Hello again! School's started for me, and I'm already so tired :( But I have enough time to write out this chapter! I hope you enjoy~
I had forgotten to plug my phone up to its charger before going to bed. The alarm blared from the desk, and I groggily fumbled for the 'off' button. I opened my eyes to see someone sitting on the floor, leaning against the bed across from mine.
"What're you doing up?"
Sandy looked up at me in alarm. He had a book in his lap and a pencil in his hand, and upon noticing me he clapped the book shut. He stood up and took his notepad from the desk, putting the other book in its place.
Good morning.
"Is that a sketchbook?" I asked, still foggy from sleep. Sandy nodded bashfully. I sat up on my elbows and asked: "Can I see it?"
Sandy blushed, and in that moment I froze. It was a somewhat different expression from his normally cute demeanor. It was still adorable in its own way, but…somehow he had lost that childish innocence from before. He hastily scribbled something down and showed it to me.
Do you want to get breakfast together again?
"Oh…I, I guess," I answered without thinking much of the question. My mind was beginning to clear, and I remembered the events of last night with cringe-inducing detail. I looked away from Sandy, and a moment later he was showing me another note.
I'm sorry I made you talk about painful things.
"It's not your fault," I muttered, pulling back my covers to get out of bed. "It…happens. It's nothing."
That wasn't nothing was written on the paper, but Sandy had scratched it out and wrote beneath it: I'm sorry I couldn't help you.
"Don't be sorry," I said with a little more force than necessary. "It's not your problem."
Sandy looked dejected. I sighed and pulled my night bag from under my bed.
"Give me a while to get ready and then we can go."
We left for the cafeteria and were greeted with a familiar swimmer in the food line. Thalia bounced over and hugged Sandy before turning to me with a slightly apologetic look on her face.
"Hey," she started. "Sorry about yesterday. I just got excited when I saw Sandy for the first time in like, years. Really sorry about that! Forgive me?" she pouted at me, and I felt a twinge of discontent on my nerves. This was a strange brand of cuteness, as if she was intentionally pouring sugar onto he apology. I glanced at Sandy, who was looking between us nervously, clearly wanting us to make up. For a moment I wondered if I should bother with the small plan forming in my head...and then I looked back to Thalia and narrowed my eyes at her.
"Mmm…no."
"H-huh?" she blinked, and Sandy looked dumbfounded. I folded my arms and looked away moodily.
"You don't sound completely sorry, so no, I don't forgive you."
"W-wh-wha?!" Thalia's pout disappeared, replaced with a distraught, puffy frown. "Hold on a minute! I didn't mean to interrupt, honest! C'mon, forgive me already!"
"Tch."
I couldn't stop the sound from escaping me. Sandy looked at me emotionlessly, and I watched as he fought the grin blooming on his face. I sniffed, feigning indignation, and rounded on him with an exaggerated pose.
"Do you find it funny, Sanderson, that I refuse to forgive your friend after she treated me so poorly?" Sandy was laughing silently, looking back and forth between me and the unhappy Thalia.
"What's with that high-and-mighty attitude? I didn't think you'd be so mean!"
Thalia's comment stopped me in my tracks. I unfolded my arms and sighed.
"You're the mean one here. I was just…k…kidding." Never had a word felt so foreign on my tongue. "I forgive you…for now."
"Kidding?" she repeated, and I fought back an eye-roll. "You? Doesn't seem like your thing, Mr. Tall, Dark, and Emo."
"I am NOT emo."
"Goth, then?"
"Don't put stereotypical labels on me. That won't help maintain your forgiveness."
Sandy had stopped laughing, and was now tugging on both of our arms. Looking down at him, I finally internalized that he was easily two heads shorter than me. Thalia was taller than him as well, but not nearly as tall as I was. Sandy looked at both of us sternly. He pulled on our hands and put them both together, making his message clear as day. No more fighting.
"Alright, alright, the sand dollar wins." Thalia ruffled Sandy's hair, and he pouted jokingly at her.
It was then that we remembered that we were still in line for food. All three of us went to different stations; Sandy to the hot breakfast, Thalia to the fruits, and I to the drinks. A few minutes passed and I felt a tap on my shoulder. Thalia was there when I turned around.
"I know what you were doing."
"What're you talking about?" I asked, stepping away from the beverage canisters and sipping on my coffee. Thalia gave me a little half-smile.
"It's easy to tell with him, isn't it?" She went on, nodding her head to where Sandy was helping his plate. "When he's not happy."
There was no denying it, and I cursed myself for letting her see right through me.
"I dunno what happened, but you managed to turn it around a little." Thalia smirked at me. "That's interesting. You don't seem like the type."
"Don't say that. I really hate that word." I said bitterly. Thalia shrugged.
"Sorry. There's a lot of layers to you, huh? Yeah, I see." She took a bite from the apple in her hand. "Sandy's like that too, but he's more…open about it, I guess. Well," she gave me an overly-animated wink. "Sandy thinks of you as his friend, so I'll do the same. Why don't you two sit with me?"
"Why so?"
"I sort of hyped Sandy up to the girls on the swim team."
"You…are strange," was all I could say. Thalia laughed cheerfully and walked over to Sandy. After only a moment's hesitation, I followed her.
That's a wrap! I'm sorry if the pacing and the events in this one are a little strange, and to be honest, I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. My mind's in analysis mode, so I want to hear your ideas: why do you think Pitch made the joke at all, and why did he stop it when he heard Thalia's comment? Your answer can help me determine if I'm making things clear enough. Thank you all so much for reading!