It was the premier night of "The Magicbook," and the leading actor and actress were in the middle of their final scene. The audience watched as Blonda's character stormed across the makeshift boarding dock as Treveston's character dragged their boat further onto the shore.
"Why didn't you write me?" Blonda shouted through the sound effects of rain and thunder. "Why?!"
Treveston stared at her, unfazed by the rain shower, as Blonda continued, mascara running down her face. "It wasn't over for me! I waited for you for seven years! And now…it's too late!"
Treveston floated to where he was merely inches away from Blonda's distraught expression, keeping his voice calm yet loud enough to be heard. "I wrote you 365 letters; I wrote you every day for a year!"
"You wrote me?" Blonda probed in between sobs.
"Yes!" Treveston assure, staring lovingly into her eyes. "It wasn't over for me…it still isn't over!"
Within seconds of his final lines, Treveston pulled Blonda in for a kiss. Regrettably, the play adaptation wasn't as long as the actual movie. However, both actors were determined to make sure the infamous kiss in the rain scene failed to disappoint. They kissed feverously, sucking each other's lips as if those same lips were life support. They continued their kiss as the curtains began to close, the audience rounding in applause in response.
As the curtains closed and the audience rose for a standing ovation, Little Mamma turned towards her husband as he pressed the 'stop' button on his camera. She leaned over to Big Daddy's ear and proceeded to boast "Our daughter is so talented, isn't she!"
"Sure is." Big Daddy agreed, putting his camera into his pinstripe pockets. "She's gonna make it big one day, just you wait!"
Once the curtains drew back for the final bows, the main cast and crew held hands in a straight line, and on the count of three, each took a bow as the cheers in the crowds resonated through the acoustics of tall, concrete walls. Blonda peered out into the audience to see both parents, sitting three rows from the first row, front and center. Her mother blew a kiss towards her, and her father raised an approving thumb with a smile. Blonda smiled ear to ear, taking her final bow before exiting stage left with the rest of the cast.
Blonda was truly grateful for her parents' undying support. Whether it was cheer, childhood beauty pageants, or every play she's ever participated in since 7th grade, she could always count on her parents to be there. Her father would often clear his busy schedule to make time for her when he could be running the business with her uncles, and she loved him for that sacrifice. Her uncles doubted her, said she may 'look' like an actress, but she could never 'be' an actress. They believed Blonda lacked natural talent, which, her mother would always come to her defense when her father wasn't there. OF course, her uncles never said those things around him, because he would be the first punch them dead in the mouth for speaking such blasphemy.
Wanda often doubted her like her uncles, constantly pointing out her flaws and how much she 'sucked' at acting. Their parents didn't condone such speak, but that never stopped Wanda from expressing her thoughts behind closed doors. "You're delusional." She would tell her. "If you think you're gonna win a billion zappies and obtain all the fame and fortune, you got another thing coming. All the best actresses have what it takes, and you most certainly don't with your conceited attitude. You'll be eaten alive because your ego will get in the way of you actually listening to real criticism." Pssh, what did she know? She was just jealous that their parents actually supported her dreams and not hers.
At least, that's what Blonda always told herself.
"Hey Blonda!" Treveston hovered over to his leading lady, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as they flew backstage. "You killed it!"
"So did you, zappy nominee!" Blonda returned the compliment. His kiss to her cheek made her grin, as she found absolutely nothing wrong with his tendency to kiss her every now and then.
"So, listen." Treveston continued. "The rest of the cast is having a party over at Emerald's house! You coming?"
"Uh, duh!" Blonda replied. "I'm always down for parties! Though I can't stay long; gotta go home and finish packing."
"Right, your vacation thing." Treveston remembered, removing his arm from her shoulders as he teasingly smiled. "Well…as long as you're there, you can tell your boyfriend I'll 'try to behave.'"
"Oh, pah-lease!" Blonda teased. "Luther doesn't own me."
"Oh yeah?" Treveston flew closer to Blonda, circling her waist with his arms as he stared into her eyes with an alluring gaze. "...then who does?"
She could feel her heart melt in his silver eyes, trying her best to keep her knees from buckling. Why did he do that? How does he do that? She longed to taste his tongue with her tongue, to explore those chiseled abs and that cushion in his rear, to experience every inch of that juicy-
No Blonda, she thought to herself, blinking her inappropriate thoughts from her mind. Not the time.
Instead, Blonda playfully shoved him away with a sly smile. She said nothing more as she floated away from him, feeling his eyes checking her out as she left.
As the rising sun cast a rosy hue across the morning sky, Fairy World steadily awoke into the weekend. A few cars traveled through roads which hovered amongst the pastel clouds, fairies either returning home from a night shift or commuting to work for their early morning shift. Some fairies posted on their porch with a cup of Joe or the free text of a newspaper, enjoying the fresh dew of sunshine upon their skin.
Floating in the middle of the stone path to the extravagant mansion in front of him, Cosmo traveled with nothing but the clothes on his back. He twiddled his thumbs as he gazed upon the empyreal structure, frozen in fear. He second guessed whether he should have agreed to meet Wanda at her home instead of somewhere more public. He wasn't afraid of sharing an entire mansion with the love of his life, he was more afraid of the consequences that could come from it. However, he forced himself to ignore his reservations and focus on the task at hand: saving his relationship.
He hovered towards the marblewood front door, and pressed the doorbell, hearing 'ding-dong' echo from inside. He ruffled his hair in attempts to make it look more 'presentable' and checked his breath with his hand…
Whelp…thank the gods for breath spray.
Reaching into his pocket to grab his mint spray, he anxiously waited for the door to open. It took a couple of sprays before he heard the 'clank' of the deadbolt, followed by the 'chink' of the doorknob. The door proceeded to open, and the most beautiful fairy in his eyes floated before him.
"Hey." Wanda greeted bashfully, dressed in nothing but a mustard-yellow oversized sweater.
"Hi." Cosmo apprehensively flew closer to Wanda and kissed her cheek, not sparking the usual enamor he was used to. "How are you?"
"Good" came Wanda's simple reply, shifting to where he could enter the home. "You?"
"I'm okay."
Cosmo observed his surroundings, noticing the walls which stood tall almost like the Big Wand. The greyish-blue linoleum floors glowed in the morning light glimmering through the enchanting tall glass windows. A 40-inch plasma TV to his right, overlooking a pearl stone fireplace, a five-piece sectional holt grand couch covered in navy silk to his left, layered with a shag pearl rug beneath. The perimeters of the living room seemed just as large, if not larger, than the perimeters of his entire house, leaving room for a room which led into a small office behind the couch. He could see one hallway east of him, which seemed to lead to more bedrooms, and another hall to his west, which seemed to lead into what could be described as a dining room. In the center of these halls was the kitchen, white marble on top of white marble, from the tile floors to the kitchen counters to the walls, even the cabinets and stove top. He wasn't in a mansion; he was in a giant castle.
"So…" Wanda began in a lackluster tone, shaking Cosmo from his awe. "…what do you wanna do?"
Cosmo turned Wanda of whom was still a few feet from the entrance. What was there not to do in this house? "Um…I dunno. M-maybe…listen to some music?"
With a shrug, Wanda hovered towards the fireplace mantel to reach for the white remote. She pressed a button aiming towards the surround sound speakers set up in various corners of the walls surrounding the living room, and soft strings accompanied by classical piano riffs filled the atmosphere of the room.
As moderato melodies played throughout the living room, Cosmo floated closer to Wanda, having difficulties keeping eye contact. "Um…w-would you wanna dance?"
Wanda paused, fighting the indecision in her mind. "Um…" she hovered closer to Cosmo. "…sure."
Taking his cue, Cosmo laced his left fingers into Wanda's right and gently escorted her towards the center of the living, in between the couch and the fireplace. With their fingers intertwined, Cosmo delicately curved his right elbow beneath Wanda's right arm, circling just beneath her wings, while Wanda timidly cupped her left hand onto his right shoulder. He floated close enough to her in terms of intimacy yet floated far enough not to invade too much personal space. Catching the downbeat of the next exposition of the A-flat Sonata, they began to sway from side to side.
As she danced with him, she attempted to keep eye contact, though this level of intimacy in her mental state proved more nerve-wracking than soothing. On one hand, she wanted to slap him. Slap him for leaving her out to dry, for abandoning her in the dust. After running away every time he glanced at her, she didn't know why he'd somehow have a change of heart to talk to her again. On another hand, part of her wanted to hug him. Hug him for dealing with a mother that would find the audacity to hurt her own child. Hug him for hating himself because his mother planted a seed of doubt in her love for him, simply because he did something she didn't like. She questioned if she'd ever forgive him; however, even if she couldn't, she had to try. It seemed that he wanted to make this work just as much as she did, so would holding any of it against him steer them in the right direction?
As he danced with her, he couldn't help but admire her beauty. He never understood why Wanda ever criticized herself; she was naturally gorgeous. How could he hurt someone so beautiful? So pure? Even if she could, he wasn't sure if he could forgive tainting her sweet soul. If it weren't for the fear of his own mother, dancing together wouldn't feel so awkward. He didn't know for certain, but it felt as if she was dancing with a stranger, as if she no longer knew who he was. At times, he no longer knew who he was. The only thing he did know, is that touching her, seeing her, feeling her aura again…filled his heart with so much joy. The fact that, after everything that's happened, she wanted to take him back…gave him the satisfaction that they have a chance at mending the wounds. Relationships had rough patches no matter how flawless they may seem. This rough patch could be sewn together, he was sure of it.
When their eyes met, their souls synced. She felt his heart as if it were beating against her ribs; he could feel her spirit as if his body were her vessel. Any fear, any doubt, and apprehension melted away. Despite the distance, there was still something there. Lips like magnets, they found themselves drawing closer to each other. The south to his north, the north to his south. Despite the unlit candle of the past few weeks, that spark, that fire, didn't die after all. Deep down, their flames were meant to burn together.
And just like any magnet, all atoms must align.
His lips fell onto hers, and she could smell the mint on his tongue. Slow and sensual at first, his kisses grew increasingly urgent, riding the rushing wave of his hunger. She gave in to desire and returned his kisses with her own, allowing his hands to roam freely up and down her torso. Assertive, yet delicate, just as she remembered. Lips soft as cotton, sweet like sugar, just as he remembered.
Kissing her repeatedly, he led her towards the couch, gently laying her down as he positioned himself in between her legs. She cupped his face in her hands as his pelvis grinded against hers, just enough to rouse her senses yet leave her starved for more. A moan escaped her lips as his kisses progressed from her lips to the nape of her neck, hugging him closer, as their bodies rocked in the motion of the ocean, the temperature in the room seemed to rise despite no fire in the fireplace.
Cosmo paused for a moment as Wanda reached to remove his hoodie, revealing his white T-shirt underneath. As she continued to kiss him, he allowed one of his hands to roam from her chest to her stomach, and from her stomach to just beneath her sweater. She allowed her own hands to explore, tucking beneath his shirt to stoke the soft of his skin. He traced her thigh in a gradual manner, her goosebumps rising. His fingers reached towards the silk underwear underneath…
He removed his lips and cast his gaze towards her left thigh, perplexed at what he just felt. Wanda sat up underneath while he was on top of her, confused as to why he stopped. And then, it donned on her, and her heart instantly dropped to the pit of her stomach…
She forgot about the fresh cuts she'd inflicted just above her thigh that morning.
The only thing he could think to do was stare, searching her pink orbs for some kind of answer to his questions. She averted his eyes, staring towards the rug. If she were more careful, she wouldn't be in this situation. A perfectly good moment ruined by her incompetence.
"…W-Wanda?" Cosmo re-positioned himself to where his back was against one of the couch cushions, keeping her gaze on her. "…w-what is that?"
She forced herself to meet his eyes, knowing exactly what he was referring to as 'that.' "…I couldn't help it…" Wanda admitted softly, shifting her back against the other cushion as she drew her knees to her chest. "…I needed to do it."
Cosmo had no clue what she was talking about. "…I'm confused. Needed to do what?"
She took a deep breath in attempts to silence the alarms sounding in her ears. "…I needed…some kind of release."
"Release?" Cosmo questioned. "Like…how?"
"It's…complicated." Wanda admitted, hugging her knees. The last thing she wanted was to explain any of this to someone like Cosmo. "…I was a mess when you started to avoid me…a-and my parents and Blonda didn't help…and…now Susie's not talking to me because I yelled at her…I-I needed an outlet…I couldn't keep it together anymore…"
The heartache Cosmo had in his chest fought the urge make everyone that ever hurt his Wanda pay, including himself. Would an apology even make things better at this point? "I…" Cosmo swallowed. "…I wish you didn't do that to yourself."
She didn't respond which only made Cosmo's heart hurt worse. He creased his brow in thought as his mind spiraled with questions. Hurting yourself just to stop from hurting? How does that work? Why would anyone do such a thing? He assumed that if you feel as if there's nowhere left to turn, you'd resort to drastic measures.
Randomly, an idea sparked in his head.
Cosmo rose from his seat on the couch and hovered in front of Wanda. When she acknowledged his presence, Cosmo pointed a finger and touched her kneecap, a small smile forming on his face. "You're it."
Perplexity washed over her face. "…What?"
"Tag!" Cosmo repeated, this time with a small chuckle. "You're it!"
"…Cosmo what the fu-"
She couldn't finish her sentence before Cosmo sped away, floating past the office towards the hall leading into the dining room. Was he serious right now? She just opened up to him about something extremely personal, and he wanted to play tag? Then again, would he be Cosmo if he didn't?
With an exasperated sigh, Wanda moved from the couch and floated into the dining room, searching for where he could have gone. She didn't have to search long, because she could hear his giggling from underneath the white marblewood of the dining table.
"Gee." Wanda spoke as she pretended not to know Cosmo's whereabouts. "I wonder where Cosmo could be."
She was answered by more giggling, though she could tell he was trying to muffle himself. Leave it to Cosmo to try and lighten the mood.
"Tag!" Wanda exclaimed as her hand pushed Cosmo in the shoulder. "Now you're it!"
"Hey!" Cosmo puffed as he sprung from underneath the table. "You weren't supposed to find me so quickly!"
"Not my fault you suck at hiding!" Wanda teased, floating out of the dining room into the hallway, and without wasting any time, Cosmo flew after her.
For the rest of the day, Cosmo and Wanda utilized the maximum space of the empty house to their advantage. From racing down the hallway of bedrooms in rolling office chairs, to finding sodas in the refrigerator and shaking them before snapping the caps and spraying each other in the face, to finding random food items in the fridge to initiate a food fight (which they easily cleaned with a poof of their wands.) At certain points of the day, their inner child came to play, running around the house in different bedrooms to use beds as trampolines and tumbling around on the floor in playful roughhousing. Ha, they like it rough. Tee hee.
As the day started to end, Cosmo and Wanda made their way onto the roof. The Fairywinkle mansion presided upon a hill, so the back of the mansion faced where the sun would set. They sat next to each other with their legs hanging over the eaves of the roof as the fleeting colors of dusk faded into a rainbow of warm yellows to mild magentas, to cool indigos.
Cosmo turned towards Wanda, observing the radiance of the evening sun beaming off her skin in a blooming ambience. He observed her staring off into the sunset; she seemed so…at peace. He hadn't seen her so tranquil in what felt like forever, as if none of her problems mattered in that moment. She could feel him watching her, so she turned to him as he shied away, averting her eyes with rosy cheeks. In response, she gave a genuine smile, and placed a loving hand on top of his. He met her eyes, almost shocked by the show of affection, but then returned his own smile as he intertwined his fingers into hers.
As evening turned to night, Cosmo stripped down to his olive-green underwear and white T-shirt while Wanda wore nothing but a white tank top with matching silk blush pink bra and panties underneath. They watched a romance film entitled "Cupid's Day" while dining in with pizza delivery. With "Cupid's Day" playing on the 40-inch screen, Cosmo laid his head on a pillow against the armrest. Wanda originally sat at the end of where his feet rested, wrapped in a wool blanket. At some point during the movie, Wanda positioned herself to lay on top of Cosmo with her head on his chest. She pulled her blanket to where they could both cuddle in its warmth, which, Cosmo didn't seem to mind. He took the opportunity to stroke the rosette of her curls with one arm as he laid his other arm behind his head.
It would be hours later before the credits rolled across the screen. With a heavy yawn, Cosmo reached for the remote laying on the coffee table and shut down the TV, leaving lines of moonlight as the only source of light amid the shadows of the living room. The still of the night began to settle, and he glanced towards the only clock in the room where the hour and minute hands revealed 11:30pm as the current time. Wow, Cosmo thought to himself, that didn't feel like a three-hour movie. Eh, whatever.
Cosmo shifted his gaze back to Wanda, watching as her body gently raised and lowered beneath the blanket in a rhythmic pattern. He leaned to where he could see her eyes closed and her lips parted slightly, snoring softly. He smiled at the sight, glad to see her sleeping so soundly, and proceeded to stroke her hair as he stared towards the ceiling.
Reliving the events of the day, for Cosmo, it was arguably one of the best days of his life. To see her smile again, to hear her laugh again, to feel her love again… he once believed he would never witness those attributes again. He felt, on some level, they were able to reconnect. And though they had a ways to go, that day became the stepping stone to a life of renewed beginnings.
It wasn't long before his eyelids fell as he drifted off to sleep.
"Sweetheart, did you really have to punch that receptionist in the face?" Little Mamma questioned in the passenger seat of Big Daddy's car. "He was just doing his job!"
"You kiddin'?!" Big Daddy griped, both hands gripped to the steering wheel. Being forced to leave at 7:30 in the morning over a lack of oversight on the resorts' end didn't sit well with Big Daddy. "He gypped us! We paid for four nights, and he had the nerve to say we only reserved three! "
"Daddy, miscommunications like that happen all the time!" Blonda tried to reason, filing her nails in the backseat. "It's no big deal."
"No big de…are yous serious?" Big Daddy peered through the rearview mirror before turning back to the road. "That's $500.00 of my money gone cuz of those idiots! I had every right to punch that jerk! He refused to give me my money back!"
"Money that you can literally make back in thirty minutes at the office!" Little Mamma pointed out. "Just let it go, amore mio! It's not good for your blood pressure."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Big Daddy mumbled. "Dumb stronzos."
Big Daddy signaled left and waited for another car to pass before pulling into the snake of the driveway. Despite having to end the trip earlier than expected, he could at least pride himself in making sure his wife and daughter had the most relaxing, rejuvenating, and most exciting vacation possible. Spas weren't really his thing, but at least he found a few ways to kill time, including the thrill of slot machines and Russian roulette around the casino.
As soon as he shifted the car in park, Big Daddy cut the engine and removed the keys from the ignition. The passengers exited the cars as Little Mamma headed towards the trunk for everyone to remove their bags. Once everyone gathered their belongings, Big Daddy locked the car with two consecutive 'beeps,' and the trio made their way up the stone path just a yard or so away from the front door.
Big Daddy twisted the key to the deadbolt and turned the lock on the doorknob and opened the front door. If he thought dealing with rude receptionists was frustrating, what he saw next would boil the blood in his veins.
"WHAT THE SAM HELL IS THIS?!"
The roar of his outrage startled the two sleeping teens awake, panicking upon the sight of Big Daddy balling his knuckles white. Little Mamma's face contorted in disapproval, while Blonda, being Blonda, started to snicker.
"Dad!" Wanda scrambled for her wand to poof out of her night clothes as Cosmo scrambled to do the same. "It's not what you think!"
"Get…out." Big Daddy growled in a dangerously low voice, hovering towards Cosmo as he poofed on his clothes. "Now."
"Daddy, stop!"
"GET! OUT!" Cosmo found himself treacherously close to Big Daddy, the color draining in his face as he locked eyes on his burning fury. "Or you'll be pushin' up daisies!"
Swallowing the lump in his throat, Cosmo raised his wand with a quavering hand and disappeared in a cloud of green smoke before Big Daddy could grab his collar. With her heart pounding in her chest, Wanda cowered as Big Daddy proceeded to pace towards her. The rage in his eyes sent shudders through her bones, and the bellow of his voice soon followed.
"You have…the NERVE…to bring THAT…in MY HOUSE?! BEHIND OUR BACKS!?"
Wanda remained silent.
"YOU CLEARLY…have NO respect for the RULES in dis house!"
She couldn't find the voice to speak. She couldn't even look at him.
"WHY can't you GET IT through that THICK SKULL of yours!? Cosmas…are incompetent…corrupt…slimy SNAKES! They the kind of folk that stab ya in the neck and blame YOU for BLEEDIN'!"
He stopped just a few inches from her, scowling down upon the disappointment of his daughter.
"You must like gettin' used up until there's nothin' left of ya!" He continued, lowering to a menacing tone. "You don't respect ANYbody, cuz YOU don't even respect ya'self!"
The venom in his words tore into her heart and ripped it little by little, inch by inch.
"YOU…are a disGRACE to this family!" He spoke through the grit of his teeth. "You bring NOTHIN' but dishonor to the Fairywinkle name!"
Her heart split in half, and her eyes began to water.
"You better suck those tears up, RIGHT now!" Big Daddy pointed a finger. "You brought this on ya'SELF!"
She blinked her tears away as best as she could as her soul screamed.
Little Mamma decided to step up and float to stand beside her husband. Her arm outstretched with her palm facing upwards, her face proved equally as intimidating, yet not in her voice. "Where's your phone?"
Reluctantly, Wanda used her wand to poof her cellphone into her mother's palm. Little Mamma clutched the phone before lowering her arm. "Not only are you still very much grounded, you get no TV, no phone, no nothing! You lost those privileges that we were lenient enough to let you keep in the first place!"
Her eyes cast down to the floor, unable to meet their disappointing glares.
"Go to your room!" Little Mamma ordered. "And we better not hear a peep outta you!"
She did as told and poofed herself into the confines of her bedroom, which she immediately hurried into the bathroom.
Acting on instinct, Wanda tore open her medicine cabinet and reached for the spare razor she kept in a plastic case. Retrieving the blade, she rolled her sleeves and proceeded to lash out on her own arm, tearing and slashing any inch of skin she could touch.
She allowed her tears to fall as her arm cried rivers of blood.
Upon Cosmo's swift arrival to his home, his heart sank at the sight of his mother's car parked in the driveway. Somehow, he completely forgot that Mama Cosma was coming back from Willowsing early that morning, so he didn't set an alarm on his phone to wake him before she would arrive. His chest grew tight; she probably figured out that he wasn't in his room, and since he wasn't in his room…
He needed to prepare for the worst.
Hesitantly, Cosmo used his house key to unlock the front door. He twisted the doorknob and listened to the agonizing creeks of the door as it opened. His mother hovered by the couch, arms crossed and fury in her brow. He locked eyes with hers as he closed the door behind him, trying to mask the quaking of his legs.
"Where have you been?" Mama Cosma interrogated, spite prevalent in her hushed tone. "And don't you dare lie."
Cosmo was aware of what lying could cost him, so he wasted no time in answering her question truthfully. "At Wanda's house…I spent the night."
It almost looked like steam fuming from her nostrils, veins popping against her temples. "You mean to tell me you disobeyed me…AGAIN…and went to go shack up with that good-for-nothing slut!"
"Don't call her that!" Cosmo defended, a sudden assertion in his stance. "You have no right to call her tha-"
A clap cracked against his cheek, followed by a burning sensation.
"Why, Cosmo!?" Mama Cosma pleaded, her expression of anger quickly changing to an expression of distraught "WHY do you keep hurting your own mother this way!? WHY is it so hard for you to be a good little boy!?"
As he grabbed his cheek, he shot daggers towards her as his brow creased in frustration. There she goes, calling herself the victim, as if she didn't just slap him senseless. He knew that was just beginning, but in that very moment, he couldn't be bothered to care. "…I can't help my love for Wanda." Cosmo retorted, barely above a whisper. "…so do whatever you have to and get it over with."
Mama Cosma paused, taken aback by Cosmo's defiance. His lack of fear infuriated her, almost sent her over the edge. And in that fury was a ravage beast, waiting for the perfect opportunity to break free.
She unleashed her fury in a series of punches on any inch of body she could reach. She then grabbed his collar and thrusted him against the wall before slamming him back to the ground. She did this repeatedly, tossing him around like a rag doll into various objects of the house, whether it be the front door, the floor, the wall, into a vase; wherever there was a surface, his body was sure to collide.
She yanked him by his hair and banged his head on the floor, practically splitting his head open, yet the sight of blood pooling from his head didn't stop her. As he fell limp, she pounded her fists into both sides of his face, and once she was done with that, she came to her feet and stomped her heal into various parts of his torso. She stomped as if to crush a bug, trampling his bones in a sequence of snaps.
Her rampage would continue for hours, showing no mercy towards her son.
As a result of his injuries, Cosmo spent three days in the care of the hospital. They had to monitor his concussion along with the healing of his ribs, and it took two days just for the swelling in his face to go down. His limbs suffered multiple bruises, and doctors had to surgically correct the internal bleeding of his intestines.
When doctors asked his mother how Cosmo acquired his injuries after he regained consciousness, his mother simply said he was jumped by a group of gang members on the way home from a friend's house. And when Cosmo was asked the same question, of course, he told the same tale. He wasn't trying to protect his mother from Fairy Protective Services, but he feared losing her as a guardian. He hated her actions, not her specifically. At the end of the day, she was still his mother, and he still loved her.
Within the same timeframe, Wanda completely shut down. She couldn't bring herself to talk to anyone and had her head down on her desk majority of the time. A couple of her teachers took note of this, and when questioned, Wanda would reply with a simple "Just not feeling well." Her teachers would advise her to go to the nurse's office, but she'd always refuse. She wouldn't eat during lunch period which led to a few questioning glances from Susie sitting with Alewandro and Juandissimo, and floating through the halls became avoiding other students as much as possible or ignoring their stares.
Cosmo entered the halls with little to no desire to be at school. Once he was released from the hospital, his mother wasted no time sending him off to school. Ignoring other students staring at him as he floated passed, he trudged his way through the crowd to his locker. He winced from the soreness in his ribs as he took off his backpack and tossed it onto the floor. His tunnel vision prevented him from noticing Spike float towards him, dumbfounded by Cosmo's physical state.
"Dude…" Spike spoke, causing Cosmo to turn towards him. "…you look like straight garbage, bro."
Cosmo flinched, holding his side. Just moving an inch sent pain through his veins.
"What happened?" Spike asked, adjusting his own backpack hanging from his shoulder. "And where have you been? You suddenly stop responding to texts?"
Cosmo was about to answer when he saw a familiar fuchsia swirl out his peripheral. As Wanda floated hesitantly down the corridor towards Cosmo, Spike shot a glance towards her before turning back to Cosmo with an arched eyebrow. "Am I missing something?"
Wanda stopped just foot or so away from Cosmo, the threat of tears already brewing. Cosmo lowered his head, once again shamed for being the cause of her torment.
"Cosmo?" Wanda could see the many bruises and wounds in his face, unfortunately aware of what caused those injuries. "…I…was wondering why you weren't in school…"
Cosmo shut his eyes in hopes of fighting the tears in his own eyes, turning his head away from her.
Wanda lowered her gaze, circling her arms around herself. "…I'm sorry…" she whispered as her eyes glossed. "…I'm so sorry…"
A hitched breath shook Cosmo's chest as a tear trickled down his cheek. Spike felt as if he couldn't do anything but awkwardly watch on, confused from the entire situation.
Cosmo turned to face Wanda once more, instantly hating himself for what he was about to do next. As his eyes shed tears of regret, Cosmo spoke, cracking in his voice. "…W-We have to break up."
Her eyes shot up towards him, her face washed with dread. "…what?"
Cosmo shook his head, the weight of his decision bearing down on his conscious. "…I'm sorry Wanda…" the hoarse in his voice shook as he shut his eyes from the shame. "…I-I can't…i-it's...it's over." Tears streamed down his cheeks, opening his eyes in a stern expression. "For good."
Hearing those words shot a bullet through her heart. She could feel her heart bleed in anguish, eyes wide in dismay. How…how could he? What happened to "I can't let you go so easily?!" What happened to "I wanna make this work?!" What happened to "I'm all in?!" She didn't care if his mother was written all over his sudden change of heart; he gave up on their relationship, and he most certainly gave up on her.
It became too difficult to look at him any longer. She fled from him in a panic, dodging other students in her path. She didn't know where she was going. She didn't care where she was going. She just had to get away…
"So, Neptune still wants us to me at the arcade after school." Alewandro reminded as he transferred books out of his locker into his backpack with Juandissimo floating beside him. "I think Luther is coming as well, but he said he might come later after he 'does his thing' with Blonda, which, we all know what said 'thing' is…"
Juandissimo's eyes caught wind of Wanda speeding down the hallway. Normally he wouldn't read too much into it since Wanda requested to keep their distance, but something seemed…off. Like, 'more than usual' off. It wasn't any of his business, but she seemed…oddly distressed for whatever reason.
"Um, Alewandro?" Juandissimo tapped Alewandro's shoulder, getting his attention. "I will meet you in home room, si? I…just remembered I have something to take care of."
Alewandro arched his eyebrow for a second before shrugging as he closed his locker. "Okay, then." After fastening the lock on his locker, Alewandro raised a fist for a fist bump. "Nos vemos."
Juandissimo bumped his fist to Alewandro's, and while Alewandro flew in the opposite direction towards home room, Juandissimo flew in the direction he assumed Wanda was heading.
Pushing past the exit of the double doors, Juandissimo searched the area leading towards the stadium. He could see Wanda flying passed the home side passed the racetracks and across the end zone of the field. Curious as to why she would be floating all the way out there, he decided to go after her as she disappeared underneath the visitor bleachers.
Wanda propped against one of the support beams of the bleachers as she clenched her fists, unsure whether she was more livid than distraught. As tears streamed in rivers down her cheeks, a great tremor overtook her as her throat tightened in short intakes of breath. Too overwhelmed to keep afloat any longer, she slid against the concrete pole to the grass below. She grabbed her head by her hair as she clamped her eyes shut through erratic sobs. The world around her concaved into the void; she struggled to keep afloat as waves of despair crashed into her.
The unravels of her mind swirled around in chaotic frenzy as she reached into her backpack. She couldn't take it, her soul practically begged for the blade to set it free from its cage. Ripping her backpack open, she tore the makeup bag from its hiding place, unzipping to find her escape. She held the razorblade in her hand as she unsteadily rolled the sleeve of her arm warmers and the fishnet of her sleeves. The scars from a few days ago were almost completely healed, yet she had every intention of cutting into them.
She dragged her razor in uncontrollable strokes as her skin seared from reopening old wounds, unfazed by the rush of scarlet shame oozing down her arm. Her lesions gashed open with every slash of her blade, her arms shivering from the pain. She would have done more damage, but she felt a sudden hand grip her wrist in prevention.
Before she could act in response, Juandissimo disarmed the blade from her grasp and tossed it to the side, unfazed by her shaken expression. Both of her wrists were now gripped in his fists as she sprung from the ground to fight back, wailing about to break free. Yet no matter how much she flailed, he managed to overtake her and pinned her against the concrete beam, careful not to hurt her, causing her to scream with an ear-piercing screech.
"Wanda, STOP!"
She froze as her eyes flooded with more tears, shaken by the assertion in his voice. She glared into his blue-violet orbs as he glared into hers, eyes burning from the puffs in her bags.
He searched her eyes as if to find the answer to her torment, taken aback as he witnessed her deteriorating mental stability. A few seconds passed before he reached into his back pocket for his wand. "You are bleeding..."
His demeanor calmed as he poofed gauzes over her arm. "There." He sighed as he released Wanda from his hold, assuming she had calmed down enough to do so. "That should at least hold you until we get to the nurs-"
"Why are you here!?" Wanda cut him off, suddenly enraged. "You don't care, so do me a favor and miss me with your bull!"
Juandissimo knew she was just lashing out and didn't take her words personally, so he kept a level head and replied "...do you think I would have come all the way out here if I could care less?"
Wanda paused as she clutched her fists, realizing he was using her own words against her. "You expect me to believe that!?" Her breaths grew more uneven as her agony turned to anger. "My parents HATE me! Blonda doesn't care about anyone but herself! I pushed my own best friend away, and the one person that ever loved me just as much as I loved them ripped my heart, chewed it, spit it back out, and squashed it by dumping me!"
She closed her eyes, her shoulders trembling in rage. "I have…absolutely…NO one…" Fresh tears poured from her eyes, her voice beginning to crack "…I'm just better off dead…"
"That is not true!" Juandissimo grabbed her shoulders, trying to reason with her. "Your life is more precious than that, Wanda..."
She proceeded to cry as he continued. "I know we do not know much about each other, but from what I do know about you, is that you are one of the smartest, most caring fairies I have ever met. You are not better off dead…and you do not deserve to feel that way about yourself…"
When he let go of her shoulders, the dam in her heart broke, and she fell to her knees, overcome with heartache. She struggled to breathe through hitched sobs, covering her face with trembling hands.
"Wanda…" He kneeled to her level, placing a consoling hand on her shoulder. "…Wanda, breathe."
Her breath was strained as her chest ached from crying, unable to stop her body from shuddering. Juandissimo scooted closer to her and wrapped his arms around her, her face burying into his chest. He rested his chin atop her swirl and remained silent as she cried in his arms.
He stared towards the bloody razor on the ground, and his heart ached for her.
"I am so ready for this day to be over!" Blonda complained, opening her milk cartoon. "Listening to mind-numbing lectures all day is so boring!"
"I'd much rather listen to a boring lecture than take a test." Luther scoffed, sitting next to Blonda as he took a bite of his roll. "Plus, most teachers just read what the textbook says, so you don't have to listen to it."
"Not all teachers read from a textbook." Blonda rolled her eyes. "But half of what they teach is just…boring."
"Guess that's school for you." Amethyst shrugged after a spoonful of green beans, sitting across from her best friend. "At least we're almost done with the semester."
"Thank heavens!" Blonda groaned as she took a sip of her milk.
Juandissimo chuckled as he shook his head, sitting next to Amethyst. It made him laugh whenever Blonda was dramatic for absolutely no reason. He turned to see Wanda sitting a few tables to his left, sitting by herself with no lunch tray.
After her meltdown, she followed Juandissimo to the nurse's office to tend to her wounds, too emotionally drained to refuse. Luckily, her cuts only needed a few stiches, and the nurse advised Wanda to seek school counseling. Wanda said she would think about it, but the nurse wouldn't drop the subject until she heard a 'yes.' She urged that it was in Wanda's best interest to find other outlets besides harming herself, as she's seen many cases where students went to extremes which cost their lives.
Thinking to check on her, Juandissimo rose from his seat at the table. "Perdóneme, I will be right back." The group nodded as he flew from the table, returning to their useless conversation.
Wanda stared towards the table, lost in her own thoughts. All she wanted to do was sleep; she had zero energy left to deal with what the rest the day had to offer. She was so distracted that she didn't notice Juandissimo taking a seat directly in front of her, folding his arms on the table.
"Hola." Juandissimo greeted with a friendly smile, snapping Wanda from her thoughts. "How are you feeling?"
Wanda sighed and replied "Dead."
"Figuratively, si?"
She met his gaze as she nodded in response. As much as she hated it, it was nice to have someone at least pretend to care enough to check on her.
He looked down to the fresh gauze wrapped around her arm, hesitant to ask his next question. "…how long have you been doing it?"
Wanda noticed him looking at her arm, unconsciously rubbing it with her other hand. She didn't feel like putting her arm warmers back on, and she didn't care what onlookers had to say about it. "…remember when you asked me about my arm warmers?"
He nodded, shifting his eyes to meet hers. "Why do you do it?"
She took a deep breath, not expecting him to be this genuine in his curiosity as she tried to find the right words. "…it…it's the only pain I felt I can control."
He stared in contemplation, realizing how hard it must be for her to admit to something so personal. She didn't know if he truly understood, but if he didn't, he was at least nice enough to pretend to.
"Susie misses you." Juandissimo admitted in hopes of giving Wanda a bit of solace.
She paused, somewhat at a loss for words. She lowered her gaze in shame, reminded of her last altercation with her best friend.
"She just does not know how to approach you without offending you." Juandissimo further explained. "She wants to talk things out, she just does not know how."
Wanda lowered her gaze. "I figured she'd never want to talk to me again…"
"She is still your best friend." Juandissimo reminded. "And she still cares a lot about you."
Wanda remained silent, staring towards her arm. If what Juandissimo was right, maybe there was a chance they could rekindle their friendship. She could really use her best friend, especially after what happened that morning.
"Can you promise me something?"
Wanda stared at him, perplexed from his question. "…what?"
"Promise me," Juandissimo began, his tone sincere in his concern. "that if you think about hurting yourself again, that you will reach out to me, or Susie, or anyone that you trust."
"I don't have my phone as part of being grounded." Wanda explained solemnly. "…plus…I-I can't say I can make that promise…"
"I guess that is fair…" Juandissimo responded, taking her reply into consideration. "…then, at least assure me that you will try."
She hesitated for a moment, considering his ultimatum. It wasn't exactly a promise, so it was something she could at least try to keep. "…yeah…I'll try."
He nodded, forming a small smile. "Gracias." He turned towards the group a few tables down before turning back towards Wanda. "…will you be okay by yourself?"
Wanda nodded, mustering the strength to return her own small smile. "I think so."
"Bueno." Juandissimo rose from his seat with a friendly wave. "Take care."
Wanda watched as he left to rejoin his friends. Of all the times for Juandissimo to not mind his business, it felt as if another door was opening as the other closed. She didn't know what the future held when it came to any kind of relation with Juandissimo, but based on what transpired, her doubt in him subsided.
"…Uh…Hey, Wanda."
Wanda turned to the sound of a familiar voice behind her, realizing the voice came from Susie.
Author's Note: This chapter was pretty difficult to write (for obvious reasons) and, like I said, it only gets crazier from here, so stay tuned ;)