➥ TELLING JOKES IN A NO-LAUGHING MATTER
THIRD PERSON'S POV
"Like, I really can't believe her!" River shuts the door to the house as she conversed with Lilith on the phone.
"I know... it's crazy" Lilith mutters from the other line with muffled sound of a chip bag being opened in the background.
Lilith was the second one to call after the somewhat argument happened at school. Mason wouldn't even acknowledge the fact Rio was on the call and would've fallen asleep. Jupiter wasn't answering her phone and Willa, the other girl she would mostly rant to about her problems, was the problem.
"Right! And she didn't even bother to make up an actual excuse for why she just backed out, Lil!" Rio was still upset about everything, now more than before.
"She's too complicated sometimes" She groans. "I mean she's better than guys you've dated" Karma says as she walks out of the kitchen with a bowl of green grapes. "Stay out of this" River rolled her eyes, grabbing grapes out of the bowl. "As I was saying...just like today she seemed against the contest for some reason" River continued to talk on the phone.
"I mean if she didn't want to be in the competition in the first place, she should've just said that!".
"Did you pressure her into doing something again? 'Cause you're known for doing that" Karma states.
"Why are you in my conversation?!" Rio glared at her little sister.
"Look, I'm just saying, you should probably hear her out again" Karma suggested. "She's not wrong, R" Lilly says. "Whatever. I'll call you later" River said. "Okay" They end the call. River placed her phone in her back pocket and crossed her arms.
"What're you doing?" She asked.
"What ever do you mean?" Karma asked as her movie started. "Why are you suddenly so concerned about my dating life?" River asked. "Oh, trust me, I'm not" Karma says with a scoff. "But?" River rolled her wrist. "But...she's different" Karma said. She chuckled.
"You should've seen the way she talked to mom yesterday" Karma said; "It was very entertaining".
"Wait, what? She came over?" Rio questioned as she sits down on the couch next to her sister.
"Yeah" Karma nods. "She basically talked mom's ears off about you and how much she cares about you even if mom didn't like her" She stated. "No dude- I mean no dude, nada, zero point zero point zero—".
"Just get to the point" River groans.
"—has ever been able to talk to Mom and actually impressed her. But Willa did" Karma nudged her sister's arm. "Mom said that? That-That she impressed her?" Rio asked. Karma stops watching her movie for a moment and turns to her sister. "Well, not verbally but it was pretty clear that she did" Karma answers.
"Hmm" River hummed as she pulled her eyebrows together.
"How come she didn't tell me about this?!" She thought.
"Do not break up with her. Please!" Karma begged. "I'm not gonna break up with her, K! We're just... dealing with something" Rio said, calming her sister down. "Good, 'Cause you need her" Karma went back to her movie while eating more grapes. "You haven't smiled this much since dad passed..." She slightly frowns at the thought.
"I missed it".
River raised her eyebrows and pressed her lips together. "Well uh, enough of that. I have homework, so I'ma head upstairs" River says while getting off the couch. Karma shrugs. "'Kay 'Kay" She muttered as she watched her older sister go upstairs.
"I miss us..." Karma thought with a sigh before getting back into her movie.
──── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ────
Later that night, not too long after her shower and getting in her pajamas, River softly rhythmic knock heard a knock at her window.
River placed her phone down on her bed and makes her way to the edge of her bed.
She tilts her head as she looks out the window and smiles to herself. River goes to open her window and she leans out of it a little. "Wils? Hey" River said. "Hey, Love" Willa slightly smiled. Leaving from the tree and making it into her girlfriend's room, Willa placed her hands in her pocket. She began to bite the inside of her cheek as Rio talked.
"We haven't done that in a while" River says in a slight realization.
"Yeah" Willa mutters. "You should, maybe but definitely, start using the front door," Rio half suggests; "I mean I can't have my mom walking in on me while you coming in through the window".
Willa lifted a brow as she ran of her hands that was in her pocket through her hair.
"Yeah, no, no. That'll be horrible" She said, slightly uninterested. "What're you even doing here?" Rio asked with a head tilt as she looks up at her girlfriend. "Like what part of "We'll talk later" do you not understand?" She half jokes. Willa sighs; "I know. I know".
"I, um," Willa cleared her throat as she tried to cover the sound of her sniffles. "I really need to talk to you about something" She says. "Life or death?" River chuckled at her own joke that she came up with on the spot. "Get it? 'Cause you almost lost your life, and when you lose your life you die" River explained to the confused girl.
Willa gave her a tight lip smile while nodding.
"It was... It was funnier in my head..." River shrugs as she walked over to her dresser. "No. It was hilarious" Willa told her. "I just... I don't think this is a laughing situation right now" She says. Rio pulled her eyebrows together as she finally took a second to look at Willa and her facial expressions.
She noticed the sad, regretful, but serious look on her face as she wasn't her usual talkative self.
"Okay? Talk to me" River said as she moved over the edge of the bed once again and motioned Willa to join her.
"Yeah... Okay" Willa stiffly nods and sits next to her. Willa messes with her rings and lets out a shaky sigh. "Well, uh, it's more about a relationship of yours" She announces. "Relationship?" Rio questions as she thought on the statement for a moment. Once she realized the situation that had been brought up, River began to smile.
"Oh, the talk with my mom! Look, you can fill me in on the details later but right now, you're in good with her" River reassured the wolf.
"No. That's not what— wait really?" Willa's slightly teary eyes lit up. "Mmhmm" Rio hummed. "Wait— If that's not what this is about then what's going on?" She asked. "It's Jupiter" Willa said, looking at her boots. "Jupe? What about her?" River asked.
A small tear droplet falls on Willa's hand and she gulps. "Willa?" River placed a hand on her shoulder as her face filled the concern. "She's kissed me!" Willa blurts out. "Okay. She- she kissed me and before that she was talking about how you were going to leave me," She continued.
"And that she could be the better girlfriend or something like that and- and I keep letting you down and—" Willa voice was muffled by her face in her hands.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Okay, hey, just... slow down" River said.
"Sweetie, calm down and just breathe. Look at me" River pulled the girl's hands away from her face and used her own to turn Willa's head towards hers. Willa's heavy breathing was the only thing heard in the silence of the room. She then throws her arms around Rio's neck and pulled her closer into the hug.
"Yeah, yeah. We can hug too if it makes you feel better" Rio says as she rubs the crying girl's back for the comfort.
"Better?" She asked, softly. Willa sighed and slowly nods her head. "Okay, just relax and take things slow, I'm listening" River gave the girl her full attention. "It happ—" Willa choked up a bit as she thought on how to explain everything.
"It- it happened after you left the school to go home" Willa says.