The Other Cat

× Chapter Two ×

There were still many faces yet to recognize. In every direction you look, smiling acquaintances glance back at you. As much as heart-warming it can get, it's quite bothersome to think that they know nothing about you. Even the popular kids must be yearning for some kind of genuine connection with their 'friends'. 

Fiona ponders longer, sitting unbothered in her usual seat in class. Her hand was fidgeting with her silver cat necklace that was dangling from her neck while the other was cupping her own cheek. 

Her mind sinks in deeper into her thoughts, wishing her problems away. Maybe it's just her emo coming back to remind her of  unpleasant and cringe-worthy memories, she thinks to herself. 

While waiting for class to start, her eyes scan the room. She finds herself looking at people laughing with their friends, and others watching videos together in another corner. The owner of the silver cat necklace sighs silently to herself, subconsciously yearning for someone to laugh with. Aside from her best friend, that is. She felt guilt sting her heart at the thought of her best friend.

At the same time, she thinks about the cons of opening up. Being vulnerable wasn't always Fiona's forte, weirdly enough. She has a tendency of shutting the world out, including her best friend. She pouts even more because of the recurring thought. Oh well, being vulnerable destroys you, Fiona thinks to herself once more. Just look at what happened with her and her ex-girlfriend. 

She goes outside the crowded room to catch her breath on the open corridors of the school. She gently rests her head on her crossed arms that was placed on top of the railings while her back curves forward to support it. She lifts her foot just above the little step supporting the railings, and inhales deeply.

The girl stays that way for minutes that seemed like hours. Her thoughts were all over the place just like last night, but she doesn't seem to be bothered for now. 

After that peaceful moment, she could see someone entering her peripheral vision just a few steps away from where she was standing. 

"Hey, Raven." Fiona calmly said as Raven begins to approach her way even further.

"Hi, Fiona! Feeling better already?" 

"Oh, I suppose so. I'm just not quite in the mood for talking much. I don't mind though, you're alright."

"Ha, you're the one who started this conversation." Raven laughs at the awkwardness, until Fiona realizes that she was right.

"Oh, shut up!" Fiona laughs along, cracking a small smile, but fell pretty quickly as a thought suddenly came into her mind.

"Do you..." She pauses for a second, "...think she's okay?"

"You did tell me to ask her, right?"

"Oh, right!" Fiona shakes her head, trying to compose her thoughts. They were all over the place, and the last thing she needs right now is another thought to weigh it down even more. She cautiously scans her surroundings more, just in case someone was watching as she was vulnerable, only to realize that Raven was the only one right in front of her. She expected that girl in front of her to laugh at her for being so forgetful at such a weird time. 

"You're okay too, right?" Raven asks with such concern in her pleasing tone to Fiona's surprise.

Fiona shrugs because she was unsure herself. Quite frankly, she doesn't know what to feel, everything was stirring her mind up to the point that she can't even think properly. She thinks she knows what she wants when in reality she's been lying to herself that this is what she wants. Actually, she doesn't even know if she wants to be okay, or if she wants the thought of her ex-lover to go away.