Connie's car led her to the gas station. She got out angrily and stormed into the store to buy a pack of cigarettes. They were the only thing that calmed her down at the moment while her head was foggy. She went to the back of the station and lit a cigarette loving the feeling as she blew it out.
Cherry knew about Connie's past and didn't bother to tell Connie. She knew all this time.
She blew out a puff of smoke.
Her father, that she loved and looked up too, cheated with a woman who worked with him on drugs.
Another puff.
Her mother, was a drug addict, and found out about the affair so the only way she thought to get back at him, was to call both of them out on their awful job. The job that Connie helped out in.
Two more puffs came out into thin air.
Cherry said she loved Connie, but she hid so much. Now Connie knew why and she hated it. She hated everything bright now because she didn't know what to do or where to go anymore.
One long and drawn out puff.
The car crash. Because of this, Connie couldn't talk; couldn't do anything she wished she could. She thought life was being unfair to her and even though Mrs. Swan explained a part of the puzzle Connie didn't know, she's still completely lost.
Connie ends up finishing the whole pack and the darkness took over as she got in the car to drive to the hospital.
She didn't go inside, she just sat outside waiting for something to happen. She waited for her mom to walk out okay just so Connie could yell at her with her fingers about everything.
Other than the feeling of being drained and confused; she felt empty and hollow. Everyone she ever loved and cared about betrayed her; her parents and Cherry. Connie couldn't talk to either one because one is dead and the other is only halfway there.
Connie began to cry. She didn't want to go back home so she drove to the park and went up to the little palace in the middle of the park. She let her feet hang down from the opening and wrap around the pole that dived the castle. She leaned her head back until she completely laid down on the cold metal.
All that plays through her mind was wishing she could talk so she could curse at the world around her and scream at the top of her lungs about how it has treated her unfairly. Though instead, she got another cigarette and let her words come out in puffs of smoke into the night sky.
"There you are!" Cherry hops up beside her and Connie rolls her eyes scooting away. "I thought I might find you here."
Go away.
Cherry frowned. "Connie please don't be like this. I love you." She said those words as if they were going to solve all Connie's problems.
You betrayed me.
"I did not!"
Connie snapped her head in a quick motion towards Cherry.
Yes you did! You did not tell me about a part of my past that you knew!
Cherry sighed. "It didn't matter to me. That was your past, now you're in the present. I only care about that and your future. You can't change the past Connie, okay? That's why I didn't tell you. It wouldn't change anything except make you more upset."
Connie hated how Cherry is right.
I just wish I can talk again. Maybe if my father never cheated, my mom would not get jealous, and we would not end up in a car crash leading to me being mute and he being dead.
Cherry leans on Connie's shoulder, but with a great effort Connie slide further into the castle. Cherry moves back and catches a glimpse of the cigarette between Connie's fingers resting on her lap, but she didn't say anything.
"Maybe so, but guess what? You can't change that. You can only move forward and I've been trying so hard to help you do that."
Why did you come here?
"Because I care about you and want to know you're alright. I also wanted to tell you that I understand how you're feeling. Maybe I should've told you what I knew. That's why I didn't want you meeting my parents, because I thought my mom would recognize you. Which she did and now it led to this; you back to smoking.
It makes me feel better.
"I thought I made you feel better," Cherry frowns.
You did.
"What changed?" Cherry pauses before looking up at the raven haired girl. "Is it because I hid things from you?"
Yes.
"I'll tell you everything you want to know so you won't be mad at me anymore."
Go ahead. Since I know part of it now, I bet you feel obligated to tell me everything else you know.
Cherry shakes her head parting her lips to say something, but chooses otherwise and closes it. She then clears her throat and sits up straighter. She scoots in front of Connie and stares at her as her golden eyes sparkle in the moonlight.
"I guess right now is the right time," she begins. "While my mom was in the drug business, my dad was here cleaning up her messes along with Adam and mine After the car crash incident, my wanted to flee somewhere far from here because she knew what would happen. After that, she stopped the drug business, but not the drugs. She was too heartbroken over your dad, and even my dad knew," Cherry shook her head as if she didn't believe her dad knew about the affair.
"He stilled stayed though, and I hated him for that. He was too much of a pushover. Anyway, like you know I ended up with my aunt and uncle because my dad was too busy putting my mom back together. Somewhere along the way my mom got back on her feet and wanted Adam and I back. She was stable enough for it, so we reluctantly came back. My mom found a job back here so we moved and my aunt and uncle followed us just in case and opened up that small restaurant. That's it, that's all of the horrifying past you didn't know about."
Connie stays silent for a while. She replays what Cherry has just said and blows out some smoke leaving Cherry to scrunch up her nose.
Did you ever meet my dad?
"No, I never met either of your parents, until I met you."
Did you know me?
"Yes. My mom pointed you out in the papers."
Is that why you wanted to talk to me?
"Partly, but I also thought you were pretty cute," Cherry smirked and Connie hid back a small grin. "My mom works where your mom does surprisingly, that's why I didn't want to tell your mom why I was there."
That makes sense.
"I know our pasts kind of collided in the past,l Cherry counties, "but that's what I've been saying; it's the past. All I want is now and later on with you Connie. I never intended to fall in love with you, but I did and I want to be with you."
Connie has never heard Cherry express herself this way before and her cheeks flush. She's glad she's in the dark so Cherry couldn't see, but she felt it. She scooted closer and cupped Connie's cheek making the cigarette fall to the floor and burn out. She leans in closely.
"Do you love me?" She practically pleaded that she wanted Connie to say yes.
Connie pushes her away nods slowly as those icy blue eyes mesmerize her. All her worries fade away and I'm that moment all she knew was if she was with Cherry, she'd be okay. So she kisses her.