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Post by π'πππ πΏπΆ π±πΎπ on Jun 18, 2017 22:00:57 GMT -5
"I know it does, Haze. But it'll be okay. You just need to rest. " he said before carefully picking her up, trying not to bump her leg or jostle her too much. He'd get her pain meds as soon as they got back.
Ryder was quiet, looking at his feet. He didn't really understand how he was something wonderful to her, but of course he just nodded like normal. "Okay. I was just wondering. "
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Post by ΙͺΙ΄α΄Κα΄Ι΄κ±ΙͺΙ’α΄Ι΄α΄ on Jun 18, 2017 22:12:30 GMT -5
Hazel was fine until he scooped her up. Then, she gasped, digging her fingernails into his shoulder lightly with a wince, panting slightly from the intensity of the pain. "It...I think...I think it's broken. Like, for real this time," she breathed, relaxing her grip on him, body still tense and teeth gritted tight, face pale white now.
Cassiopeia frowned, glancing over at him. "No...I'm serious like...you don't understand how special you are, how important you are to me. Why were you really asking?" she questioned, serious once more as she drew to a stop, the two alone now.
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Post by π'πππ πΏπΆ π±πΎπ on Jun 18, 2017 22:50:53 GMT -5
"We'll go to the hospital. Just hang on, okay? It'll be better soon. " Eli told her, starting to walk back to the bus, trying to be gentle.
Ryder looked away again, shrugging. "I don't know. Because at some point, I'm going to leave. I'm going to end up moving across the country or something and I don't know if you view that as leaving or what. "
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Post by ΙͺΙ΄α΄Κα΄Ι΄κ±ΙͺΙ’α΄Ι΄α΄ on Jun 18, 2017 23:28:59 GMT -5
Hazel shook her head, flapping her other hand slightly and leaning her head against him, sighing. "I don't think that's a good idea," she frowned, glancing down at the boot. "It's just another expense because of my clumsy stupidity, and I'm sorry. I'll be okay" she sighed, glancing down at her leg with a scowl, willing it to heal itself.
Cassiopeia froze, dropping his hand and inhaling sharply, watching him closely for any signs that this was some sort of sick joke. "What...why do you say that?" she questioned, heart rate increasing as she folded her arms across her stomach, hugging herself slightly to stop the growing anxiety.
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Post by π'πππ πΏπΆ π±πΎπ on Jun 18, 2017 23:35:59 GMT -5
"Hazel, you have to go to the hospital so it can be set the right way. Please?" He said, frowning as he carried her.
"For college, or work, or... or something. I doubt I'm going to stay in my home town forever. " he told her. Frankly he didn't want to stay there. Too many bad things had happened.
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Post by ΙͺΙ΄α΄Κα΄Ι΄κ±ΙͺΙ’α΄Ι΄α΄ on Jun 18, 2017 23:58:48 GMT -5
Hazel didn't respond, frustrated and torn between wanting to please Eli and not wanting to be a burden upon the group. She winced slightly as her leg brushed up against a tree and she heaved a sigh, nodding, the pain having worsened some.
Cassiopeia dropped his hand, thinking, muttering to herself and making strange hand motions, clearly distressed. It was clear she was trying to figure some numbers, a little crinkle forming between her eyebrows as a giveaway. She was counting on her fingers when she froze, glancing up at him with wide eyes. "It's not because of me is it? If you really don't like me, you can just tell me," she mumbled, anxiety filling her gaze as she crossed her arms, keeping her face carefully neutral.
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Post by π'πππ πΏπΆ π±πΎπ on Jun 19, 2017 0:31:30 GMT -5
"Thank you. Wetell wait until the pain meds kick in though. " he told her, thankfully reaching the bus pretty quick. Somehow he managed to get the door open and carry her inside.
"Cass, cass, hun. It's not you. You and the others are the only reason I've even stuck around. There's just... there's things I want to get away from and I can't do it if I have to see them every day. " he said, voice gentle.
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Post by ΙͺΙ΄α΄Κα΄Ι΄κ±ΙͺΙ’α΄Ι΄α΄ on Jun 19, 2017 8:55:52 GMT -5
Hazel was in a lot of pain now, but she was keeping her face carefully blank, tears contained now. The only thing that revealed how much pain she was in was her tight jaw.
Cassiopeia heaved a soft sigh of relief, stepping a little closer once more. "Who are you trying to avoid? I'll fight them and keep you safe," she declared, angry now that someone was driving her Ryder out.
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Post by π'πππ πΏπΆ π±πΎπ on Jun 19, 2017 9:22:41 GMT -5
He set her down on the couch before jogging to the kitchen, finding the strongest pain meds they had before coming back with a cup of water, holding them out to her.
Ryder shifted uncomfortably again, not looking at her. "A few people. Also the whole killing somebody. Why would I want to stay? It doesn't make sense. "
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Post by ΙͺΙ΄α΄Κα΄Ι΄κ±ΙͺΙ’α΄Ι΄α΄ on Jun 19, 2017 9:31:13 GMT -5
Hazel took them with shaking hands, taking the meds dry before downing her entire glass of water. She leaned back, grimacing, before debating whether or mot to take the boot off. Ahe reached down for it and began to, and instantly felt the pain multiply.She gave out a cry, wincing sharply and pulling her hand back quickly, as if she had been burned.
Cassiopeia frowned, looking down at the ground. "But if you go, what am I gonna do?" she mumbled, practically whispering at this point. "And you din't technically kill Matthew...you're just the reason he got death row," she sighed, putting her face into her hands tiredly, anxieties continuing to build. She couldn't handle not having him around at all times, as she was far too attached.
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Post by π'πππ πΏπΆ π±πΎπ on Jun 19, 2017 9:41:15 GMT -5
Eli crouched down to tighten the boot again. "You gotta keep that on to help with swelling, Hazel. If not they won't be able to put an actual cast on. The meds will kick in soon. "
"Oh, I don't give a crick about Matthew. I'd really kill him if I could. " Ryder said, completely serious. He had planned it out and everything, how to make it look like an accident, but also give him a nice, slow and painful death. "I'm talking about Elis dad. Who I did actually kill. Cass, it's been over a year and I can't even walk down that street! I don't want to stay and be reminded of that and how horrible my childhood was. It's not something I want. " even if he just moved a few cities over, he couldn't stay.
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Post by ΙͺΙ΄α΄Κα΄Ι΄κ±ΙͺΙ’α΄Ι΄α΄ on Jun 19, 2017 10:56:47 GMT -5
Hazel was exhausted at this point, the pain continuing to worse. She sighed, nodding, just wanting to get to the hospital already. "Can we go?" she whispered, voice warbling slightly from pain.
Cassiopeia shook her head, pulling her hands back and running them throigh her hair, sighing. "Ryder..." she started, forownig and then moving to pace once more. "At least try to go to college? Like...finish it out, please. It's technically a town over. Please?" she begged, mind whirling. She would get a job, she would save up for her last year, ans then she'd buy an apartment a couple towns over, so Ryder could stay with her. She had to.
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Post by π'πππ πΏπΆ π±πΎπ on Jun 19, 2017 11:02:02 GMT -5
Eli nodded and found the keys. "Okay. I'm sorry, haze. " he said, knowing the drive was going to hurt. He went up to the drivers seat and started the bus, trying to avoid the pot holes.
Ryder swallowed, messing with the hem of his shirt. He didn't want to stay that long. That was like, another two years depending on the classes he took. But she had gone through enough the past few days, he didn't want to stress her out. "Fine. Fine. I'll graduate. " he said, sort of mumbling the words. He'd probably find a way to transfer next year.
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Post by ΙͺΙ΄α΄Κα΄Ι΄κ±ΙͺΙ’α΄Ι΄α΄ on Jun 19, 2017 11:15:31 GMT -5
Hazel shook her head, smiling as much as she could manage. "It's not your fault," she reassured, not wanting him to worry as much.
Cassiopeia breathed a sigh of releif, eyes glowig at his promise. "Thank you," she positively beamed, throwing her arms around him tightly, hugging him as tight as she could manage, knowing she would have to start saving now.
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Post by π'πππ πΏπΆ π±πΎπ on Jun 19, 2017 11:19:57 GMT -5
Eli just nodded and drove to the hospital. Thankfully it didn't take them long to get there. Once he parked the bus he went back to pickbher up.
Ryder hugged her back, sort of hesitant. Did the idea of him moving really freak her out that much? "We should probably start walking again..."
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Post by ΙͺΙ΄α΄Κα΄Ι΄κ±ΙͺΙ’α΄Ι΄α΄ on Jun 19, 2017 11:32:49 GMT -5
Hazel was still in immense pain, despite the painkillers, but it was lessened enough that ahe could relax a little, breathing in a sigh of relief.
Cassiopeia was truly relieved at his promise, not realizing that he didn't understand how important he was to her. He wws the one constant source of safety and comfort she had. She loved him, truly, and didn' want to let him go. She nodded, however, releasing him after another moment and then starting to walk again, eyes much brighter.
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Post by π'πππ πΏπΆ π±πΎπ on Jun 19, 2017 11:51:29 GMT -5
Eli picked her up carefully and went into the hospital waiting room, looking around for a place to set her down. He found the line of wheel chairs pretty quick, carefully setting her in one.
Ryder stayed quiet, sort of shuffling his feet as they walked. He didn't get it. He didn't understand how she cared so much about him. Maybebit was the Florence nightingale effect. He had saved her once, So she felt like she owed him. That had to beit.
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Post by ΙͺΙ΄α΄Κα΄Ι΄κ±ΙͺΙ’α΄Ι΄α΄ on Jun 19, 2017 15:18:16 GMT -5
Hazel grunted, allowing him to place her down, gripping the arms of the seat tightly, praying for some sort of relief. She found it in Eli, the boy doting over her. She reached out and grabbed his hand, squeezing it lightly. "I'm okay now," she smiled, reassuringly as possible.
Cassiopeia stretched upwards, dropping her arms and swinging them back and forth, quiet. After a little bit, she absently reached for his hand, humming softly to herself.
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Post by π'πππ πΏπΆ π±πΎπ on Jun 19, 2017 15:21:14 GMT -5
"Good. But pure still getting checked out. " Eli said, wheeling her over to the reception area to get to work on paperwork.
Ryder paused a second before taking her hand. Everything would be okay. He could make it through another year.
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Post by ΙͺΙ΄α΄Κα΄Ι΄κ±ΙͺΙ’α΄Ι΄α΄ on Jun 22, 2017 9:45:47 GMT -5
Hazel didn't argue, too tired and in too much pain at this point. She knew this was serious, and just prayed that she could somehow keep her parents from finding out. They would surely send her home, thinking she couldn't handle it. She didn't blame them. After her sister, she didn't feel any anger towards their protection, really. "I can still write you know," she teased lightly, attempting to smile. "Plus, I doubt you know enough about me to fill that in," she furthered her case, some humor gone as she realized how true that probably was. That definitely hurt.
Cassiopeia swung their hands back and forth, quiet now. "Look at all of this! Look, look, here's a rare American Mandrake! Ya know, like the ones in Harry Potter!" she giggled slightly, pulling him over to a small, leafy plant on the side of the trail. She stooped down, running a finger over the leaves gently, eyes warm and excited. Cass had a thing for plants.
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Post by π'πππ πΏπΆ π±πΎπ on Jun 22, 2017 10:05:02 GMT -5
Eli smiled a little at the joke and after a beat of hesitation he handed the clipboard over to her. "How do you feel?"
Ryder laughed a little as she went to the plant, smiling a bit more. She was adorable. He couldn't leave her. She had panicked so much at the idea.
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Post by ΙͺΙ΄α΄Κα΄Ι΄κ±ΙͺΙ’α΄Ι΄α΄ on Jun 22, 2017 21:49:17 GMT -5
Hazel glanced down, not meeting his gaze now. "Oh, I'm fine. I've been better, but I've been worse too," she lied, although it was partially true. She wrote carefully, hand clutching the pen so tightly that her knuckles turned gray.
Cassiopeia turned her head, pulling him over to the other side of the trail. "Look at this Queen Anne's Lace plant. Many consider it a weed, but it's really quite a beautiful little flower. I can't imagine why anyone would want to get rid of it," she sighed, straightening up and starting to walk once more.
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Post by π'πππ πΏπΆ π±πΎπ on Jun 22, 2017 21:52:46 GMT -5
Eli didn't look fully convinced but he nodded. "Okay... can I help you with anything? You can tell me what to write?"
Ryder smiled and kept following her around, humming responses but for the most part just letting her be a nerd.
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Post by ΙͺΙ΄α΄Κα΄Ι΄κ±ΙͺΙ’α΄Ι΄α΄ on Jun 27, 2017 0:20:26 GMT -5
Hazel nodded gratefully, finding herself exhausted suddenly. She dictated for him carefully, then leaned her head back, yawning, closing her eyes despite the pain. She was tired and just wanted this to be over with. She didn't talk any, and was wheeled back soon enough. When the doctors moved her onto the X-Ray table, she gripped Eli's hand so hard that her knuckles turned white (as did his). She was soon wrapped in a cast, plain white, and told to stay off the foot for a bit. She merely nodded, ready for the pain killers to kick in. She didn't fight Eli when he scooped her up to take her back to the bus, leaning her head against his chest with a faint yawn, falling asleep swiftly.
Cassiopeia and Ryder walked along for a while, before she grew tired, and convinced him to give her a piggyback ride back to the bus. When they arrived, she immediately began doting over the still half asleep Hazel, getting her set up properly and getting to work decorating her cast almost immediately, pulling out paints and such and beginning to work. She was not the most talented in the world, but she was able to make adorable little flowers and such. Hazel smiled, relaxing and drifting off once more.
Antonio returned, with Skye in tow, a bit later, and was concerned as well. Once everyone was caught up, they all turned in for the evening, Cass falling asleep where she was siting on the floor beside Hazel, paint on her nose.
--- [ TIME SKIP ] ---
The summer went by rather quickly, it seemed. The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful, save for what exciting things they had planned. At the end of the trip, Cassiopeia made them all take another group photo, placing it in her scrapbook and emailing them all a copy of all the adorable photos and adventures right then and there. Hazel was finally out of her cast, limping around, and was still rather shy. when it came to Eli. Sometimes she would hold his hand, but other times she could hardly look at him. She didn't know exactly how she felt. Antonio was happy to be back, even thought it would be short lived, as he and Skye were planning on heading to Europe to backpack for a while and do some photography shoots and whatnot.
School started up soon enough, and Cassiopeia was knee-deep in nursing school once more. Hazel was trying to decide if she wanted to change majors (yet again) or stick with accounting. She loved math but the thought of telling people she was an accountant did not sit well with her. She still had the year to decide. So, Antonio and Skye headed off to Europe a couple weeks in, the group feeling a little anxiety at the separation, but managed to get in the swing of things once more.
---
Cassiopeia glanced at the clock, yawning slightly and rubbing her eyes. It was only 11:30, but she'd been at this one paper for a couple of hours, and her head was starting to spin. She had to finish though, because it was due soon and she knew she had a heavy workload coming in that week, plus long shifts at her internship. She yawned once more, taking another sip of her coffee, wondering if Ryder would be back soon. She had planted herself at his dorm so she would be able to stay focused since her roommate was having a little party without asking her and his was empty, and because she needed to make sure he came back okay from the party. She wrinkled her nose slightly, shifting and recrossing her legs beneath her, leaning back against the couch, glancing at the door and hoping he would appear soon.
Hazel finished pulling her hair up into the bun, sighing and frowning faintly at the strands that were pulling free already. She had been impulsive for once, pulling her waist long hair into a ponytail and taking a pair of scissors to it, cutting the sleek locks to her shoulders. She was happy with it, really, but she just didn't know what to do with it. No matter, it would be dimly lit in the bar anyway. She straightened up, applying a thin layer of light lip gloss, turning and heading out the door down to the place she knew Eli liked to play at sometimes, and she liked to grab a cheap drink from time to time.
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Post by π'πππ πΏπΆ π±πΎπ on Jun 30, 2017 11:30:36 GMT -5
Ryder was extremely thankful to get into a dorm once back home. His dorm was pretty boring, very minimalistic. A bed, desk, dresser. Just the basics. He had a framed picture of the group on the wall, but that was about it for decorations. (though he had half finished pages of artwork scattered everywhere, and open text books on the desk. ) He didn't come back to his dorm until well after midnight, finally stumbling through the door at about 1:30, completely wasted. He refused to talk to anybody about what he was going through, but all that anybody was really sure about was half of the week, even if he had a test the next morning, he was going to get drunk.
Eli was rather into the song he was performing right now, a thin line of sweat on his forehead. He loved music, he really did, but he didn't think he wanted to make it a career. He didn't like the idea of touring, he preferred the atmosphere of bars more. Not as much pressure. He didn't do too good under pressure.
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Post by ΙͺΙ΄α΄Κα΄Ι΄κ±ΙͺΙ’α΄Ι΄α΄ on Jun 30, 2017 18:37:02 GMT -5
Cassiopeia had dozed off where she was perched at the small counter in the kitchen, papers and laptoo out, head down against her arm, cheeks lightly rosy. She stirred at the sound, jolting awake and nearly falling off her seat as he stomped in, rubbing her eyes, papers flying everywhere. "Oh, hey," she grinned, stretching, rubbing her face slightly, indentations pressed on her skin.
Hazel bounced in, smiling. She glanced around, grinning wider at the sight of Eli, heading over to the bar, grinning at the bartender. She smiled back, pulling out a glass and filling it with Hazel's favorite. "Thanks Kelly," she grinned, taking a swig, pushing a stray strand of hair out of her face. "You know, he's back," Kelly said and Hazel glanced up, confused. "Josh. He's back, again," Kelly grinned, and Hazel blushed slightly, glancing away shyly. "Oh I dunno Kell, I mean, he's not really my type?" she started and Kelly just shook her head. "You've got to get over him at some point. He clearly isn't going to figure it out anytime soon, so I say have a little fun while you wait," she teased and Hazel giggled, shakig her head slightly, glancing back over at Eli, eyes hard to read. "Maybe," she said, taking another sip without breaking her gaze.
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Post by π'πππ πΏπΆ π±πΎπ on Jun 30, 2017 23:37:33 GMT -5
Ryder blinked a few times to clear his vision and look at her. "Class? What you are doing here?" He asked, words slurring and getting mixed up. He wouldn't remember any of this when he woke up tomorrow, he was way too wasted.
Eli finished the song he was doing before going off stage for a few minutes, getting something to drink that wasn't alcoholic. He had to drive home, and he wasn't an idiot.
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Post by ΙͺΙ΄α΄Κα΄Ι΄κ±ΙͺΙ’α΄Ι΄α΄ on Jul 1, 2017 21:04:03 GMT -5
"Jason's having another party or girl over or something and I need to finish this paper. Yanno, the usual," she sighed, rolling her eyes at the mention of her less than perfect roommate, who was notorious for wild parties and one night hook ups. She yawned again, rubbing her eyes and getting to her feet, starting to pick up her papers, still sleepy. "Whose party were you at tonight?" she asked pleasantly enough, though there was a strange sharpness to her face that indicated she was far from happy.
Hazel grinned as Eli came over, bouncing over to the boy, drink in hand. "Hey Eli!" she greeted excitedly, eyes warm and a small smile on her face. "You sounded incredible!" she exclaimed, taking a swig from her glass, wrinkling her nose slightly as it burned faintly. She'd been away from the bar for quite a bit longer than usual, and her body apparently noticed far more than she had.
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Post by π'πππ πΏπΆ π±πΎπ on Jul 3, 2017 9:45:43 GMT -5
Ryder didn't pick up on her unhappiness, leaning against the wall a little for extra support. "Jason's. " he responded after a moment of thinking. He then started walking, or more like stumbling, towards the bathroom. He felt sick.
Eli grinned, taking a sip of his water. "Really? Thanks, haze. It means a lot. " Eli said, leaning against the bar as they talked, though he'd have to leave soon anyway.
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Post by ΙͺΙ΄α΄Κα΄Ι΄κ±ΙͺΙ’α΄Ι΄α΄ on Jul 5, 2017 0:02:34 GMT -5
Cass's eyebrows raised slightly at his response, turning towards him with a dangerous spark in her eye. Yeah, she was definitely not pleased. However, her expression softened as he began to stumble towards the bathroom. She hopped up, coming over and guiding him into the bathroom and down towards the toilet, knowing he would vomit. When he was situated to hurl, she got to work getting some water for him and watching over him to make sure he was okay, anger mostly dissipated (for now).
Hazel blushed slightly at his grin, glancing down and taking another swig from her drink, glancing up quickly however. "I honestly don't know how you do it. You should make a career out of this, you're honestly that good," she gushed, shooting a warning glare at Kelly who was laughing in the background (rather obviously). She looked back towards Eli, much more amicably, studying him for a moment, serious now. "Hey, Eli?" she started, tilting her head slightly, pushing a stray strand of hair back from her face only to have it fall right back in the same moment.
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