Cassiopeia | H.S

Chapter 9

[Not Edited]

What Cassiopeia is
wearing for the chapter ^

The Campfire Song Song

——My feet felt sore as I walked a few steps behind the rest of the group. The pit pattering of their feet on the concrete letting me know they were still in front of me as I stared at my bass, plucking at one of the stickers. I didn't want to peel it off, but the impulse to just stick my fingernail and lift was loud in my thoughts.

"Watcha doing back here?"

I looked up at my cousins voice, noticing that we neared the bus and gave a shrug, "Just tired I guess"

"Mmm" She nodded in acknowledgment, putting her hands in her pocket.

"Hey," I pulled on her jacket, remembering we hadn't talked about their bass guitarist since we had gotten interrupted, "Do you wanna- you wanna talk about him? Adam, I mean?"

"I do, actually," Charlotte replied, a ghost of a smile that didn't seem to reach her eyes, "We can sit outside for a bit, I don't think we leave until midnight"

I checked my phone, seeing it was a quarter past eleven and nodded for us to sit on the curb. I placed my guitar on my knees as I sat down, turning slightly towards Charlotte and intertwining my hands.

"Uh, he texted today," She started, voice little and almost unsure, "He hasn't in like a week, I was worried"

I hummed, "Is he alright? His family?"

"He says he's fine, that his mother is getting better but he still wants to take time off to make sure she's completely fine" Charlotte let her feet cross in front of her, and began to stare at her shoes.

"You miss him, don't you?"

It was a dumb question to ask on my part, it was clear someone was missing from the group, it was clear it wasn't the same without that missing piece, and it was clear that I couldn't fill it no matter how hard I tried. And to be honest I didn't want too.

"A lot," She modded, sniffling a bit, "Besides you, he was the one I really talked to, you know? We clicked immediately when we first met, making jokes, always talking, even pulling pranks sometimes"

She laughed, but her eyes had glossed over, "I just miss him"

I nodded, not really knowing my way around comforting someone other than talking to them.

"Hug?" I asked, hesitant to get affectionate.

"Hug"

She scooted over and into my embrace, caging her into my chest as she hugged tightly around my waist. I stiffened but squeezed my arms when I heard another sniffle. It hurt to see her like this, she was always the cheerful, bubbly and soft of the two of us, so to see her down made me upset as well.

We sat like this for a while, her body shuffling every now and then but I had zoned out and stared at a pebble on the road.

Besides Charlotte, I didn't really have anyone. It seemed mundane and lonely, but I didn't mind. I never really relied on anyone after my dad died, not even my siblings who were able to lean on my mother for support instead of me and vise versa. She always found ways to blame me and she definitely got her way those fatal and disastrous days.