Sacrifice

Chapter Thirty-Two

"Fuck," Crybaby sighed as she left her last class. Angelita was about to meet with her again to walk to their bus, as she always would after school. Crybaby was still able to break into tears after what had happened earlier that day.

She felt like nothing could get worse right about now.

Someone tapped her right shoulder, so she looked right. No one was there, so she turned around the other way to see Angelita smiling at her. "Hey, Lita," Crybaby laughed. Angelita stood next to her and held her hand. Crybaby subtly pulled her hand away to move her hair from in front of her face. Angelita slightly furrowed her eyebrows, then stopped thinking about it. "You know the annual carnival is open now, right?" she mentioned.

"Oh, yeah. I heard about it."

"Have you seen it? I drove past it; it looks really amazing."

"I saw it at night. Those lights... Wow," Crybaby grinned.

Angelita's face lit up, "We should go."

Crybaby looked up at her. "When?" she asked.

Angelita stopped in front of their bus and let Crybaby get on first. She got on after her and thought about a date plan as she walked down the aisle. "Does Saturday work?" she asked after she sat down next to Crybaby.

"Yeah, that sounds good. I don't think I have any other plans that day."

"Great, Saturday it is," Angelita smiled.

"Yep, and I'll let you know if anything comes up," Crybaby told her. Angelita nodded and sat back against the seat. Crybaby looked out the window as the bus took off.

~A few days later~

Crybaby was in her room finishing up some studying on Friday afternoon. She heard the phone ring from the living room and didn't pay it much mind.

"Crybaby, it's for you!" Her mother called. Crybaby heard her mother, got up and went to the living room. She took the phone and held it to her ear. "Hello?" she said.

"Hey," Ben's voice sounded through the phone.

Crybaby smiled a bit, "Hey, what's up?"

"Well, I was just thinking, we haven't really talked much since the... incident on Tuesday. I wanted to catch up and maybe see each other soon? If that's possible?"

"I think I can. When and where were you thinking?" Crybaby asked as she twirled the telephone cord around her finger.

"Well, I've been looking at the local carnival opening for a while. It closes on Monday, and I can't be out too long on Sundays because it's a school night. So, I was hoping I could take you there tomorrow?" he asked.

"Uh..." Crybaby paused for a moment, "So, you want to take me to the carnival? Tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Ben said, "Is that alright?"

"Actually... Angelita and I are going to the carnival tomorrow," Crybaby regretfully informed him.

"Oh," he thought for a moment, "Yeah, you should go with her, then. Actually, it's probably not right for us to be hanging out like that anymore. You two are in an official relationship now."

"No, no, no. Ben, I still want to see you. We can't just stop talking because of Angelita," Crybaby said.

"Crybaby..." Ben sighed, "I don't know. How am I supposed to feel doing this?"

"Ben, I know this is hard. Trust me, I'm in the worst spot. But what you and I have is separate from what Angelita and I have. It always has been."

"Well, you can't see both of us tomorrow."

Crybaby thought about it for a minute. "Maybe I can. She said she wanted to be there with me until evening, so we could see the lights in the dark. It should be fine if you leave before she gets there. I'll just tell her what time to show up," she explained.

"I guess that could work."

"So, what time works for you?" Crybaby asked.

"We should meet up early so that we can spend a while together before she gets there," Ben explained. "How about noon? We can hang out until three or four, then you and Angelita can hang out until evening."

Crybaby smiled, "That sounds good. I'll call her and let her know."

"Good. I'll call you tomorrow morning," Ben said.

"Okay," Crybaby nodded.

"Bye. I- uh..." Ben stopped, unsure of whether or not he should tell her he loves her now. Crybaby sighed. "Bye," she said, then hung up. She'd hoped being in an official relationship with Angelita wouldn't change things so much. Then again, she'd promised Angelita that she wasn't unfaithful. Was this infidelity? She simply returned to her room and continued studying before her overthinking spiraled.

~Elsewhere~

Celeste was at home on the phone with Fleur. "Tomorrow is the best day to go," she told Fleur, "I talked to Magnolia and she's free tomorrow too."

"So, what time were you thinking?"

"We should go somewhat early, before the carnival gets super crowded. Figure noon."

"Got it. Oh, by the way, is it only us three going?" Fleur asked.

Celeste paused, "Yeah, just Magnolia, you and I."

"Why aren't Crybaby, Angelita, and Ben coming?"

"Well, I miss you guys, and I'd love to see you without being around any... drama."

"'Drama'?"

"It's complicated, to say the least. I don't want to add fuel to the fire by explaining it," Celeste said.

"Hmm," Fleur slowly nodded to herself, "Well, I hope everything is okay."

"Girl..." Celeste laughed, making Fleur chuckle as well. Celeste sighed, "Thanks for the concern. Don't worry, I know everything will end up as it should. It always does."