Growing Closer: Part 3
Summary: Boscha and Heather continue their little conversation, and one learns not to look just at the surface of things.
(SC)
Boscha was caught off guard when the human said that. She couldn't imagine someone hating popularity. It always brightened Boscha's day when someone would bask in her glory, and she couldn't help but smile at the memories.
The witch's smile didn't last long; she quickly remembered how hollow her popularity had become after her mother's injury. No matter what people did or said, being the most popular girl in school didn't feel like it once did.
Still, one thing was bugging the witchling.
"...Why would you hate being popular?" Boscha asked, her voice coming out weaker than she would have liked.
Heather let out a hollow laugh and looked at the witch with tired eyes. Boscha was taken aback by the look the human wore, which made her look ten years older.
"I guess…I just don't like all the weight being popular puts on me," Heather replied tiredly.
Boscha was now confused; she had never experienced any kind of weight during her time as Hexside's most popular girl. Heather saw Boscha's confusion and sighed.
"My dad's the owner of one of the most successful stores in town," The human explained, looking back at her flowers. So, people expected me to take over when I'm old enough."
Heather scowled ever so slightly as she thought back to all the times someone asked her if she was excited to take over her father's store. In truth, she was conflicted about taking over the store; a part of her wanted to, but another part wanted to chase after her own dreams and goals.
With a bitter sigh, she looked at Boscha and continued. "Then there's my friends. I like them, and they like me. But sometimes, I can't help but feel like they only hang out with me because I'm popular."
Boscha nearly winced when she saw the pain in the human's eyes. She wouldn't say it out loud, but hearing about the burden of status, she couldn't help but sympathize with the human.
"...If you feel like that, why hang out with them?" the three-eyed witchling asked in a shaky voice.
Heather laughed a bitter laugh and replied sourly, "Because it's easier to have unknown friends than no friends at all."
Heather's mood further soured as she thought back to Luz. A part of her felt bad for the loner and, more than once, thought about reaching out to her. The only thing that stopped her was how her friends would react if they found her talking to the weirdo.
Heather growled under her breath when she recalled that incident a year ago. She had just discovered her own orientation, and she was panicking on the inside when Luz came up to her.
Heather nearly laughed bitterly as she remembered Luz asking her out in the most over-the-top fashion possible. Because of her own struggles at the time, Heather had rejected Luz in the most cruel fashion imaginable.
Thankfully, Boscha's asking a question saved Heather the mental anguish the next memory would have brought up.
"So that's why you don't want anyone to know you like working with weeds?"
Heather sighed a tired sigh and looked at Boscha.
"Mostly," the cheerleader replied tiredly.
Boscha frowned as she looked from the human to the flowers she liked working on. She really didn't see the appeal of plants. To her, they were just all weeds that could trip you up when playing a sport.
Heather saw the look Boscha was giving her flowers, and an idea came to her. She walked up to the witch with a smile and a faint blush. Boscha looked at the human in slight confusion but couldn't stop the blush from spreading across her face when Heather took her hand.
"C'mon," the human asked softly.
Boscha's blush grew slightly as Heather led her to the flower garden. The human got down on her knee and gestured for Boscha to join her. Reluctantly, the young witch got down on her knees.
"My dad and aunt always said the best way to understand something is to experience it," Heather said fondly, pointing to the soil. "What can you tell me about the soil?"
Boscha looked at the human, frowning, and then at the garden. She studied the soil for a solid minute but found nothing unusual about it.
Heather must have seen Boscha's confusion as the human took the witch's hand and slowly brought it down to the soil.
"Since the garden is boxed in, the soil could dry out quicker because it can't get things from around it," Heather explained. "So, it's important to check the soil every couple of days, especially when it hasn't rained much."
Boscha looked at the human for a few seconds and then back at the garden. She lightly pressed her hand against the soil and noticed how moist it felt. Curiously, she slowly reached over and lightly touched the base of the flower. She felt that it was slightly wet because Heather had watered it recently.
"...My aunt," Bocsha heard Heather say, and she looked at her. The witch noticed the fond look in Heather's eyes as she explained, "She always said that working with flowers can help clear your head when your thoughts are cluttered."
Heather sighed and gently ran a finger across the top of a dandelion, a smile forming. Boscha watched the human for a second and looked at the flowers.
The witch still wasn't sold on the gardening thing, but if it could help sort her thoughts out, why not try it?
"So," Boscha said, trying to sound nonchalant, "Can you show me how this weed working goes?"
Heather eyed the witch suspiciously for a second, then smiled, a faint blush working its way to her cheek. She then explained the best way to tend to a garden.
(G Corner)
I'm going to come out and say it…I know next to nothing about gardening. I barely remember my mom changing her soil when she tried gardening when I was a boy. But I digress; we have reached the end of this story arc, but I still have more planned for Boscha and Heather leading up to the Final Outing. So, look forward to those stories.