#ava grapevine

You should've noticed with when you arrived and found no picnic basket. Honestly, you should've noticed when he invited you for a picnic. It's clearly revenge for the prank you played on him with Red— how did he find out you planned it? Did she tell him? Did it piss him off? You thought the two of you were on good terms, but you suppose he was just keeping up a ruse so that it'd hurt more when he "pranked" you back.

Smart.

The word is bitter on your tongue. It's also hot on your tongue, as well as the flecks of lava that entered your mouth when you screamed. Rookie mistake, honestly. You automatically pull out a bucket of water, one that you usually keep around to stop yourself from getting hurt when you crash-land, and you splash it over the lava, trying to get the source. Nothing; Obsidian forms and the lava quickly drowns out all the water.

The liquid burns at your legs. It's not a slow sort of deterioration as one would expect, but jabs of sharp pain every few seconds, as if you're just being stabbed over and over, and you're not sure whether that's better or worse.

Your health's down to two hearts now. Green's holding up his phone and recording, his back turned to you. Still, you know he can see you.

You hope the camera captures your watery glare. You're sure that's what he wants.

You feel your stomach drop, and for a second there's confusion, before your vision goes black and you're back in your bed. His laughs still echo in your ears.

You've been watching his videos, of course. Eagerly liking each one, although you share your comments with him over text. He's responded with enthusiasm to each one. He'll probably post this shit as a video too, and his stupid mindless fans will flock to compliment him without even thinking.

You don't think you'll send him a message for this next one though.

You want to take some sort of revenge, go to his PC and knock his lights out in front of his friends, or maybe destroy his instruments to spite him. You try to recall that hatred you felt back after you'd first met him and gotten kicked out of the village, the anger that propelled you for months to beat him up in League.

There's nothing, though. Instead of fire, you just feel some cold disappointment. There's a numbness in your chest.

You remain where you respawn. For some reason, it's hard to move. It's hard to do anything other than think, and even then, your thoughts feel a little muffled. Like someone else is thinking them for you. 

But hey. At least it makes it easier for you to think logically? Mango would commend you for this, honestly. You're keeping your temper!

You take a look at the facts.

Number one: You helped Red plan a prank on Green. You thought this was normal for friends, but you guess not. It's not like you're very good and figuring out when your friends will be upset anymore.

Number two: Green got upset about this.

Number three: What if it wasn't about the prank, though? Maybe he was just waiting for an excuse to hurt you?

Number four: Even if he wanted to hurt you, it's okay, because you deserve it. You hurt him first, and then again, and then again. He's allowed to hate you. He's allowed to hurt you. It's not like you're not used to it.

Number five: But didn't he forgive you for that? You told him why you did it. You said sorry. You said you were bad. You wear your horns, a reminder that you messed up. He knows that.

Number six: But did he really forgive you? He never said the words "I forgive you." He said to fight back against King.

Number seven: He never said the words "I forgive you."

Number eight: He just needed you on his side so he could win. He didn't care about how you actually felt.

Number nine: None of your friends actually care about you. They only tolerate you because Green told them to. Green only told them to because he wants you on his side in case he needs anything.

Number ten: Mango doesn't care about you either. They just keep you around because you remind them of their daughter. And even then you fuck that up, running off whenever instead of just staying with them so they can cope with their empty nest syndrome.

Number eleven: But that's King's problem, not yours.

Number twelve: They only keep you around because you're useful.

Number thirteen: You'd be better off without them.

Your hand moves of its own accord, removing your phone from your inventory and clicking it on.

You'd be better off without them.

You block all their contacts. You don't even hesitate. It's laughably easy, honestly, like you've been waiting to do it this whole time.

You'd be better off without them.

You axe down your house without even realising. You take your essentials. You grab a rocket and set it off, barely feeling the heat as you launch into the sky.