mesmerised | blake richardson

fifteen

"Yeah," Shawn said, smiling anxiously. "It's me."

"You bastard!" she screeched, putting down the bags that were once on her arms down on the ground and swatting Shawn on the arm repeatedly. "I missed you so damn much."

"Stop swatting me and give me a hug then," he told her, chuckling. She jumped up onto him, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, engulfing him in a hug. He laughed and hugged her back, holding her up on him so that she wouldn't fall.

"You stopped talking to me for three years," Serenity said, jumping off of him, her eyes filled with sadness. "You were supposed to be my best friend."

"I know, I seriously fucked up," Shawn said, swinging his left leg back and forth. "I didn't want to, trust me. Everything was so... different. I couldn't step three feet out of my house without paparazzi chasing me, and I've been so busy writing music that time just slipped away."

"I guess I get it," she shrugged. "I mean, I don't, because I don't have paparazzi chasing me around, but I'm not mad at you anymore."

"I'm glad, because I miss my donut."

"Oh my god," she laughed, "you remember that?"

"How couldn't I?" Shawn laughed, "you got stuck and started crying because you thought you'd have to wear a donut floatie for the rest of your life!"

"I was seven!"

"Still," Shawn said, grinning. He had missed his best friend as well, but it was true what he had said; after he had became famous, every one of his personal friendships had gone to shite. He was so busy with his writing and the shows that he hadn't even noticed he was pushing his most loved people away.

Serenity mentally groaned and looked down at the bags of food. "I've to go," she said, almost mournfully, "Cassie will be mad if the foods colder than it is now."

"Cassie?" Shawn inquired.

"Best friend," she replied softly. "We met on Instagram—she lives in Nottingham, but she's planning on moving down here, so she's with me for a bit."

"Ah." Serenity was glad that Shawn wasn't the type to get jealous over her calling someone else her best friend as well. A small smile played on her face as she reached up to hug the much taller boy.

"How long are you in London for?" Serenity asked, feeling his arms wrap around her waist protectively as they hugged.

"About a week, I think?" he said, the statement coming out as more of a question.

"Do you still have my number?" she asked, pulling away.

"I do."

"Call me soon, yeah?"

-

Cassie was sat on the couch, happily talking to George on FaceTime. Serenity had been gone for a half hour at least by now, but she wasn't worried—Serenity knew her way around the city. She had the telly turned on to some random channel, which was playing Harry Potter. She laughed to herself slightly, remembering the timed her and Serenity had watched the whole series over FaceTime.

"What're you watching?" George asked, raising his eyebrows. She had her phone placed against a pillow in her lap, letting her see George and letting him see her.

They were mostly sitting in silence, only speaking once in a while. It was a comfortable silence—Cassie didn't feel compelled to speak, she just wanted to feel like there was someone with her while she was alone in the flat.

"Harry Potter," she told him, "not sure which one, though."

"Show me the screen?" he asked, looking at his phone. She complied and flipped the camera, showing him the scene that was playing on the telly. Harry was in a large hut with Professor Slughorn and Hagrid, easily letting George know which movie it was.

"That's the Half Blood Prince," he told her, smiling as she flipped the camera back to her.

"I'm absolute trash at remembering the names of which one I'm watching. Too hard," she whined playfully, causing a laugh to fall from George's mouth.

A key slid into the lock of the door. "I've got to go, think Serenity's here," Cassie told the blonde boy displayed on her phone. He waved goodbye and Cassie hung up, placing her phone down on the couch. She focused on the telly, expecting Serenity to walk in.

As the door opened, Cassie suddenly felt a small, uneasy feeling settle in the pit of her stomach. Serenity never opened the door that slow.

"Serenity?" she called, looking over at the door. No reply.

Rosa burst into the flat, her fists clenched. She was out for revenge for Cassie supposedly taking her place, and she wasn't going to stop at anything.

Cassie stood up, her blanket falling off of her body and onto the ground. Rosa ran over to her, pouncing on her hard enough that they both fell on the floor, Cassie's head hitting the laminate, hard.

"You stupid bitch," Rosa screamed, punching Cassie straight in the jaw. She let out a yelp of pain before gaining control and flipping them over so that she was on top. She slapped Rosa across the face hard enough that her nails had left scratch marks on her face.

"You think you're all of that?" Rosa screamed, standing up and kicking Cassie in the stomach, legs and stepping on her hand in a failed attempt to break her bones. "You're nothing more than a fucking waste of skin."

With that, Rosa walked out.

-

"I'm home," Serenity called, walking into the flat with her head down, bags on her arms. She was in a relatively good mood considering she had just seen her childhood best friend for the first time in nearly four years.

She didn't get a reply back, which had worried her. Cassie wasn't anywhere to be found from the main field of view from the door of the flat. Serenity sat the bags down on the kitchen island before venturing off into the depths of her flat, trying to find her.

After searching every room except the bathroom, she decided on going in there—it was the only room she could've been in, unless she had left.

Serenity felt relief flow through her body as she saw Cassie standing in the bathroom with her back turned towards Serenity. "Cass?"

As soon as Cassie turned around, Serenity wanted to cry. Her eye was completely black and practically swollen shut, her fingers were purple with bruises, and she couldn't put weight on her right leg very well. Her t-shirt was tied up, resting just under her breasts, exposing the slash under her ribs. She had a cold cloth pressed to it, wincing slightly as she turned around.

"What happened?" Serenity asked, walking over to her and wrapping her arms around her small frame, trying her best not to hurt the girl.

"Rosa happened."

-

[this makes me angery]

(also, for George/Cassie shipname, corge or geossie? I'm leaning towards geossie.)