2/11 Instance: She Loves Me Not

[tears~fall~like~glass]

timeline: day after Heartbreaker


<Cecilia> "Jesus," Cecilia said, taking in Mayday's passed out form on the rec room couch, picking up one of many wine bottles scattered around the place. "Good night?" She teased wryly.
 
<Mayday> Mayday stirred at the voice from above her, rolling over and slipping off of the couch, onto the patch of spilled wine from the bottle in her hand. She looked like hell: hair aloof and suit desecrated with scuffs and stains.
 
<Mayday> Raising the bottle, her tired eyes found Cecilia's own, "G'away...'m not interested in talking.", she sniffed, face red from tears (and possibly morning intoxication). She knocked back what was left in the bottle in her hand.
 
<Cecilia> Okay...clearly not such a good night. "What the fuck happened to you?" Cecilia said, horrified. She kneeled down next to Mayday. "Did you drink all of this yourself?!"
 
<Mayday> "....yyyes.", Mayday answered, as if she was being asked a trick question, "And what happened? Wh' don't you tell me what happens? Hnnn-mmn?", she slurred, pulling a crushed cat mask out of her blazer and looking at it accusingly.
 
<Cecilia> Cecilia just stared at Mayday for a long moment. "...Look, you're gonna have to be more specific or more sober. I hate to break this to you, Mayday, but I'm not a mindreader and English is not my first language."
 
<Cecilia> Since Valentine's Day was just the other day it seemed logical to start there. "Did something happen with Sue? Or Cassie? Seriously, May. If this is about Cassie then I could've told you the second we walked in who Shaw was gonna lay. That's just the way things are...don't take it personally."
 
<Mayday> Mayday's expression visibly cracked at the mention of Sue, "S-she...broke up with me.", she managed, a long sigh following as her heart sank further, "Aaaand Cassie slept with Shaw. Obviously. My relationship diiiiies because I DIDN'T do anything with her, and now she's gone as well."
 
<Mayday> She looked up at Cecilia, "I will kill them aaallll.", she stood up, raising a hand to the ceiling and releasing a web strand from her wrist before falling back down in a heap.
 
<Cecilia> "Of course you will," Cecilia said flatly. For fuck's sake. What was with people and Valentine's Day? It had to be the worst holiday ever. Either you came out on top or a complete wreck and judging from Mayday's appearance, it was the latter.
 
<Cecilia> "But right now, we're gonna get you fixed up and into bed, alright?" She said, yanking Mayday to her feet, leaning her on-top of her for support. "Jesus Christ, you're heavy!"
 
<Cecilia> But fuck...she couldn't take Mayday to her room because Sue was there and the last thing they needed right now was another shitstorm. Only one thing to do. With great effort and a lot of grunting, Cecilia began to steer Mayday up the stairs towards her own room.
 
<Mayday> "Why are we even friends, anyway?", Mayday managed, shaking free of Cecilia and leaning against the wall for support, "Y're fucking....you know I wish I was you....y're always so happy and crap...and then there's me, who screwed up life for bein' human.", she sighed again, "'N you better not touch me again.", her hand went up to stop any more of such.
 
<Mayday> Rolling her head, Mayday sniffed a little, "...'m pathetic.", she groaned, staggering for the stairs, "Pathetic 'n...dressed like a dyke - why even pretend, anyway?", she turned to Cecilia again, "I mean, look at me Cecilia, like....really: look!", her arms went wide, "Mayday Parker's a fuckin' joke....me tryin' to fit in with you and Fabian when I'm this stuuuupid?"
 
<Mayday> She tripped backwards, landing on her back in stitches of laughter.
 
<Cecilia> "Oh for fuck's sake," Cecilia said, out-loud this time. "I dunno why you're friends with me- only you can answer that. I know that I'm friends with you 'cause I enjoy your company and I think you're a good person."
 
<Cecilia> "You don't wish you were me," Cecilia said, sitting down on the stairwell. "And if you knew me you'd know damn well I'm not always happy. Fuck, I'm moody as hell! Half the time when I'm laughing it's not because I'm happy. So there, now you know one of my deep dark secrets."
 
<Cecilia> "Why are you so hung up on me and Fabian? Jesus, we're not popular! He's a home-schooled kid and I'm from the freaking ghetto.  Why can't you hang out with us? You're just being ridiculous right now. Why am I even arguing with you? You're drunk off your ass."
 
<Mayday> Mayday's laughing stopped, quickly followed by her sitting up and sniffling, "....ah really....really fucked up.", she choked up a sob, curling her knees up into her chest and hugging them, "What did I do, Cee?"
 
<Cecilia> "I've no fucking clue," Cecilia said honestly. "None of this is making any sense. Look, we need to get you fixed up. Can I take you upstairs, please?"
 
<Cecilia> And if she said no, well, she'd have to think of some way to get her up there by force...Sadly, this was reminding Cecilia of another time in the rec room. Same story, just a different angry drunk.
 
<Mayday> Still crying, Mayday stood slowly, using the wall to keep herself righted as she turned to Cecilia, "I'm so sad it hurts!", she groped her shirt above her heart, "It physically hurts an' it won't go away!", she sobbed again, covering her face with her hands and leaning on the wall, "Wha'do I do? I-it hurts so much!"
 
<Cecilia> Cecilia took a hold of Mayday again. "You come upstairs with me," she answered. This was just drunk hysteria, she reminded herself. She did not need to get angry, this was not personal.
 
<Cecilia> With no small amount of effort, Cecilia dragged Mayday up the stairs to her room. "We're gonna get you fixed up, alright? Don't worry, I'm gonna be a doctor, I'll make sure things are put right," she said, muttering soothing nonsense.
 
<Mayday> Wiping her face with a sleeve, Mayday nodded, following Cecilia into her room and looking around, "D-d'you think Hisako an' Laura will laugh at me?", she sighed, hiding from her reflection in a mirror behind her messy hair, "...I'd laugh at me..."
 
<Cecilia> "If they do they'll have to answer to me," Cecilia said churlishly, dragging Mayday into the bathroom and turning on the shower. "Get in."
 
<Mayday> "...'m wearin' my clothes...", Mayday mumbled, staggering in regardless. She just stood, suit becoming drenched slowly as she did so, head still hanging, shoulders still slouched. Gradually, she stretched back and looked up into the running water, seemingly unaware it was still quite cold.
 
<Mayday> Before long, she started to shudder, slowly sitting down and curling up against the wall, hugging herself and trying to drown her thoughts out by listening to the running water, and watching her outfit bleed dirt and grime down the plughole.
 
<Cecilia> "Your clothes are wrecked already," Cecilia said, eying the wine stains. "The water won't hurt them any." And the cold shower was deliberate, partially because it would sober her up and partially because Cecilia wasn't the most charitable person.
 
<Cecilia> Cecilia sighed, resting her forehead on the edge of the bath. What a fucking disaster. "Look, it's going to be fine, May. It might not feel that way now, but it will." She did speak from experience there.
 
<Mayday> Mayday shook her head, not moving to look at her friend as the water chilled her shuddering frame to the bone, "...'salways fine.", she said back, flat and dead as she felt inside.
 
<Cecilia> Cecilia laughed at that, "The fuck it is." And her hair was fucking filthy. "C'mere your hair is all gross." She rolled up her sleeves, dumped a bit of shampoo onto her hands and began lathering her friend's hair, water running over her own face and hair as she leaned over to help Mayday.
 
<Mayday> Arms falling to the side, Mayday raised her head slowly, squeezing her eyes shut as soapy suds and shower-water slithered down her brow and onto her face. She leaned forward to Cecilia could get to the back of her head also, unwilling - and not wanting - to do it herself.
 
<Cecilia> This was like seeing herself- albeit whiter and older- after her father was murdered. She'd forgotten how fucked up she'd been then and suddenly remembered why she'd made such an effort to harden herself. How Mayday had gone through life without doing this, she had no idea.
 
<Cecilia> "Come on now," she said, shoving her hands under Mayday's arms. "Geddup, let's get you out of the shower and into some clean clothes."
 
<Mayday> Mayday stood awkwardly, shambling out of the shower and dripping all over the tiled floor. She made zero effort to stop, shrugging off her blazer and absentmindedly picking her buttons undone on her shirt. She pulled the bow tie free from her neck afterwards, casting it aside as if it no longer mattered to her.
 
<Mayday> Raising a foot, she kicked off her first shoe, raising an arm to steady herself as she kicked off the second before sliding back down on her knees, exhaling a deflating breath, "...why are you doing this...",
 
<Cecilia> Clarice, Mel, Hisako and Laura were all going to kill her for this. But she couldn't muster much effort to care. "'Cause I'm your goddamn friend," Cecilia said, yanking out an old t-shirt and sweatpants. Mayday was taller, but it would probably fit.
 
<Mayday> Looking up with tired, hurt eyes, Mayday blinked at her, water dripping from her nose and chin, "...'m cold.", she sniffed, pulling her shirt off and sighing again, "...y're gonna laugh at me for this later, huh?"
 
<Cecilia> "Am I laughing now?" Cecilia said, raising an eyebrow and handing Mayday a fresh towel. "No, I won't."
 
<Mayday> Accepting the towel, Mayday wrapped it around herself, reveling in the little warmth it gave her, "...y'should've just left me there.", she breathed, giving her hair a quick rough dry and standing to dry her torso also, "Y'should've...'cause I'm never gonna be able to do this w' you, am I?"
 
<Cecilia> "Well, I didn't. Surprise, surprise. Cecilia isn't as much of a bitch as many people think," she deadpanned, laying out a throw on her bed and patting it. "Here, lie down and I'll get you some aspirin."
 
<Cecilia> "And what do you mean: 'you're never gonna be able to do this with me'?" She asked, curious.
 
<Mayday> Pulling off her pants finally and drying off her legs, Mayday followed Cecilia into her room, stopping at the side of the door to remove her underwear also. She re-emerged in just the towel, visibly still finding it hard to walk as she made her way to Cecilia's bed, slumping down on it.
 
<Mayday> "I mean I don't think you'll ever be this pathetic.", she waved a hand over herself, sniffling a little, "I'm a wreck...'n I bet I look worse."
 
<Cecilia> Cecilia laughed a bit hysterically at that. "Jesus Christ, did you see me last semester? I was a fucking psycho-wreck! I have no idea how Fabian dealt with me. And when my father died I was beyond help. Life throws you a lot of curve balls, I'm sure you'll see me breakdown sometime."
 
<Cecilia> "Everyone breaks down eventually," Cecilia said, dragging out her medical bag and rummaging around for pills. "I might say I'm indestructible, but I'm not really. I just pick the people I show weakness to carefully."
 
<Mayday> Mayday nodded, "...never seen you bad.", she smiled a little, looking over at the sweatshirt and pants laid out for her and fumbling with getting them on.
 
<Cecilia> "Well, I hope you don't ever see that," Cecilia admitted, producing tablets of aspirin. "I make an effort not to, so when it does happen it's usually pretty bad."
 
<Cecilia> "I'll get your things from your room later...if you want to stay here, that is." But who the hell was gonna look after Mayday's tarantula? Fabian would be tongue kissing Nur before he ever took care of a giant-ass spider...maybe she could sucker JP into doing it. And Jesus, Mayday didn't have all that many friends...
 
<Mayday> Dressed and mostly dry, Mayday crawled onto the bed and lay down, like a puppet with cut strings. Her eyes remained closed, as she managed, "...thank you, Cecilia.", a little smile forming shortly afterwards, "...must be a bitch to deserve this, but 'm glad I have you, at least.", she blinked at Cecilia through tired blue eyes.
 
<Mayday> "I don't deserve it...", she whispered to herself, eyes falling to her hand open beside her.
 
<Cecilia> Cecilia sighed, lying down beside Mayday. "Well, us bitches have to stick together, yeah?" She chuckled. "Seriously, May. I can count on one hand the number of people here who'd do this for me. You're one of them, why would I abandon you?"
 
<Cecilia> "If we all got exactly what we deserved the world would be a better place," Cecilia said grimly, turning onto her back to stare at the ceiling. "But it's not. So we just have to deal."
 
<Mayday> Mayday turned to lie on her back also, studying the celling, "....my heart feels hollow.", she mumbled, mostly to herself, "...like I cried it empty."
 
<Cecilia> "Are we having a sleepover now?" Cecilia asked, smiling a little before sighing. "It won't feel good, May. But it won't always be so painful. Things look worse when you're drunk or tired. Just...give it some time."
 
<Cecilia> "It'll hurt less and less overtime, eventually it'll just feel like a twinge. It always stings, but it won't blindside you anymore," she said wisely.
 
<Mayday> "Maybe...", the redhead breathed, closing her eyes again, "...don't wake me, ok? If I just sleep and never wake up, don't wake me...", she murmured, breathing slowing as her body gradually felt lighter.
 
<Mayday> "I could dream... before....", she continued, her exhausted mind giving way to peaceful sleep.

<Cecilia> Cecilia envied that. When she had problems she couldn't sleep, no matter how tired she was. She looked at Mayday and sighed, "Espero que encuentres algo de respiro, araña."
 
<Cecilia> ((Spanish: I hope you find some respite, spider.))

[Starfish]

Oh dear, poor May-may. The dreaded V-day claims another victim.