Chapter Thirty Four: An Idea
Castiel's POV-
The next two months were hard on all of us, especially Brooke. Since her appendix had ruptured before it was removed, she was sick all the time. Her immunity was shot straight through the heart and the bacteria that had leaked into her system didn't help her case. It seemed as though every few days she was coming down with something. She tried to be strong and often times came to school even though she felt terrible. My heart ached for her. I tried to help her by making her laugh since she long had rejected my attempts at carrying her bag or walking her places, all because she was much too humble to take those things.
As the days grew longer and the air around started to warm with the promise of a long, hot summer forthcoming, I knew that my time to tell her how I felt was fast approaching. She was growing stronger everyday once the spring rain let up and wasn't chilling her to the bone anymore.
I held my tongue through those two months, allowing her to recover and focus on herself while still making sure I was a big part of her life. When she was feeling well we would sit up on our balcony above the school and mouth off about the world or drive around hopelessly singing along to our favorite songs. I was still teaching Brooke how to play the guitar and I swear she was a natural; her long fingers able to move themselves impressively fast up and down the neck of any guitar she picked up. I was still miserably crazy about every little thing she did and I was growing impatient, waiting for my day to come.
The first of May, a new wind blew into my open bedroom window and woke me up with a new sense of motivation. Today was the day of Brooke's last doctor's appointment. She had broken a record by not getting sick for a week straight, and things were starting to fall back into place, I could just feel it.
I sprung out of bed that day, ready to start planning my confession. Okay, maybe I wasn't that excited for it, more like nervous.
I still needed to get her to see me differently, because right now I was only her best friend. For all I knew, she thought of me like a brother. Just the thought of that made me cringe. I definitely needed something to change her outlook; I just wasn't sure what more I could do for her. I was already the ultimate pansy around her, always trying to help her and act like a gentleman. What more could I do? That was my biggest predicament.
Skipping right through my old brown jacket, black button up shirts and other indie-styled clothing from my past like I did every day I opted for my worn red Winged Skull band t-shirt. I threw my plain silver chained necklace over my neck and shimmied my tight black jeans over my hips, buttoning them and then walking out of my room with Demon by my side.
I walked across my kitchen to the screen doors leading to the backyard, pushing them open and letting Demon run past me to the grass. The air was warm and comfortable and I reminded myself to take Demon to the beach for a walk first chance I got. Maybe I'd even take Brooke to the beach with me. She had never been to the beach here, and if I had any excuse to see her in a bathing suit, I was going to use it.
I rummaged through the kitchen cabinets, regretting not going to the grocery store when I was supposed to yesterday. Finally taking a cold Pop Tart and quickly eating it, I let Demon back inside, grabbed my backpack from a stool at the island and took off for Lysander's house.
As I drove down the street, I blasted one of Brooke and I's favorite songs and sang along, feeling pretty good about the day. I drove for the first time in months with the windows down, letting the wind invigorate me and ignite my very bones. I needed to be proactive today and hoped that the cool strength of the wind would snap me into motivation.
When I pulled into Lysander's driveway and glanced at the clock on my dash, I realized that I was twenty minutes early. I shut off my car and got out, walking towards his front door and letting myself in.
Leigh stood at the kitchen, waiting for the microwave to finish cooking something. He wore nothing but beige pajama pants, and turned to me quickly when he heard the door close.
"You're here early! Lys is still getting ready." He told me with a smile, opening the microwave and taking out a plate of frozen box pancakes.
I took a seat with him at his kitchen table and shrugged my shoulders.
"I was feeling productive today. I woke up early and couldn't go back to sleep." I told him.
"This weather is amazing; it'll be summer in no time! Speaking of which, I really have to get a move on with those bathing suits…" He trailed off, taking a bottle of syrup and drowning his breakfast in it.
"I can't wait to get to the beach." I hummed, playing with the chain necklace around my neck.
"If only I could think of a bathing suit that wouldn't make me look like an idiot..." He sighed, laughing with his mouth full.
"Why not just wear trucks?" I asked him.
"I don't know, trucks kind of make my torso look freakishly long. Plus they're just not my style." He chuckled.
Lysander soon came walking down the hallway, buttoning the cuff on his sleeve. He looked up when he heard my laughing and smiling.
"Oh, hello Castiel." He greeted me, walking over to the cabinet in the kitchen.
"Do we have any- " He started to ask Leigh as he clearly looked for his favorite, strawberry Pop Tarts, before I pulled the Pop Tart that I had grabbed for him and threw it to him. He caught it off guard and smiled at me.
"Thanks…" He smiled, unwrapping it and taking a bite.
"You're really going to wear that jacket today, Lys? It's like eighty degrees." I scoffed.
He looked down at his long black button up jacket and then back at me.
"Is it really?" He asked me. I nodded my head with a telling smile. He put the Pop Tart down and took of his jacket, now just wearing a white long sleeve shirt with a black and blue button up vest.
"Better?" He asked me, hanging the long jacket on a coat rack in the corner of the dining room.
"You look sharp, Lys." I laughed, nodding my head.
He smirked and picked his Pop Tart back up, taking another bite.
"I guess I'm going to go get dressed, I'll see you guys later, okay?" Leigh told us, placing his plate in the sink and waving to us.
"See you, Leigh!" Lysander called. I nodded a quick goodbye to him.
"You ready, bro?" I asked him, standing up from my seat as he swallowed the last bite of his breakfast. He nodded to me, taking his bag from the chair beside me and following me out the front door.
"It is warm out today, isn't it?" He cooed as we walked out into the warm air towards my car.
"Seems like a good day to do the deed, don't you think?" He added as he filed into the passenger's seat.
"She has a doctor's appointment today at like, twelve. Right before lunch. So no, today isn't the day. I still have to figure out what I'm doing, too. I have no idea how to get her to see me in a new light, you know?" I sighed.
"Back to black?" He smirked. He was always trying to convince me to dye my hair back to its natural color.
"Out of the question. I am a proud redhead, and staying that way." I hissed, keeping my eyes on the road.
"Then at least stop wearing the same few shirts every day…break out the old wardrobe!" Lysander insisted.
"That was the old me, Lys. I'm not going back there." I spat, rolling my eyes.
"I liked it." He shrugged. "But whatever you feel comfortable in, I suppose."
I felt comfortable in my dark, edgy clothing, hiding behind my blood red hair. It made me feel like at least one wall was up that protected me from being taken advantage of again. People thought I was tough, and they didn't mess with me. It was my shield.
We rode to school making small talk, Lysander rolling down his window for air when I lite my routine morning cigarette, and scolding me for the millionth time about the disgust of smoking. I swiftly pulled into the school parking lot, smiling like I did every morning when I saw Brooke's jeep. Usually she was either already in the school or hadn't arrived yet, but today she was still sitting in the driver's seat, rummaging through the glove compartment.
Once I parked my car, I quickly grabbed my backpack and slung it over my shoulder, walking to her car and knocking on the window. She jumped, seeming frightened, and turned around, opening the door.
"Get in here and help me look for my phone!" She commanded with a snicker. I laughed and walked around to the passenger's side, opening the door and leaning over the seat. In just a few moments my eyes fell on her phone from under the driver's seat, and I reached for it and handed it to her.
"What would I do without you?" She sighed, taking her phone and placing it in her bag.
"You'd have lost your phone long ago, you would constantly be bored, and you'd probably have brain damage from passing out in the hallway and hitting your head." I laughed, closing the car door and meeting her at the front of the car. She laughed to herself, rolling her eyes at me.
"Last appointment today! I'm so excited to finally put this whole stupid appendix thing behind me." She told me as we walked for the school.
"Me too. I'm so sick of you throwing up all the time, little girl. No pun intended." I laughed, slinging my arm around her.
"Believe me, I am too." She sighed.
The first four hours of school held the promise of seeing Brooke in class and the hallways, which were the most thrilling parts of my day. I enjoyed her presence as much as I could, and wasn't looking forward to a lunch without her there. In the middle of our math class together before lunch, she was dismissed for her doctor's appointment. When he name was called on the loud speaker, I sighed to myself. She floated past my desk, sending me a quick wave before leaving for the day.
I hated being in school without her here. There was nothing to look forward to; nothing to smile about.
I sulked to the music room at lunch time, walking in and taking a seat at the piano bench. No one else had arrived yet and the room was much too quiet so I started to play a simple melody, my fingers barely grazing over the ivory keys as they hummed.
"That's really pretty…" I heard from behind me. I turned my head to see Rosalya sauntering through the doors with a smile.
"I'm not as good as Brooke..." I scoffed, turning to face her.
Rosalya nodded her head.
"She is very talented. It's always so weird without her here. Did she say this was the last appointment?" She asked me.
"Yeah, thankfully. Since she hasn't gotten sick in a while they are just checking one last time for any infections before giving her a clean bill of health." I explained to her.
I was so excited to finally have Brooke back to normal without having to always worry about her.
Rosalya looked at me, a twinkle in her eye.
"You know, you and Brooke would make a really cute couple." She said, a smirk curling up on her face as she tilted her head.
My heart started to twitch erratically. Brooke's best girl friend was telling me that we'd make a good couple…what did that mean?
"D-did she say something to you?!" I immediately asked my eyes wide with interest. Why else would she have said something? Maybe Brooke did like me back! I was freaking out.
Rosalya seemed a little taken back. She squinted her eyes with suspicion.
"No...I was just saying..." She droned, raising an eyebrow at me.
"Oh..." I muttered, scratching my neck in embarrassment. Rosalya continued to stare at me, and I looked up, beginning to get annoyed. What was her deal?
"Oh my god..." She gasped in a low whisper, her smirk growing even wider. "…you totally love her!"
Shit.
I couldn't afford big mouth Rosa to know my secret.
"What? Psht, y-yeah right!" I murmured, not able to make eye contact with her.
"How did I not notice before? It's so obvious now!" She kept on. "You're in love with her!"
I felt cornered and flustered.
"Shut up!" I barked, the hot rush of embarrassment engulfing me.
"Oh my god, Cas. Seriously? You didn't think you could trust me?" She crossed her arms and shook her head playfully.
"Just please don't tell her. I need to wait for the right time. I still need her to see me in a different light. All she sees now is her best friend. I need her to see the real me." I told her all at once in a huff. I was really freaked out with Rosa knowing about this.
"The real you, huh?" Rosa droned, scratching her chin in thought.
"Yeah...which I show her every day. I'm always real with her. I don't know how else to get her to notice me like that." I complained.
Rosalya smirked to herself, a devious grin crawling up her cheeks.
"I have an idea." She snickered, almost to herself.
"Well what is it?"
"You don't need to worry about that." She giggled.
"No, I do need to worry. You aren't going to tell her, are you?" I pressed, scratching my neck nervously.
"Not at all. I'm only going to show her something, it's innocent really. It might not even work, but if it does, you need to be prepared to do something drastic, okay?" She told me.
"Rosalya, what are you planning?" I pushed, my eyes wide with anxiety.
"I'm going to show her the real you." She laughed.
I am on a writing spree, so these chapters will be flying out! Any guesses as to what Rosalya could possibly have to show Brooke? Thanks so much for the reviews, you guys are great!
Next chapter will be posted soon!