymore, so he walked away from the window, letting the curtain drape back into place.
he picked up his electric guitar, and started tuning it.
playing depressing songs was his coping mechanism, so he started singing along to waste.
outside of his room, someone had their ear pressed against his door. even though his guitar was pretty loud, and the door muffled the sound slightly, they could hear his soft voice clearly.
they knocked on the door, causing the guitar and singing to cease.
"who the hell is it?" he asked, frustration present in his voice.
"it's ian, man. why you sad?"
"i'm not sad!" ciarán protested.
"then why you up here, all alone, singing waste?" ciarán realized there was no point in arguing, so he got up. he unlocked his door and swung it open, being met with ian's presence. "shouldn't you be having fun with salem?" he raised an eyebrow.
ciarán rolled his eyes, quickly coming up with a lie. "i'm just practicing singing waste, for our concerts; and i think she'd rather be hanging out with her ex."
ian laughed, which caused ciarán to glare at him. "you've gotta be kidding."
"he's been texting her! obviously she'd rather be with him." ciarán scowled.
"aww, looks like someone's jealous." ian invited himself in, sitting on the edge of ciarán's bed.
"why would i be jealous?" ciarán asked, closing the door. he turned toward ian, folding his arms.
"you like her." he sang, giggling at the thought.
ciarán was flustered, "not as of right now! sure, i like her, and i think she's a little cute," ian gave him a look, which said: don't lie to yourself. "okay maybe i think she's really cute, but still! i just want what's best for her." ciarán was pacing his room, throwing his hands up in the air dramatically to get his point across.
"ryan's not what's best for her?" ian asked.
"no! he's a total fucking dick. she deserves better." ciarán scoffed.
"then who's worthy enough to be with her?"
ciarán stopped in his tracks, "i-i don't know. i just want her to be happy with someone who actually treats her right."
"do you think you're right for her?" ian titled his head, his curiosity beginning to peak.
ciarán gnawed on his bottom lip, "i guess? if i was her boyfriend, i definitely wouldn't treat her like how ryan treated her."
"how do you know how ryan treated her?" ian was really pressing ciarán on. he just wanted to hear how he felt about her.
ciarán hesitated. she didn't really talk about her ex. all he knew was that he broke up with her before the party, and that for some reason, salem despised him. he recalled the night of the party, when ryan was banging furiously at his bedroom door and cussing him out. "there has to be some reason why salem isn't too fond of him."
ian shrugged. "i guess you won't find out unless you talk to her."
ciarán glared at him, "i'm not talking to her."
"why the hell not, ciarán? don't you want things to get better already? i bet you already miss her right now." ian walked over to the window, moving the curtain. he grabbed ciarán's wrist and pulled him over. "look at her."
salem's mood had brightened, and it was thanks to merlyn. she smiled widely as she danced with him; his energy was infectious.
"i need time to think things through." ciarán tore his eyes away from the sight.
"are you hurt?" ian looked at him with concerned eyes.
he pursed his lips. he didn't want to admit it, and he didn't get why he was so hurt, but he just was.
was he really that oblivious to the fact that salem obviously wasn't over ryan?
he thought that she had led him on, and was only using him to distract herself from the pain that her ex had caused.
his words echoed in his head, 'am i still just a rebound?'
he clenched his jaw, answering that question for himself. of course he was only just a rebound.
maybe all the things she said about him was just bullshit that spewed from her mouth, in order to make him stay.
it took him a while before he nodded solemnly.
a/n:
it's been so long since i've last updated, since i've been so caught up with school. my spring break starts soon so expect more updates :^)
