Thirty-five, tunes of bliss
( ✦ ͙ ˚ / ˚₊·͟͟͟͟͟͟͞͞͞͞͞͞➳❥ )
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August Thompson could feel her lungs quaking, perhaps even pounding — threatening to spill out of her body — with every minor step she took.
The simple movement of walking through the crowded halls that consisted of the many students during the last day of school was chaotic enough, but knowing what she knew, her head was undeniably spinning rapidly.
Everything just so cynical.
While her backpack remained strapped to her back, she noticed that the weights of all her books were only dragging her down the more she ventured around, but she didn't attempt to fix that, August only held onto her stomach in hopes that the aching sensation would fade.
It wasn't that she was sick or anything, it just felt like she was. August had to keep her grip on her torso so she could at least attempt to maintain the pain that pierced through her being with every breath she took.
She never knew how much mental things could impact her physically as well.
The fact was always barbaric for her until she witnessed it. And even then it remains pathetic.
Her only goal was to gather the rest of her stuff in her locker and leave to find the Walters somewhere.
It was simple, or supposed to be, yet it was anything but that.
Once she came to a stop at her destination, she realized that the notes were something that eventually came to a stop, and not because Isaac had taken them away, people had just now found her irrelevant which she was grateful for.
But, it wasn't that everyone absolutely despised her, of course it had its limits. Besides for the Walters, she still had Grace, Kiley, and Sky. Occasionally there would be Erin and Emily who she didn't even know how she ended up becoming somewhat friends with in the first place.
Then of course there was —
"Need help?" Jackson.
August didn't bother to look over at him when she began shoving useless bits of paper from the beginning of the year into her bag, her features maintaining its careless yet assertive facade through the process, "I'm good."
It still hurt when she breathed, even moved.
"Are you sure?" He inquired, he was leaning against the locker next to hers, examining her every move like if he looked away then he might perhaps miss out on something.
"I think I can handle a few pieces of paper." August deadpanned.
"Okay." He put his hands up, "Whatever you say."
Jackson still didn't leave.
"You're still here." She noted.
"I am."
"Can you not be?"
"Yes."
He still was. And he was smiling.
With a small exasperated breath to show she was now done, she closed her locker, slinging her bag back over her body once again before she momentarily stared at him, a little uncertainty lingering in her gaze. She debated on whether to ask him why he was talking to her, but she realized she didn't care enough, only sooner causing her to brush past his shoulders with ease.
Jackson followed after her swiftly, adjusting his jacket. "So, now that school is over, what are you plans?"
Why had he wanted to know?
"Maybe rob a bank." August shrugged, her tone evidently showing how much she lacked interest in talking to him. "Steal all their money."
Nonetheless, his lips turned upwards at the fact that she responded, "Hm. Any idea on what to do with it?"
"I was thinking of getting ten cats."
"Ten cats? Have you picked out the names yet?" He mused, trying to stay on her trail that she was moving through quite fast. August even shoved passed Leo and Gabby at one point but didn't acknowledge it.
Matter of fact, she didn't notice a lot of people, not even the one she was talking to. She contained her fast pace all the way through until they were finally all the way outside where they were instantly met with the sun and much more quietness.
"I'm sorry." August began as she faced him entirely, hands rested on her side while the pair stood at the front of the school, "But do you need something?"
Jackson stood there with the same grin as before, rising and dropping his shoulder as a response as he simultaneously fixated his attention on her eyes. "Can't I just have one conversation with you before school is over?"
"You had all year."
"You ignored me for most of it."
"I did?" August furrowed her eyebrows while she acted like she was deep in thought, "Hm, I wonder why."
Jackson let out a small laugh to diffuse the tension, seeing as it was clearly the last thing he wanted while he simply dug his hands into his pocket. "Fair enough." He nodded, "But, I mean. You can't stay mad at me forever."
"I'm not mad." August defended with an amused laugh, "I just don't feel the need to talk to you. Or want to, if I'm being honest."
"What if I bribe you to?"
"You would pay me to speak to you?"
"Five dollars for every minute, is that okay?" He quizzed.
August's lip somehow split into a small smile. "Funny."
"It wasn't a joke."
His words resulted August to cross her arms as she realized that his humorous strive was gone, evaporating into the hot, humid air that floated around them. "Where was this guy when I was dating him?"
"He was stupid." Jackson confirmed, "An absolute idiot that shouldn't have did what he did to you because he actually did genuinely like you."
The Thompson girl's features softened slightly, in the subtlest way possible. She could've said something thoughtful, one that might rid of his guilt, but she didn't know how to do that. Which was why she took a different approach. "Well, an idiot wouldn't really have the guts to admit that so I guess you're not completely dumb."
"Is this your way of telling me you forgive me?" Jackson's smile was back. "Who knew all it took was for me to call myself stupid?"
"Okay, shut up." She dismissed. "Like I said, I wasn't mad."
"Mhm. Mhm. Whatever." He waved her off. "If I call myself stupid a few more times, would you get back together with me?"
She rose her eyebrow, "Tell me that was a joke, right now."
He chuckled while faintly looking down. "It was a joke."
"Maybe if you wrote me a whole letter explaining how you were stupid then we could be friends." August suggested, "More than a hundred words are need though."
"Is a thousand alright for you?"
"More than enough."
"I'll make sure I mail it to you the second I finish it." Jackson explained. "It'll take a few business days to actually get to your residence though."
"Why is that?"
There was a pause in his response, one that he seemed like he didn't want to press play on. "I'm leaving, August."
"Leaving?" She repeated the word like a question, "Like on vacation?"
"No." He said, "Like, I'm moving."
"Oh." Was all August could conjure up.
"Careful," Jackson started, "You sound like you're gonna miss me."
She ignored his comment, "When are you leaving?"
"Tonight."
August couldn't find a response this time, it's not that she should feel upset about it though, it was Jackson out of all people. But, it would just be weird that someone who remained in her life and played an effective role in it would no longer make an appearance.
"I'd uh kiss you goodbye. But. Um, your boyfriend is kind of watching us."
August's head turned to where Jackson's eyes were trained on, finding Isaac along with the rest of his family watching their interaction intensely. "Not my boyfriend."
"Yet." Jackson corrected before he slowly began walking away, eyes now on her as he left the scene. "You two owe me for that, by the way."
˖*°࿐ •*⁀➷
August Thompson was one day closer to the violent truth that she had been avoiding.
She sealed whatever she knew in a part of her multitasking brain that she hadn't brought herself to peer through once. Though, it was evident now that she would eventually have to deal with the very excruciating thing she refused to accept.
Regardless of how much she attempted to block out it's vileness, it still managed to reappear in forms of guilt that stirred in her stomach, making her physically sick for the last week.
Every day she had asked for an extra 24 hours, just a little more time. That was all she needed to collect herself: time. She would've begged for it, gathered herself on the ground as she just demanded more seconds.
But, she couldn't.
And time was the last thing she had considering she played the role of a wedding planner.
Of course, she didn't even get to do that in peace.
"Wait so, why is he exactly moving again?" Lee quizzed as he sat on the counter, he was watching August run around the kitchen, prepping the baked goods that her and Isaac had created just an hour prior.
It was obvious which cupcakes were decorated by her and which by him. There were a few more left and she was running out of patience due to the fact that her checklist was yet to be fulfilled.
"Don't know." Was all she said. "I didn't ask."
"Do you know where?"
"Nope."
"Why would you wanna know anyways?" Isaac quizzed from beside her.
August rose her eyebrow at him, one that he ignored when he snatched the tubed frosting out from her hand to use which caused their arms to collide faintly. "I didn't say I wanted to."
Isaac and Jackson weren't friends, but they didn't absolutely hate each other after the bonfire. Up until right now at least.
"Someone's just a little jealous." Lee explained to August with a shake in his head as if it was obvious. He then turned to Isaac with a stern look. "Jackson is gone now, so you can stop with this whole attitude."
"Attitude?" His features scrunched up, "I don't have an attitude."
"Right." Lee squinted, "And I suppose you think that cupcake you're decorating looks good too?"
"They do!" Isaac was quick to defend before he gestured towards them, displaying his work that he thought to be amazing. "August, look. You can't tell me those aren't good."
August held in a small laugh when she gazed at the desert in front of her. "Yeah, yeah." She tried to nod in a convincing way, voice high. "They are. But. Uh. What is that supposed to be exactly?"
"It looks like Albert's shit." Lee responded.
"You look like Albert's shit." Isaac shot back.
"Is that, a, uh . . . ?" August began, eyes squinting to decipher it as she leaned in closer against the counter. "Butterfly?"
"Seriously." Isaac gave her a look the second she peered up at him for confirmation. "Why would I put a butterfly?"
"Because they're pretty." She grinned up at him.
For a second he was about to say that if she wanted it to be a butterfly then it could be, in fact, he would've went along with anything she said if August continued smiling at him. But, he pulled himself together. "It's a flower." He deadpanned, "Now can you guess what kind?"
"There's a million flowers, Isaac." Lee scoffed.
"Well I wasn't asking you to guess." Isaac countered.
As her eyes turned back towards the design of the cupcake, August didn't need to even have to use her brain to know what kind of flower he made. It was much clearer now.
Isaac's efforts made her grin widely that she had to contain bits of her smiles when he leaned against the counter next to her, nudging her arm that was already against his for a response. "That's a really terrible attempt at red carnations, Isaac."
In truth, he should've at least tried to act offended, but the fact that she knew what flower it was had already managed to make him crack a grin of his own while he sighed. "I guess I'll have to re-do it then."
"Please do." Lee muttered, "Your decorating skills are gonna scare the guest away. I mean even the dog can do better."
August unintentionally let out a loud chuckle that caused Isaac to glance over at her, both still leaning over the counter that was supported by their forearm. "Really?" He quizzed despite actually enjoying the tune of her laugh.
She tried to accumulate herself through a shrug but failed regardless of how unfunny the joke actually was, August's minor giggles still remained when she spoke. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It's just-"
"It's just-" Isaac mimicked her as he eventually swatched bits of the frosting from his cupcake before rubbing it against August's face. "It's just what now?"
She backed away too late when chunks of the icing had already found a home on her nose. The gasp the left her lips indicated how the action was not something she expected in the least while she settled on glare. "Seriously?"
Isaac mocked her shrug as he ate the remaining mixture on his fingers, his gaze set on her as he only grinned in accomplishment when he heard Lee laugh.
"My makeup is ruined, guys." She groaned while her head leaned back slightly to showcase her annoyance, "Jackie did it for me."
"She can redo it." Isaac suggested with a small chuckle.
"She's gonna have to because the bright red and blue frosting on your face isn't really a good look." Lee added.
Her hand got ahold of some of the icing on her as she looked at it, she never really liked sweet things to begin with so this was simply making her despise it even more with every passing second they continue to find joy in her circumstances. "You guys think this is funny?" August squinted with a tilt in her head.
No response was needed for the question to be answered considering she didn't allow them too, instead, she took the bag of frosting that lie uselessly on the counter and attached it to her hand, one that had the intention of squeezing it's sugary remains onto the pair whose smiles now faded at the sight.
The kitchen that Saturday morning in the Walter's household consisted of Lee's loud ass scream and Isaac's failed attempts in stopping August's endeavors.
And Isaac would never admit it, especially after getting frosting all over him, but he found ecstasy within the tiniest hints of August's glee when she got them back. If he could, he would've let her done it over and over again just for the rhythmic sound of her amused laugh.
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chat, i'm gonna miss them
this is lowk rushed and kind of a filler
but wtv, i updated after like having a major
writers block yesterday so RAHHHH
i don't want to write the last chapter
but i will 😞😞☹️☹️💔💔💔
it'll probably be really long tho
🤗🤗🤭🤭😍😍🙏🙏😝😝😜
😜😜😋😋😋🔥🔥🔥😋😋😋😋
🎀🎀🎀😜😜😜😜😜😜😜