vineyardshq

IF YOU COME BACK NEXT SUMMER, WILL YOU BE THE SAME?

plot ✈ skeletons  ✈ rules ✈ application ✈ locations

IF YOU COME BACK NEXT SUMMER, WILL YOU BE THE SAME?

plot ✈ skeletons  ✈ rules ✈ application ✈ locations

cassia: "hey... this is selfish of me." she laughs softly. "i just... i don't know what's about to happen and i want to make sure that if by some disgusting twist of fate, this is the last time i talk to you -- your voicemail, not even you, that i know i told you how i feel.

cassia: you've been the only constant in my life since i was a kid. twisted my ankle at dance? go to faith's, she'll watch movies with me. kids picking on me? faith will be there. crush on liam? tell faith. it's always been you, okay? up until the day i died like. literally in your arms.

cassia: i'm so sorry i did that to you, faith. i'm so sorry that my own selfish needs traumatized you for life. i know you struggle with it. i'd be surprised if you didn't, but i just want you to know how sorry i am, because you didn't deserve to see that.

cassia: you are a good woman, faith campbell. you are so good. you are kind. you have a fiery attitude that makes me laugh every fucking day. you do what you feel is right, even if it seems hard. you love with all your heart.

cassia: you are the last person to deserve what's happening to you. i am doing everything i can which... granted isn't a lot. i'm looking at the screen right now..." her sobs are muffled, but she pulls it together.

“NO !”

The only thing Peyton could do was give Cassia a sympathetic grin. Her lips were weak and eyes spoke volumes. Rarely did the word sorry come from Peyton’s lips but in this scenario, she almost said it. The girls laid a dainty hand atop the other’s a light sigh passing her lips. “That’s my warrior.” She lovingly cooed with pride. When she evaluated her life, the redhead hadn’t accurately assessed her privilege. Here she was: plenty of money, a loving mother, and a great support system. But Cassia was dealt a different hand of cards than her counterpart. Knowing this person now, you wouldn’t have known she was in such a place of suffering that brought her to brink of death and back. On the surface you saw a bubbly girl who would do anything for anyone, caring for others clearly more than she’d ever cared for herself. A part of Peyton felt selfish, she didn’t deserve such a great friend as Cassia. “My bad nights are like full moons, apart of cycle so you know they’re coming, but you’re surprised and in awe every time they do.” A laugh bubbled from he lips, leaning into the other girl as she did so. Spending the day with someone she had such strong platonic feelings for was just what the doctor had ordered.

The heat that traveled across Peyton’s cheeks left a flush of pink in their path. There was something so different about getting praised from someone you respect as opposed to getting compliments from random frat boys. Cassia wouldn’t lie to fuel Peyton’s already inflated ego. So as she complimented her, she nonchalantly sipped on her drink, avoiding accepting them as they flew her way. “Good, now can you go tell everyone voting that completely unbiased opinion?” Peyton rolled her eyes playfully. With Cassia’s instructions, she shut her eyelids lightly. “Close my eyes and ride it out, huh? Kinky.” 

Opening her closed eyes, she looked up to see the carousel as it gracefully churned on its axis. The music played delicate tunes, immediately bringing a smile to her face. “Come on,” Peyton grabbed Cassia’s hand before running towards the attraction. She wasn’t a touchy person by any means, but there was something about Cassia’s welcoming nature that made her an exception. Leaping onto the ride as it was in motion was most definitely frowned upon but she couldn’t hear the scolding from the conductor over her laughter. Peyton took a seat on one of the horses, tapping the spot behind her. It definitely wasn’t made for two people but the rules didn’t apply to her, clearly. “Cass, sit here!” She shouted, fingers wrapping themselves around the pole as the ride continued up and down.

as peyton flew full speed ahead towards the attraction, cassia let out a stream of laughter. she often lacked this kind of energy ever since her sobriety began, but peyton somehow brought it out. the brunette waited for the ride to circle around to where peyton was once again before stepping onto the platform. "shit!" cassia grabbed onto the pole the carousel horse sat on in an attempt to steady herself before finally hopping on behind peyton, all smiles. "my ass is too fat for this horse!" she shouted over the loud music. cautiously, cassia wrapped her dainty arms around peyton's waist to ensure she wouldn't slide off the back as the horse moved up and down. there was something foreign, yet comforting, holding onto the other woman for dear life. she rested her head on peyton's shoulder, listening to her heartbeat wild in her chest. "is this your first time doing cowgirl?"

            LEGS FOLDED BENEATH him as he sat down next to her, slightly baffed by her closeness, trying his hardest not to stare at her outfit. was it bad admitting it ? that after all these years, liam still had feelings for her ?  maybe it was, considering the timing — but its never a good time to tell your dead brother’s ex that you loved her. another shaky breath left escaped through his lips as he wrapped an arm around her back, eyes closing. it was harding having her so close to his face, and it took all his willpower to not just grab her face and kiss her.

           THE TOUCH OF HER  FINGERS lingering on his face snapped him of his trance —– this wasn’t a moment to blurt how he felt about her. his mind drifted back to his brother, nose wrinkling as he supressed a sob and more tears.    ❝ you don’t know that, no one knows that. i could’ve done something and didn’t because i was scared of him —- ❞   god, he really needed some water to get rid of the lump in his throat. he continued after taking a deep breath, his whole body tense.

        ❝ HE PUSHED ME OFF THE STAIRS when i stood up to him, cass, and all because i told him —- i told him to stop messing with emma. and there i was, his oldest brother fucking scared of saying anything even to our parents, and i just… i just don’t know, and now i’ll never know what crossed his mind when he did it because i never had the guts to face him. ❞    liam let out a dry laugh as he looked down, the anger tears still rolling from his eyes.     ❝ we told dad it was an accident but i still think he tried to kill me. ❞

the confession was a plethora of information to process. in fact, so much so, that she recoiled a bit from liam's touch -- not by any fault of his own, but because she wanted to face him. the girl climbed out from under their mess of tangled imbs and settled herself in front of liam. she covered his hands with one of her own, shaking her head. "you had every right to be scared of him," she whispered, her face falling in the same fashion liam's tears did. "oh, liam," she cooed. her heart was breaking all over again.

cassia would never admit to it, but a pang of jealousy hit her when he mentioned the reason why nate had attacked. why had no one stood up for her when she was carted off to a rehab facility? it was something she thought of often. faith and jamie had been the only ones to keep in contact with her. she shook the thought from her mind. “i’ve wanted to pummel his face with my fist before... but hearing about the hell he put you through just makes me even angrier. he didn’t deserve such a good family, or good people around him.”

                IF LIAM WAS CASSIA’S little prince, then she was definitely his little princess —— there wasn’t a thing on earth he wouldn’t do for her, always standing up to her even when, well, the infamous letter arrived to their house. fighting with his parents over it had been rough, but liam knew first hand that it wasn’t a lie. maybe he hadn’t known cassia’s case particularly, but there were dozens of girls who’d fallen into his brother’s claws. looking over at the girl from the next shift, liam nodded sightly, and without thinking too much about it, took cassia’s hand and led her away from the crowd, to an empty spot behind the ferris wheel.

                  ONCE FAR FROM THE crowd, liam let out a shaky sight, his glassy eyes fixated on their laced hands.  ❝ i did everything wrong, cass, everything. ❞  he had failed as an older, he had failed as a son —– he felt like he had failed everyone in town. if only he’d gone after him at the party.   ❝ i knew what kind of person he was, i could’ve stopped him. i could’ve told dad. i could’ve helped him ——- ❞  his voice broke slightly at the last word, and he looked away from the girl as tears started to fall.  ❝ he was my responsability, and now he’s DEAD. ❞        

her hand linked in his felt so natural, so comforting. as they left the crowded area, cassia couldn't help but squeeze his hand a few times, hoping to reassure him that they'd be away from everyone soon. the sounds of the fair become muffled, and as they stopped by a large tree, cassia finally met the boy's gaze. "hey, hey, let's sit, okay?" she slid her sweater off, leaving her in shorts and a bralette, and draped it on the ground. she beckoned for liam to sit down with her, and before he even started speaking, she wrapped a loose arm around his waist, chin resting on his shoulder.

"shh, shh, no. he was his own responsibility. ultimately, what we do and say is our own and we have to take accountability for that," she explained, a slight frown growing on her features. "maybe you could've helped him, but it's such a big maybe... i truly think he might have been a sociopath, liam. i'm no doctor, but his actions really supported that kind of diagnosis. he could smile through every wrong doing, through every ounce of pain he inflicted. i don't think you or anyone else could've changed that."

         SLOWLY, A KNOT STARTED building in liam’s throat. he hated not being able to tell her how he felt, but it hurt more realizing that she knew he was lying. memories from their childhood came to his mind, when they used to tell each other everything. memories from before nate stole her — no, that was unfair. cassia had never been his; but, then, why did he feel like a part of him had left when she drifted away ? liam forced a smile and crossed his arms, looking away for a brief moment.    ❝ i— i just regret many things that i’ll never be able to fix. ❞      her last phrase made him look back at her, eyes slowly moving to her hand grabbing him, and then green hues locking on hers again.        ❝ nate was a fucking pig. ❞    he bitterly said, interrupting her.      ❝ i don’t need you to explain the letter. i know everything in there is true. i just wished you would’ve told me, or i would’ve noticed. ❞

as early as elementary school, cassia could remember running to liam whenever somebody was teasing her -- particularly boys. her moms had referred to him as her 'little prince'. she would pour her heart out, even at such a young age, and liam never batted an eyelash. he accepted her for who she was, which was difficult to do with a spitfire like cassia. she liked to think she offered the same comfort to him, which was why she could read him so easily, even now, after having little to no contact for many months.

    no dam could have stopped the rush of emotions julia felt at this moment. whether cassia had stood before her or not, her words would have been the same. push. with every word the other committed to, julia felt worse. what cassia was saying implied blame on her; she didn’t need the other to blame her when she was feeling so guilty. her son was dead, worse, murdered - there was no doubt in her mind that she had failed as a mother. cassia was trying to pressure her into admitting something that she couldn’t even admit to herself. with everything else going on, she couldn’t give her what she wanted and this made her feel worse. by nature, julia beauchamp was a people pleaser, one that had a history of going to extreme measures to make sure that others were happy with the situation and indeed her. however, in these new circumstances she felt too much pressure to live up to that. there was no manual on how to deal with this and she certainly wasn’t going back to her therapist after this new development in fear of them focusing too much on her disorder rather than the fact that she had lost her son too suddenly. this situation was intense. julia had a hard time when her father passed but it was nothing compared to this; people inserting themselves and giving their opinions was taking its toll on her. “you can’t throw that word around and then say you’re sorry for my loss. that’s not how it workds.” she was aware she was causing a scene but the people of rosefield were expecting a firework show and that’s what they were going to get. the woman couldn’t grieve properly, it was far too messy for her to do so. “think whatever you want, okay? but don’t you dare even try to allude that it’s just about it being a hurtful thing.” cassia would never understand it, julia didn’t understand it so there was no way for her to explain it. the situation was far more complex than the death of her son, she was being inundated by comments, blame forcing her shoulders down and there was only so much she could take. trying to act as if everything was normal had been the straw that broke her back.

“They better. You know, there’s a serious prejudice against sober people who want to have fun. One that I won’t allow.” Peyton laughed and their arms interlocked. Today was probably the most she’d smiled since arriving in Rosefield almost a year ago. Everything was falling into place, even if it appeared to falling apart. “You pick me up drunk one time and then all of a sudden I can’t handle my booze? Unacceptable. Today I will be reclaiming my alcoholic dignity and I will not be getting sloppy.” Even as Peyton pouted and protested, she knew that amidst all the fun going on that maybe she would get a bit too drunk but as long as Cassia was around, she knew she was in good hands. As the two stood at the margarita stand, Peyton nudged Cassia gently as she watched the bartender churn about their frozen cocktails. “Do you really think I’ll win Miss. Rosefield?” Peyton whispered almost a bit modestly. This was so out of character for her, not so much to care about this type of thing but definitely to be uncertain of herself. After all, she wasn’t exactly Rosefield’s sweetheart. As the margarita was in her hand, she took hefty sip, face scrunching when she got a bit of brain freeze. It was strong. “Oooh, the carousel! Or maybe the bumper cars? We both have a lot of pent up aggression we need to work through.”

"you are so right! like, not to get all serious on you but that's one of the worst parts of being sober. you watch everyone else party and they look at you like you're some kind of monster for not partaking. those are the people who ask if you're pregnant when you say you don't want a drink. i poured a drink on a dude at a club one time when he handed it to me and asked me that when i rejected it," she shook her head back and forth in disbelief, before wrapping her lips around her straw and taking a sip of her drink. her next statement was true and she couldn't help but laugh. "i'm sorry, you're right, pey. it's not fair of me to judge you on one bad night. i just worry. it's in my nature, especially when it comes to you," she'd really been trying to work through some mental acrobatics when it came to peyton. half the time she felt like she could let loose, just be herself, and other times she felt like she was trying to impress her. it was sort of a new feeling, with cassia being a fairly confident person.

"i do think so! i mean, you're beautiful, first of all. you might be the most beautiful woman i've ever met. you've done so much for nate's family... i mean, i can't see why you wouldn't, really," cassia explained. "sure, you have an attitude, but i think most of the girls running have those. i know my baby faith can at times, even if she comes off as an angel to the world," she laughed, looking up to peyton. "brain freeze? i know people always say to touch the roof of your mouth with your tongue when those happen, but honestly, it's never helped me. i just shut my eyes and ride it out,"

they'd been talking so much, cassia hadn't noticed where they ended up, which was in front of the carousel. "well, i think our feet answered the question our heads could not."

“ you don’t eat the pies, silly !! you throw them !! you fill a tin with whipped cream, you aim for an attendant, and you throw !! it’s very ‘looney tunes’. i’m absolutely okay with food, though. “ addy explained. she had initially giggled when cassia placed the kiss upon her cheeks, which had turned red after the experience. linking arms with the girl, she gave her one last look to ask a final question. “ what are we hitting up first ?? i want to cause mayhem !! “

  something had pushed julia over the edge. whether it was the whispers, the pity people had when they only came to talk to her or the thought of knowing cassia had sent that to her family, it had been enough to snap her out of the stepord wife routine that she had tried to adopt for this occassion. “so you think this is okay?” that was the start of the explosion. the statement was at no one in particular, it was more of a sweeping statement for anything that would even listen to her. so many people had tried to ‘imagine’ what she was feeling or to tell her how much they thought it must hurt but they had no idea. “you think that sending hurtful things will make you feel better? or to drag my family’s name through the mud? why is it so difficult for people in this town to leave it the hell alone?” the questions kept on coming, all meant to be rhetorical. julia could feel her entire body trembling in that moment. “it’s ironic that i’m working on the lemonade cart, right? when life gives you lemons, make lemonade…” the pitch of her voice raised as she retorted the famouse saying. “well, let’s just say i’ve been handed a bunch of shit and people in this town keep added to that! does it make you all feel happy?”