WARNING: UPSETTING CONTENT.
NOTE: PLEASE DO THE INTERACTIVE PARTS AT THE END!
CARRIE'S P.O.V
It's been a week and one day since Addy was hospitalised.
It's also been a week and one day of me trying to convince her parents to let me sit with her.
Ok, that's a lie.
I come by every day, but her parents are always there before me.
I doubt they'd let me in.
They were the perfect family unit when we were kids.
I doubt they'd let the girl who ruined their daughter's life visit her.
Oh cr*p.
Her Mum saw me.
She looked so surprised.
Like she'd seen a ghost.
Then some weird happened.
She... smiled at me?
She rushed outside, her curls bouncing against her shoulders.
She opened the door and rushed up to me, wrapping me in a big hug.
"Carrie Whitestone?
Oh my, it's been years since I last saw you!
But I'd recognise that face anywhere", she said.
Something about her hug sent me back to a time where things weren't so... messy between us.
Carrie stared at the piece of paper in her hand, her palms sweaty with worry.
Adelaine placed a hand on her friend's shoulder.
"You're going to get the part, Carrie."
"I don't know... everyone was so good."
"Look, I know I wasn't at the auditions, but I know how fantastic you are."
"Adelaine is right", said Addy's Mum.
"I tell you what.
Why don't you stay here tonight? Your parents are working late, and I'm sure Addy would love the company."
Addy grinned.
"Yes, I would!
We'll have so much fun, Carrie!"
Carrie smiled and nodded.
"I would love to."
"Go on, open your letter now, love", said Addy's Mum.
Carrie slowly opened the letter, her stomach twisting into knots.
She looked at Addy and her Mum, her nerves calming ever so slightly.
She scanned the contents of the letter, Addy and her Mum waiting expectantly. Carrie's eyes grew wide.
"I got the part!"
Addy's Mum clapped, laughing heartily when Addy let out a piercing scream.
A startled but giddy Carrie laughed as Addy wrapped her in a hug and spun her around.
"Ahh, Addy you'll break your back!", called out Carrie, in between spins.
When Addy put her down, her Mum wrapped her in a warm embrace. Her arms folded against Carrie's back, and Carrie rested her chin on her Mum's neck.
She felt safe with Addy's family.
Addy's Mum pulled away from the hug. "Oh, are you here to see Addy?"
Still numb from the hug, I just nodded.
"Ah, of course.
She'd like that.
Pete and I were about to get some coffee, would you like one too?"
I shook my head.
"Uh, no.
No, I'm good."
Addy's Mum nodded, before placing a hand on my shoulder, and rubbing it gently.
"It's wonderful to see you again, love."
_____________________________
NO ONE'S P.O.V
Carrie waited by the door, her heart thumping in her chest when Adelaine's eyes opened.
Adelaine stirred, her eyes fully opening, though she squinted as if a light had been shone in her eyes.
She groaned softly as she tried to sit up.
Against her better judgement, Carrie stepped forward.
"No, don't do that."
Adelaine gasped when she heard the voice, her eyes widening in horror when she saw Carrie.
Her whole body tensed up.
Carrie felt a pang of guilt in her chest. Their relationship may be very tense right now, but she didn't like her former friend looking at her with so much fear.
"I'm– no look, I... I'm not here to hurt you.
Or rub it in.
I promise", said Carrie, holding her hands up.
Adelaine raised an eyebrow at this, but she didn't object to Carrie moving closer to her.
She coughed to clear her throat.
"How... do you know how the kids are?"
Carrie found it almost laughable how concerned she was about her students. Especially as she was the one who was st*bbed.
"I don't know, Addy", she said, throwing her hands in the air.
"God, you'd think after being st*bbed you'd care a bit about yourself."
Addy scoffed.
"I'm sorry, is this you caring about me now?
It wasn't long ago that you wanted me to rot in a jail cell!"
"Why didn't you tell your parents about me?"
Addy froze.
"Wh-what?"
"I wanted you thrown in jail.
I picked on your students, I... I pretty much destroyed your life.
So why did your Mum hug me like I was 16 again?"
Addy was certain she heard Carrie's voice waver.
She sighed.
"What good would that do?"
"So you're fine with keeping that perfect image of me that they had?"
Addy rolled her eyes.
"Oh grow up, Carrie.
They saw you as a kid who's parents didn't make time for them."
Carrie's eyes widened at this.
She expected some form of anger from Addy, but she never saw this coming.
It was like the world she used to know, the one that she felt safe in, was crumbling before her eyes.
"So it was all a lie?
All those years... you just felt pity for me?"
Addy sat up, a sudden jolt of strength rising inside her.
"No, because family love you, even through all your sh*t!"
Stunned, Carrie just stood there, unable to find the words to respond.
"It didn't matter to them, because they knew how much you meant to me.
They loved you like their own daughter because they saw you as more than your baggage", she explained.
Addy ran a hand through her hair, letting out a frustrated sigh.
"What are you even doing here, Carrie?"
Carrie blinked, as if that question brought her back to reality.
"I... I just wanted to see you."
"Why?
"I don't know, I– just!"
"Well you've seen me.
You can go now."
Carrie froze for a few seconds, before nodding.
She turned around and headed for the door.
An uneasy feeling rose in her stomach, and she tried to shake her head to get rid of it, but it wouldn't go.
She took a deep breath, before exhaling sharply.
"No."
Addy furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.
"What?"
"I watched your body whilst you were bleeding out, I yelled at the ambulance to hurry the h*ll up, so I am staying here now!"
Addy was shocked to see Carrie's body shake slightly, her former friend's eyes lighting up with fear as she recalled the incident.
Addy moved her legs so that there was room on the bed.
"Carrie, sit down.
Come on, just sit down here."
Carrie did as she was told, before placing a hand on her heart to try and steady herself.
Addy placed a hand on Carrie's back. "Hey, I'm ok.
I'm fine now, ok?
I'm getting better...shhh, everything's ok."
Instinctively, Adelaine pulled Carrie into a hug, but the dark haired woman tensed up.
After a few seconds, she slowly eased into the hug, leaning her head against Adelaine's chest.
Carrie felt Adelaine run her fingers through her hair as she rubbed her back—something she used to do to comfort Carrie.
"I–I'm sorry."
Adelaine shook her head.
"Shh–"
"–No, for everything."
Adelaine's eyes widened, and she pulled away from the hug.
"What?"
Carrie sighed.
"I'm jealous of you, ok?
I think... I always have been.
You're the one who's naturally talented. You have parents that would drop everything just to help you with your homework.
Mine couldn't wait to accept more shifts just to get away from me!
And... I've always had to work ten times harder than everyone else to be good at what I love."
Adelaine knew she struggled, but she didn't know her former best friend felt this troubled.
She realised that they hadn't been on the same level in their friendship in a very long time.
"You know, people used to say I gave more to the friendship than you did", revealed Adelaine.
"They're probably right."
"So why didn't you change that?"
"I didn't know.
Not until recently."
Adelaine frowned.
"Well, I didn't exactly make it crystal clear.
I should've told you that they made me have some doubts."
"Yeah, well, it's not like I told you how I was really feeling."
Adelaine glanced at the door, before looking at Carrie again.
"I didn't tell my parents because... I don't feel as close to them as I used to.
Carrie's eyes widened.
"What the heck?
Why?"
Adelaine sighed.
"I love them.
I really do.
But, I...I feel so suffocated around them. They were worried I was throwing my talents away by being a teacher.
They supported me, but... I don't think they ever got over the fact that I'm not 16 years old anymore.
I needed space to be my own person... I mean, I'm 36, Carrie!"
Carrie couldn't believe what she was hearing.
For decades she believed Adelaine had the perfect home life.
But her former best friend wasn't as happy as she thought she was.
An uncomfortable silence fell on them, and Adelaine looked at the ground.
"Did you hear anything about the Governors results?"
Carrie shook her head.
"No.
Not one email.
They probably enjoy torturing us."
Adelaine shook her head, before placing her head in her hands and letting out a long sigh.
"I need to be with my kids, Carrie."
"They're fine."
"You don't know that."
"They came to sit with you after their show.
They sang that song... what was it?"
Adelaine sat up, wincing in pain as she did so, but pushing that pain aside. "More Than A Band?"
Carrie nodded.
"Yeah, that's the one.
It... it was actually pretty nice."
Adelaine smiled warmly as she thought about her students.
"I should probably go now", she said. "Your parents will be back."
"Wait!
Where... where does this leave us?"
Carrie exhaled softly.
"I-I don't know."
Adelaine looked at her hands, then back at Carrie, tears forming in her eyes. "Look, I wanted to uh, well...", she started, before clearing her throat.
Her voice broke as she finished speaking.
"Thank you for not leaving me to die."
"For f*ck's sake, Addy!", exclaimed Carrie.
"I'm not a monster!
I... I'd never leave you to die."
Adelaine chuckled.
"Well, I–thanks anyway."
Carrie nodded.
"So, what... what are we then?"
Adelaine contemplated Carrie's question for a few seconds.
"I think too much has happened for us to just be best friends again.
Or even friends."
Carrie nodded.
"Yeah, I... I get that."
Adelaine just nodded.
Carrie made her way to the door, quickly wiping away the tears that had rolled down her face.
"Carrie?"
Carrie could hear Adelaine's voice tremble.
"Um, if you're, if you're really serious about trying to be better, or atleast make things better between us... can you please do something for me?"
"What do you need?"
"Can you... can you go to the school and tell my kids that I'll be out of here soon and that I'm so proud of them?"
"Addy..."
"Please, Carrie."
Carrie thought about everything that had happened in the last few months. About how everything she touched seemed to turn to sh*t.
About how she needed a fresh start.
About how, the one lesson she believed in as a teacher, was that you need to let your students handle things on their own.
"I'm sorry, I can't.
You need to let them work through this without you.
It's the only way they'll learn.
__________________________
Hi.
I'm going to write Miss Laine's accident from Carrie's point of view, but it'll be in the off-season book.
I wanted to resolve this arc, but also leave it kind of open ended for the future. Some times friendships/relationship don't work out, and even after rekindling the relationship, you can realise that you're either different people now, or that it was a relationship better left in the past.
Would you have liked to see them becoming best friends again?
Also, are you liking the chapters without Miss Laine, or do you think the dynamic works best when she's with the Theatre Club?
What are your thoughts on this chapter?
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