Chapter Text
Dill was pretty sure she must be the most unlucky person ever. At least that’s what she thought to herself as blue petals flew past her lips with each hacking cough that shook her body. Rosemary, her sister, stood beside her rubbing soothing circles into her back. Her expression was tired, eyes half closed and downcast. Dill could tell without looking back, it was the same look she had every time she had to wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of her baby sister choking on petals.
”Shhhhh… you’re okay, ‘s all okay” Rosemary’s soothing voice filled her ears as the coughing fit came to an end. seven pale blue petals lay on Dill’s blanket before her, speckled with blood but still recognizable. Blue salvia, same as always. She swept them to the floor.
The ladder to the top bunk creaked and Dill realized Rosemary was no longer by her side. She laid back on her pillow, focusing on the knots in the wood in the bed above her.
“Try to go back to bed, you can’t sleep in tomorrow” Her sister reminded her from above and dill hummed in acknowledgement. School started tomorrow, eighth grade. An important year, not quite highschool but the time for making friends to stay with you through your highschool experience. This year was gonna be different. She rolled onto her side, her eyes landing on the petals scattered on the floor.
Dill didn’t think she’d ever heard a story of how a person's hanahaki developed as stupid as hers. It’s always a bad breakup where you can’t get rid of the feelings you had for them, or a cheating partner, or an unrequited crush, or something else equally bad. She looked away from the petals, landing instead on a shell that had been sitting on her shelf for eight years now. He had given it to her.
Five years old at the beach with her parents and siblings and there he was, a boy with brown hair and big brown eyes to match. He was playing in the waves when she first saw him. He kept running between the shore and the beach umbrella his mother sat beneath, unloading his pockets full of shells onto her towel.
They played together all day, his hand in hers as they ran laughing through the waves. The sand castle they built together only to break it down when they were done stood tall and proud in her memory. Dill was certain that she would’ve forgotten the boy's face by now if not for the picture her Ma keeps in the living room of the two of them crouched over their sand pails, smiles bright and cheery.
The day would’ve been perfect had she not ended it the way she did. She placed a simple kiss on the boys cheek, the way she had seen her parents do so many times. A way to say ‘I love you’ silently. He didn’t take it this way, dill remembered the way a fearful expresoon immediately overtook his face and he ran back to his mother to hide his face in her shirt. He ran away from her. One simple rejection over a kiss on the cheek and on the way home a coughing fit brought petals to her tongue. How unlucky can you get.
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An outfit was laid out on the end of her bed, the one she’d picked out last night. She was quick to get changed, anticipation running high for the day. Her unluckiness wouldn’t follow her into this year.
Her friend lived farther from the school and got to take the bus but Dill had the misfortune of having to walk to school. She ended up sitting on one of the benches outside the school, waiting for Teslee to join her. Out of boredom she began studying the faces of the other students forming their groups in front of the school doors. It’s so hard to make friends, Dill will never understand how people have such big friend groups. Sticking with the same two people you’ve known since third grade is much easier, even when they never end up in the same classes as you because you happened to befriend child geniuses apparently.
So distracted was she that she didn’t notice as the cousins approached her, only snapping out of her blank staring when Teslee waved a hand before her face.
“Hellooooo” Teslee drew out the word, only moving her hand away when Dill turned her head to smile at her. She plopped down on the bench beside her friend, Circ sitting beside her. Circ and Dill weren’t especially close but he tended to sit with them at lunch and he was her best friend's cousin so they were amiable with each other. She gave him a little wave as a greeting which he returned, only for Teslee to divert Dill’s attention again as she started talking.
“Ask me about my summer!” She demanded, her voice sounded excited and she was bouncing her leg rapidly on the pavement. A small, amused smile appeared on Dill’s face while Circ rolled his eyes, clearly already having heard about her summer many times before.
“How was your summer, Teslee?” Dill asked, her amusement creeping into her voice.
“Oh Dill, I’m so glad you asked!” Dill snorted a laugh that Teslee chose to ignore. “This summer I applied for an internship with Beetee. Latier.” She said the name with great importance and paused for effect. Dill’s blank stare went unnoticed by her. “and, because I am the most awesomely intelligent person ever, I got it!” her head was lifted high, looking very proud of herself. Dill remained silent for a moment, looking to Circ who only looked annoyed.
“…Who-”
“He’s like… Teslees idol or something I don’t know” Circ informed her, receiving a glare from his cousin.
“I don’t know how you guys don’t know about him, he’s only made some of the most important advancements in technology in the past decade” Her arms were crossed and she looked a bit upset at the others lack of recognition and congratulations.
“Sorry, don’t have a clue” Dill shrugged. “great job with the internship though”
Soon the doors to the school opened and they headed to their respective classes. Dill silently cursed her smart friend as she sat down in her first class, completely alone.