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Rosa slipped off her heels with a groan of satisfaction, stretching out her aching feet. She'd stayed behind to help Cassandra clear up after prom, and the last stragglers had left only a few minutes ago. Cassandra had sent most people home, but Rosa was very insistent that she was staying, at least until the majority of the cleaning up was done, leaving the two of them there alone.
"Please go home," Cassandra told her for the umpteenth time.
Rosa continued to shove empty plastic cups into the garbage bags. "Not enjoying my company?" She asked, glancing over at the blonde with a teasing smile.
Cassandra sighed defeatedly, bending down to pick up pieces of trash littered around the dance floor. "Anyone ever tell you you're stubborn, Rosa?"
"Oh, all the time," she replied, piling paper plates into the garbage bag. "It's one of my many wonderful traits."
Cassandra chuckled at her response. "Well, I appreciate you staying."
"To be fair, I've got nothing better to do anyway," Rosa said with a shrug, tying a knot at the top of the garbage bag. Once she was done, she tossed it towards the rest of the pile, sitting down by the bar to rest for a few moments.
"Everything okay at home?" Cassandra asked, pausing to glance over at Rosa, who was busy opening a bottle of cider.
"Yeah," she replied, though, slightly unconvincingly. "Grizz, Sasha and Glenn moved in, which I'm actually really thankful for, it was hard being alone. The house still feels so damn empty though."
Cassandra nodded in agreement. "I know what you mean. Almost every room in my house is occupied, but it still just feels wrong," she said. "I thought it would get easier as time went on, but every single day feels the same– it just always feels like something's missing."
Rosa placed the bottle down on the table, turning to face Cassandra, who continued to pick up litter from around the room. "How do you do it?" She asked her. "You know, put on such a brave face. Get on with things, just like that, as if it doesn't even faze you."
"Honestly?" Cassandra straightened up, turning to face Rosa again. "I'm terrified. And it doesn't feel as if it's ever going to get any easier. I don't know, maybe it will in time, or maybe we'll find our way back home sooner than we think..." she trailed off, smiling weakly over at Rosa. "What else can you do though? Except get on with things. Even when it's hard, you just have to face it."
Rosa nodded along as she spoke, lowering her gaze to the ground as her mind began to drift. Cassandra's words were comforting, knowing that someone who seemed so poised and in control all the time felt just as terrified as her. And Cassandra was right, about having to face things, even when it gets hard. But that still didn't make the pain, the hurt, and the struggle, any easier for Rosa, or for anyone.
