Chapter Text
- Hey... Wake up.
Cassie mumbles in response, not opening her eyes for the terrible ache in her head. She's placed on her side, facing the wall. All the windows are closed.
Even with the heavy pounding, she could hear her voice.
- Cass... - she hears the same silent and caring voice again. - Come on. We've been through this before, y'know.
But her eyes are still heavy, her head is swaying around, her whole body feels tired. The blonde woman slowly opens up her eyes, feeling everything hazy, her mouth drowsy.
Then she feels a hand touching her wavy hair softly. She loved that touch. They weren't the hands that touched her the whole life. It wasn't harmful. It was... Full of care.
Cassie, closing her eyes again, rolls slowly for the other side of her bed, and with her eyes out of focus, she sees her.
Minerva.
She had glasses that focused her brown chocolate eyes, tanned skin, short black hair stuck in a ponytail, face full of acne, a little bloated body and a worried expression.
She knew that face.
She saw it from her mother, from her sister Lexi and from all the people who noticed she was so unfine.
But for Cassie, she was like an angel on Earth, even if Minerva didn't believe it.
- Hey... - Cassie mumbles again.
- Hi. - Minerva answers. - How are you, Blondie?
The blonde woman tries to get up, but instead, she feels a strong dizziness surrounding her head.
"Fuck hangovers", she thinks on herself.
- Shit... - she says.
- Headache?
- Yuh...
- Can you stand? Are you dizzy?
- Very strong dizzy... - the blonde says, with her hand on her head. - And pretty nauseous right now.
Then Minerva pulls up a bucket, and gives Cassie the space to throw up. After the puking is all out, Cassie tries to leave the bed. Soon, she stumbles, hazy vision guiding her to the bathroom.
She sees her image right now on the mirror: a 24-year-old woman, bloodshot blue eyes, white skin, skinny body and bags below her eyes. No surprise for someone who's being drunk like a fish for almost seven months.
She washes up her face, hoping to make it better. Then, she takes a bath and goes to the dinner room/living room to at least try to eat something.
The lights are a little bright, but Cassie doesn't give a fuck. She just wants to eat.
Meanwhile, Minerva was humming a tune while cooking some sandwiches for both of them. Her favorite ones were cheese and ham sandwiches, and the traditional ones. Cassie knew that she loved eating it every day and didn't get tired of doing the same thing or being stuck in a routine. She just liked it.
- I made your favorite. - the girl said, placing a plate with a improvised vegetarian sandwich in front of Cassie, along with orange juice and a headache pill.
- Thanks.
- You're welcome.
Then both stay silent for the whole morning.
In the afternoon, Cassie stayed on bed resting. Her ongoing dizziness faded, her headache and nausea had passed, and then a little doubt came to her head.
Luckily, Minerva was on the other bed, scrolling on her phone.
- Did I make something dumb yesterday?
Minerva looks at her. She always knew the answer, because, for the last 3 months since Cassie started to live on her apartment since her definitive (and finally) breakup of her toxic relationship with Nate Jacobs, that fucking bastard, scenes like that became common. She began to act distant and started to heavily drink. Well, the blonde woman didn't get into much trouble in the majority of times, but when she did, it was a hookup with a total stranger. When she spent some days without any drinks, the abstinence came harder: hands trembling, anxiety, depression, hangovers...
It started to became a disturbing habit to Minerva, who remembered of her late father, who was alcoholic and violent with her and her mother.
She tried to make Cassie stop drinking, but it was useless. Everytime she would snap out on her, becoming angry. It wasn't healthy, it was harmful for her and for the own Minerva too. But what else she could do?
It was Nate's fucking fault, too. That piece of shit was the trigger on Cassie's disease. He manipulated her, gaslighted her, beated her up in every way possible, and even forced himself to her a lot of times. If Cassie didn't get into a relationship with him in the first place, she maybe could live a good life and would still have Maddy's friendship. But at least she found Minerva's embrace.
- If for "dumb", you mean that you made a very awful sex with another drunk man, yes. You did.
- Oh, fuck...
The black haired woman looked at Cassie, who placed her hands on her head again.
- Did you see it?
- Only the final moments, when I arrived at the bar to catch you up. And sincerely... - a pause. - ...it was horrible to see.
- Sorry... - the blonde says, sadly.
- It's okay, Cass. It wasn't of my business anyway.
But Minerva was disturbed too. She didn't want to see Cassie alone, unhappy, engaging in dangerous relationships or activities, and especially, she was done with her heavy drinking. She needed help, she was so broken. Emotionally, mentally and physically.
And unknown for anyone, she had a crush on Cassie since they've met, but she respected her. Minerva never liked Cassie only for her beauty. She was smart (but not so smart), she was sensitive, she was determined, but she was very damaged since she was only a child. She suffered so much since her father's disappearance, her abortion, her friendship losses and finally, fucking Nate.
Differently of that bastard, she really cared about Cassie. She cooked for her, took care of her when she was drunk or sick, works to keep them on the apartment... Would do anything to help and make her feel happy. But not everything, of course.
- I need some ginger ale right now.
- It's over since the last week, you know.
- And... Did you undress me?
The woman felt her face turn red.
- Well, I... Yes. You were a little nasty, so I helped you take that dress full of vomit and made you use a jumpsuit to get some sleep. And... Your panties were full of "you know what" on it.
Cassie then felt nauseous again. Just to hear it...
- Don't worry. I've already washed 'em.
- Oh, good...
- And by the way, I helped you to wear clean panties before you blacked out.
But then the blonde felt shameful and the ongoing blame that she felt the morning after a long drunken night.
- Sorry.
- No, Cass, no...
- No, I'm a fucking burden to you. - she chokes up in the "burden" word. - I don't know what I did to deserve you.
- Oh, Cass... If you didn't deserved me, you would be by yourself right now.
Minerva caresses softly her face. Cassie leans to her touch, with a tear streaming down her face.
She always listened her best friend cry every time she drank or was sober. She handled so much shit that she felt like giving up in life. Another reasons why she's alcoholic now, just like her parents. She stopped taking care of herself.
Minerva remembered of a time when she was at Nate's house in a party. Cassie got so much alcohol in her blood and mind that she climbed on the roof and tried to jump, thinking she could fucking fly. She and a few colleagues got her drunken ass out of the top in time, but Cassie passed out and fell on the pool after she puked on front of Nate. Minerva jumped and saved her, but the blonde woman was unconscious and headed into the hospital, where she recovered.
Now, in the evening and in the night, Cassie was almost fully recovered from the hangover and with Minerva taking care of her all the damn time, it started to make some sense to her. She felt better with her best friend by her side.
Every time Cassie was drunk and passed out in Nate's house, he wouldn't take care of her. He just would neglect her, leave her blackouted in the bathroom, leave her behind at the bar or even worse, taking advantage of her drunken state to engage in terrible sexual relations. She was technically raped without even knowing it in the majority of times.
But with Minerva, it was very different. She was caring, supportive, kind and gave her love and affection. Even in her most sober state.
- Do you wanna watch something? - Minerva asks.
- I don't know.
- What do you think about a clichéd TV show?
- My mom still watches it.
Suze, her mother, was the only person that Cassie stayed in contact after she left New Highland. She blocked Lexi (for valid reasons) after the whole theatre incident and Maddy abandoned her. For her fucking fault. She destroyed their friendship of so many years for a manipulative psychopath guy.
"Maddy wasn't to blame", Cassie thought every day. "Who would want a friend who fucking cheats?"
All these fault corroded her to the fucking core. She was a drunkard, drinking to cope with all this shit.
- Hey, what do you think about this? - Minerva asks again, pointing to "The Bachelor" with the TV control.
- Okay! - Cassie says, smiling to her friend, who smiles back.
Then they watch the program until they fall asleep together on the couch.
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Minerva woke up first.
She looked at the clock. It was 1:50 AM.
She looked at her side and saw Cassie sleeping next to her shoulder. This time, she looked peaceful and... So beautiful.
Minerva smiled a little by the view.
"Maybe if she could get help, she wouldn't be so fucked up right now", she thought to herself.
Quietly and slowly, she grabbed Cassie's head and softly layed her by her side, right on the pillow. Then she got two blanket and covered Cassie on one of them.
She looked like a Sleeping Beauty in it.
Then Minerva kissed her on the top of her head while wishing she could tell her what she really felt about her. What she always wanted to do to her.
As she was sleeping, Minerva just gulped and cried silently, helpless.