This is what Bonny wanted to make sure she was at? Some dumb senior end-of-the-year party? It was about to be another prom situation where she was alone the whole time. She stayed away from the concessions table, because that's where people wandered to. She stayed off in the corner, leaning casually leaning against the wall, trying to avoid eye contact.
She tried to keep her eyes on Bonny, without staring. She knew she looked so out-of-place with all the happy people dancing and conversing together. She was silent, shy, and was having a hard time staying happy. She hoped no one noticed that she was about to cry.
Bonny was supposed to be her best friend. Anyone who knew her in any capacity knew she'd hate something like this. It was loud, and there were so many people. She didn't want to be here. Maybe it'd been Bonny's goal to maybe get her to socialise? But it sure as hell wasn't working. She just tried to allow the corner to absorb her, to no avail.
She sipped on the punch from the red party cup in her hand. She shivered, hoping no one approached her besides the on who'd decided to drag her here. She pulled out her phone, desperately scrolling through her social media, having finally found some solace in online friends. Tones and social cues were removed, so it became Freddi's favourite way to communicate.
She didn't have to worry about what her hands and eyes were doing, she didn't have to worry about the other person's thoughts as much, because they didn't matter. She wasn't around them, they couldn't affect her as easily as people right in front of her. It made her happy to finally find a way to fit in.
She felt a hand on a shoulder, and muffled words, as she got rocked back and forth. She gasped from the suddenness, not realising something was said.
"H-huh?" she stuttered.
"I asked you why you aren't socialising. You're hiding off here in the corner," Bonny said, a warming and worried smile painted across her face. "I brought you here to see if you could make any new friends."
"You sound like my mom," Freddi replied sarcastically. "But, I hate huge crowds. I hate being face-to-face with people. It's the anxiety, parties like this sorta just make my brain lock up."
"Just talk to people. They aren't here to judge you, we're all here for a good time."
"I just— I can't do this."
Bonny looked at Freddi thoughtfully for a moment, trying to come up with a solution. Her eyes lit up right before she immediately dismissed the idea. If she knew anything about the brunette, the idea she had would be a terrible one. But, it was the only thing that came to mind, and Bonny decided there was no other way.
She pushed through the crowd, and Freddi watched, wondering what the hell was on her mind. She couldn't predict Bonny half the time, because she was so abstract. She saw the world unlike any other, and Freddi appreciated that about her friend.
The brunette swallowed hard, waiting silently for her friend to get back. It felt like the walls were slowly closing in, as she her head pushed her closer to the crowd. She pushed herself up further against the wall, as her breathing quickened.
Not now, not now, not now, not now, her brain repeated over and over as tears came to her eyes. She was having a panic attack, and she wasn't ready. She placed her right hand hard against the wall, trying to stabilise herself in case her feet decided that they wouldn't work anymore. She felt hot, suffocated, and dizzy. She wanted to scream but couldn't find the voice.
The party continued around her as her mind decided it was a good idea to just cripple her. She was beginning to shiver, but was still burning up. She wanted to yell for help, get someone to guide her through how to deal with a panic attack the right way. It felt like an eternity before Bonny returned, with something in her hand.
"Freddi, Freddi. Freddi!" she heard Bonny repeating as the room continued to spin.
"I— I can't do this..." she echoed from earlier, "I— I'm not okay, I'm n-not okay, I'm not—"
"Freddi, calm down, it's gonna be okay. Everything's gonna be fine."
"Bonny, I wanna go home," Freddi pleased, tears falling from her eyes. "I don't wanna be here, anymore. I wanna be at home, where I know no one can judge me. Where the anxiety of this sort of interaction can't exist."
"Freddi, look at me, you're gonna be fine. I don't want to do this to you, but take this."
Freddi noticed the thing that'd been in Bonny's hand was a red cup with a foreign liquid. It looked like piss, though she knew exactly what the substance was. Freddi glared at Bonny, wanting to tell her that this wasn't a joke, that she actually literally just had a panic attack.
"If you drink enough, it'll be okay."
"N-no it won't. I know what this is, Bonny, I'm not stupid. This isn't going to help."
"Trust me, when you get drunk, everything fades out. You stop caring. C'mon, just trust me!"
"Fine, but I just— I don't wanna be in a bad situation because of this."
"You'll have me, I won't let anything happen to you. You'll be okay. I just want you to get yourself out there, because I don't like seeing you lonely."
"Look, it's fine, I— I get that way sometimes. It's these sorts of situations that make things worse."
"Freddi, just drink it, please. I want to help you, and this is the only way I can see it happening."
Freddi noticed it was already open, and began to drink. It was fucking bitter. She hated the taste, and had a hard time swallowing the sip she had. She pulled the bottle away from her lips, taking a breath, and giving Bonny an annoyed look.
"This is gonna help?" the brunette questioned. "I don't think this piss-tasting-and-looking shit will help at all."
"When the alcohol kicks in, it helps. Keep going."
The brunette wanted to throw the cup in her face and step out for a breath of fresh air, but she knew that Bonny wouldn't let up until she did it. So, she followed directions, and eventually, the noise around her faded out. It seemed as though the world was moving in slow motion, and he head didn't hurt anymore.
She smiled at her best friend, whose lips moved but no sound escaped. Yet, Freddi nodded and smiled as though she knew exactly what was being said. She attempted to step forward, but fell over face-first.
Bonny sighed, knowing that it'd be a bad idea, but she didn't realise it was this bad of one. She literally drank the smallest amount Bonny could put together and was already passed out. The girl made a note that her best friend couldn't hold her alcohol, and in that note made sure to tell herself to not allow Freddi to come into contact with it again.
She picked her up, throwing her over her shoulder and heading towards the door. She threw the poor girl into the back seat, looking at her. She sighed, and frustratingly slammed the door. She debated just locking her up in there and leaving her to wake up, or actually taking her home. She couldn't bring herself to just walk back in, so she got into the drivers seat and started up the car.
She adjusted her mirror carefully so she could still see Freddi in the back, in case she woke up, but could still see the road. She backed out, and headed towards her best friend's house.
The poor girl would probably have her worst nightmares be brought to life, and Bonny was just trying to prevent that. She supposed that her attempts weren't exactly the best idea, but she didn't know how else to approach it. The brunette wouldn't bring herself out of her room if it were her choice. That wasn't acceptable, in Bonny's mind. She needed to get the poor girl out there, because she knew for damn sure that'd be the only way she'd see sunlight.
Freddi said she preferred it when there weren't people around, but was so obviously lonely and in need of company. Bonny couldn't figure out how she was meant to help the situation, because she know she couldn't be there for her friend all the time. The brunette would swear she'd be there for Bonny in any situation, but the difference was there wasn't anyone else to care about in her life. She lived alone and didn't talk to anyone.
Bonny, meanwhile, was living with her boyfriend Chris. Couldn't really be there for your best friend every second of everyday when there's someone you love around. Especially when you're caught in a situation where your best friend thinks of you so highly that they're in love with you.
The blue-haired girl sighed as she pulled up in Freddi's driveway. She acknowledged to herself that there were workarounds for her not being there all the time, but she knew that Freddi just needed more friends. She supposed that if the more massive social parties weren't her style, Bonny could start introducing Freddi to individual people in her circle.
She searched the glovebox for anything to write on and with; she knew she always kept something of that nature handy. She got ahold of a notebook, and quickly scribbled the idea in, placing the notebook back on the dash of the car and stepping out. The night was cold, and she felt herself shivering as she picked Freddi up and sling her over her shoulder. The brunette was still out cold.
With great struggle, she managed through the door and up the stairs, navigating to Freddi's room. She laid her best friend down on the bed, quietly making her way out of the house and back to the party. She still had to be there when Chris was ready to leave.
But she wouldn't be able to get the thought of her best friend dying alone out of her head for the rest of the night.
Freddi awoke in silence at the crack of dawn. She groaned as she sat up, quickly pushing her palm to her forehead, applying pressure. She almost screeched in agony as sharp pains pounded her skull. There's never been anything in her life that hurt this bad.
"Fuck, is this what a hangover feels like?" she asked no one. She'd never been drunk before, so it was odd to feel such a thing. She knew she didn't like the taste of alcohol, nor the feeling of it once it kicked in, nor the hangover you'd get the next morning. She promised herself to do her damnedest to never be in such a situation again.
She attempted to stand, but couldn't get balance, and fell face first to the floor. She grumbled as she crawled over to her desk chair, climbing up the thing as if it were Mount Everest. She sat in the chair, placing her hand against her forehead and running with a great deal of pressure. Freddi regretted everything about last night from the moment she agreed to it, to the moment she passed out.
The very last thing she needed after the panic attack last night was this shit. She wished the headache would go away, so she could beat her head against a wall. If anything, she just wanted to be able to stand up and walk straight, right now.
Well, not like she would go anywhere with that ability. But it'd still be nice to be able to splash herself with water, and smack herself awake.
There went the stabbing pain again.
She grunted, and put her head down, thanking god that last night was a senior end-of-the-year party. She didn't have to worry about walking into school this morning with her head hurting like hell. She wanted to go downstairs and get something for it, but she couldn't walk. That wasn't going to happen.
She tempted herself to call Bonny and yell at her for this shit, but she imagined that Bonny had one of her own. At least, knowing the musician, she did. That, and Freddi was still recovering. Yelling her head of probably wasn't the best hangover cure.
Her phone went off by on her nightstand. She sighed audibly, and tried to stand again. This time, she was able to stand without falling face-first to the floor. She flopped on he bed, trying to slide along the sheets on her stomach. She reached for the device, bringing it up to her face.
"How ya feelin' after last night?" Bonny had texted her.
"Not the greatest, but slowly getting back control of my head."
"Hangover?"
"Yeah."
"Ah shit. Sorry for forcing that onto you."
"It's fine, I'm over it. Hopefully this shit won't happen again, because god knows I'd end up dead."
"You drank one cup and passed out. Yeah I'd have to agree."
"Damn. Well, guess I'll ttyl."
"See ya."
Freddi set her phone back on her nightstand face-down, and buried her face in her pillow. She was absolutely fried, and wasn't about to try and sift through the day. She physically couldn't handle it.
She overturned to face the ceiling, following each tiny crack with her eyes. Her head was still pounding, and she was unable to function. It was a mistake following Bonny to the party in the first place, she still had no idea why she agreed. Maybe some insignificant part of her held hope that it was more than just some stupid graduation party. Maybe she thought Bonny was just trying to get her to come over.
She doubted it, though. She should've known that it wasn't going to be anything special.
She shut her eyes, and fell back asleep.
"Not today," she whispered, "and not any other day."
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