Illusion Shift

~ 19 ~

"I was being an asshole, Police Hat. You know? I was being a huge asshole. And none of that was your fault at all. I'm sorry I ever made you think it was."

It's quiet.

"I'm sorry for calling you a snitch. And lame," Oreo starts again. "Just 'cause you follow the rules doesn't make you lame. At all. I don't know why I said that. I don't think that, honestly," he says, laughing tiredly.

"It's ok. I believe you," I tell him, hugging my knees. "I put you on the spot. People say stuff when they're riled up. I probably said some horrible stuff to you when we argued in 6th. I can't even remember."

"I can't remember either," he admits, looking at the ground.

I don't say anything, slightly amused by this years long conflict that stemmed from an argument that we both can't even remember.

"I... totally understand if you're still mad at me," he interrupts my thoughts, looking at the ground.

"I don't think... I've ever been mad," I laugh softly after a moment's silence. "Just sad. I'm really glad we could talk today, though."

"You can say that again," he replies simply, looking and smiling at me for what felt like the first time in forever.

20:34

October 31st, Saturday

｡ₓ ू ₒ ु 　Police Hat　 ू ₒ ु ₓ

We've been walking back in complete and utter silence for the past couple minutes. It was unbearable and suffocating, nothing like the silences we used to share all those years ago.

I had always amused the idea of making up with Oreo in my head... at least once a week. He would apologize and I would forgive him and we would laugh, relieved about fixing our broken relationship. We would hang out, just doing the things we used to do.

I stare dead ahead, avoiding looking at his face.

Should I talk to him? Should I say something? Make a comment? Tell a joke? 

This was somehow worse than before.

At least before I had a perfectly understandable reason for not talking to him. 

Have we even made up?  

...I won't say anything if he doesn't.

As we walk and start nearing Watermelon's house, the sound of excited teenagers gets louder and louder along with our silence.

"Uhh... Is it just me or is it a lot louder right now compared to when we left?" Oreo asks me, voice relieved, breaking the silence.

"No, I definitely feel it too," I tell him, raising my voice, the sound vibrating throughout my skull.

Someone suddenly grabs my arm as I yelp out in surprise.

"Sorry for scaring you, Police Hat!" a familiar voice tells me. Watermelon notices Oreo next to me and yells out above the noise, "Oreo, I've been looking for you, someone spiked the juice bowl inside!"

"Seriously?" Oreo asks incredulously, ruffling his hair. "Who the hell has alcohol? Aren't we like 16? Actually, I guess that's not so weird now that I say it out loud."

"I don't know!" Watermelon cries, voice hopeless. "I've tried telling as many people as I can, but Jesus, this place is packed! I probably didn't even make a dent!"

"Woah, hey hey hey!" Oreo tells her, noticing how riled up she was. "Look, it's not your fault some prick decided to spike the juice, okay? I'll help you out and try to tell people too, don't get your mood ruined because of this, alright?" he assures her, calming her down.

"Okay," she responds, breathing in and out, before putting on her familiar, determined smile.

"I'll go around outside, okay? Can you start telling people inside?" she asks Oreo, who responds with a general noise of affirmation and a nod.

"Great! Thanks so much!" she tells him, clapping her hands before disappearing the next second.

Oreo quickly turns to me, saying, "Hey, could you just help out anyone who's... you know, obviously drunk? Just give them water or something, I got a plan."

"Uh, sure?" I hesitate, my answer sounding like a question.

"Great! Thanks a lot, man! I owe you one," he thanks me, before turning on his heel and sprinting in the other direction.

I watch him disappear into the crowd before I start making my way around looking for a familiar face.

I should start near the snack table right? That's where people got the alcohol, anyway.

I focus on finding intoxicated people, trying to drown out the sounds and sights and smells. 

As I sort of get pushed around in the general direction of the snack table, I feel my stomach lurch. I calm myself down in an attempt to calm my stomach, assuring myself that I'll be out of here in no time.

As I get spat out by the crowd into seemingly a strange invisible bubble surrounding the snack table, I slowly circle the table trying to find anyone with a cup.

"Oh, excuse me! The juice is spiked," I tell a random person, who looks at the cup, seemingly having an internal debate with himself before deciding it probably isn't worth it and dumping the stuff on the ground.

I do the same for a couple other people before finally finding a girl in a black dress crouched on the ground, cradling a red cup in her hands.

"Uh, hey?" I ask, approaching her. "The juice is-- Oh."

I stop abruptly as a familiar girl peers up at me, face unreadable.

"PoPo?" Kit calls my name, cocking her head to the side.

A/N:

heres the obligatory drunk character at a party arc everyone!!! youre welcome