#cinnamonfm

as leaky tried to have himself relax through the night, it seemed next to impossible. was it the amount of people? the event they were at? or the knowledge that practically every event this past year, both school sanctioned and not, ended in disaster. it was like they were all just waiting for the other shoe to drop. always on edge. but he tried to breathe through the anxiety, sipping (actually pounding back shirely temples) and making small talk. a developing nervous habit he had yet to notice, turning and talking to strangers and acquaintances about anything and everything. and it seemed heni had fallen right into the sights as his next victim of this. "hey heni!" he smiled, stepping over to her. "you havin' a good night? saying good bye to any seniors or just here for the free food and drinks?"

the photos had been weighing in her backpack since the snowstorm during the ski trip, but honestly had taken a backseat when everything happened with penny. the confusion and fear came flooding back though as she dug through her back early that day in search of tiger balm and found them instead. briefly she thumbed through them, curious to which ones monty had snagged but hadn’t brought it up to him since. it was like they were just sitting on this little secret and alethea was unsure of what to do about it. so she texted heni to make sure she was in her room before heading over. 

it was a short little walk down the hall, and she was knocking softly at the door before calling out. “heni? it’s me, i’m coming in.” she pushed through the door, backpack slung over her shoulder and solemn look on her face as she attempted to give a small smile to her friend. “hey uh, is now a good time?” 

While worry wasn't something Olivia experimented often, whenever it did happen, she never quite knew how to handle it. She expected to be coming back from pilates class calm, refreshed, cool and collected and she felt anything but. Olivia didn't know what else to do. Dinner and drinks with Alethea were nice and all but she needed some validation for herself, some reassurance from someone else that she was okay, whatever that truly meant. And needing something from someone was also truly new to her. A first. But also, an alliance would solve a lot of her issues.

Nearing the commons she peeped Alethea and Heni. It had been some time since she had "spent" time with them. With Greer gone they had no reason to go over to the dorm. But right now Olivia had a mission and while being in Greer's friend group was not something Liv ever officially needed, things were changing. "Hi there strangers," Olivia greeted them as she approached them. They were huddled together, kind of looked secretive but she didn't care. "Anyone in the mood for a coffee chat?"

as they made their way, per direction of g, to the party alethea knew that she had to find heni. she wasn't entirely sure why, or even what she was going to share with her, but it seemed like the best move. the two had to have each other's back right? it's kind of funny, she notes as she moves through the crowd, that even in threats g does their best to make everyone look good. or at least give them the option to. finally she spots the other, and steps up next to her, giving a tight lipped smile. "hey uh..." she pauses before looking around. "this is really fucking weird right?" people seemed to be acting a bit too...normal given the circumstances.

alethea was sufficiently drunk, still at the peak where things felt easy and colorful and a bit silly, but if they weren’t careful it would quickly slope down to the darkness that often waited to consume them. but they weren’t necessarily paying attention to the bottomless peril that sat ready for them, no, they were ready to keep the party going away from one of the largest stressers of her life. and as she looked around, trying to find someone to occupy her time, she quickly found heni. poised and pretty like she always was. things had been fine between them on the trip so far, though alethea often felt like she was walking a tightrope. still - heni might be the only person who could understand everything the best in their current situations. and she desperately wanted a friendship with the girl, something real and true and beyond being defined by greer’s presence and now greer’s disappearance. so skipping over toward her, alethea beamed and held out a cup to offer her. “cheers to a new year?” she offered hopefully. 

it certainly seemed that shit was hitting the fan at this party. or at least being tossed to it. with drunk confessions, out of character decisions for people, the crowd egging each other on as the night continued. and then her own phone lit up, and alethea could feel their heart drop. they had been pissed about the entire celebration to start, and now it seemed to have only continued that way, no matter how hard alethea tried to drink herself into a happier state. guess alcohol really was a depressant. 

but it wasn’t even the threat of their secrets coming out that pushed alethea toward heni’s direction. it felt like permission. permission to be angry, to say the words that rested on the back of their tongue. as if greer was daring them to fully shed the quiet alethea they had been, maybe even to step into her shoes. they didn’t know, but they were taking the bait. picking up a stray drink on the way toward where heni was, she plastered on a fake smile and stopped just short of the other. “how goes it tonight heni? should we cheers to our good friend greer?” 

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