Laugh it off [Open]

She knew this would happen eventually, they always showed up no matter where she was. Rose was sitting staring at the ceiling with nothing, but the memories of the nightmare she just experience plaguing her mind. Nope she wouldn't be going back to sleep anytime soon. With a sigh the spring girl sat up, and slipped out of her bed. She poked her head out of her room, to see if any of her dorm mates where still up, once it was safe that they weren't she slipped out of her room, and out of the dorm.

Rose wasn't too worried about what she was wearing it was just some sweat pants, and a long sleeved shirt, so she looked like she was just having a causal day, but it was four in the morning so.. a casual morning? She walked carefully down the hall. She didn't know where she was heading. Eventually she stumbled across the lounge, she blinked a moment before she opened the door, and stepped inside the dark room.

She flipped on a light, grabbed the remote to the tv, and settled down on the couch with the tv on. She wouldn't normal break curfew like this but she didn't want to be in her dorm at the moment, and this was probably the better place to be. Her knees were pulled close to her chest, and her eyes were lazily open as she stared at the screen which was playing some car show, which she liked because it was a car show. A small smile was on her face.

Barry had taken to wandering the halls at night since he got back from his mission with Cassandra. Sleep was something that only came to him in fits and even then it was riddled with nightmares. When he passed by the lounge, he noticed light filtering under the door and wondered who else would be up at this hour. He creaked open the door and entered. He saw the tv on, with some car show on it. He figured someone was on the couch, so he walked in front of the couch. He saw a girl sitting there with a smile on her face. "What are you doing awake?" he croaked.

Rose jumped as soon as she heard the voice, she looked over and saw another person. She was scared at first that she was going to get into trouble, but when she saw it was another student she relaxed a little. Well she was still tense because it was another person, who happened to be a guy. She had to do a double take on the guy. He looked like Ed, but Ed has blue eyes and whitish hair.. Was this guy related?

She looked in Barry's direction but didn't exactly meet his gaze. "Oh.. I couldn't sleep..." She explained, it was true. She did this a lot before she came here. Nightmares would happen, she would get up in the middle of the night, and end up watching some car show until she fell asleep again or had to do something.

The boy yawned. "Me neither, but that's nothing unusual lately." he mumbled. He flopped down on the opposite end of the couch. "I'm exhausted but I haven't been able to sleep in days." The Autumn also was barely eating, and taking care of himself seemed to go out the window. His hair was a dull brown now, and his previously bright green eyes were dark and sunken with dark bags underneath them. He looked hollow and lifeless. He felt hollow and lifeless.

She could easily tell that something bad had happened to the boy. It was easy to see when she once looked like that herself. Hell she sometimes still did when she had a string of days that got bad. She wanted to ask but that would be rude right? He probably didn't want to tell her, and even if he did, he would probably expect something in return.. She couldn't even tell her story to her parents.. how was she supposed to share it with some stranger? She cleared her head before wrapping her arms around her legs. "Sleeping doesn't come easy.. to me either.. it's been this way for a few.. years..." She looked over to the other student. "Do.. you know Ed?" She asked, she had to know.

Barry nodded. "Yeah. He's my twin brother. he told her. So Ed must be trying to make friends, he thought, Good. He needs some normalcy in his life. He wondered what could've caused the girl to be so sleep deprived. Maybe something similar happened to her? He doubted it, but he didn't know.

"So.. that is why you two.. look so similar.." She remarked mostly to herself. She shifted slightly, but kept her knees to her chest, it was just a comfortable position for her. She couldn't help but keep glancing over to him, wondering if he was alright. She hated it when someone looked like she did about a year ago.. It concerned her.. No one should be looking like that..

She looked over at him, not afraid to meet his gaze. He wouldn't be able to hurt her in that condition right? "Hey.. Are you alright?.. You look like.." me.. "You aren't doing to well with whatever that happened..." Her hands tugged nervously on the edge of her hoodie. She didn't have her sweater to tug on at the moment.

"It's nothing... I'm fine..." he lied. He didn't know this girl, so he didn't say anything, even though he really wanted to. He wanted someone to tell his story to. He wanted someone to tell his problems too. He had someone who would've listened to his problems without a care in the world. But she was gone. Sure he had Magic to talk to, possibly Lamia, Aspen, or Ed, but they just weren't the same. Cassandra was special. She was one of a kind. He shook his head slightly, getting his head out of his memories. He looked back at the girl. He wasn't sure what to say back to the girl. She looked better off than he did.

She blinked, then a frown crossed her features as she studied his face. "You're lying.." Her brown eyes flicked across his features. "I know that look all to well.." Her eyes narrowed slightly. She didn't want to force him to tell her what happened, that was a choice he had to make on his own, but sitting there and saying he was fine, wasn't a good thing. "Look.. you don't have to... tell me.. but.. saying you are fine, when you... aren't isn't a good thing.." There was also someone who could tell, and once they found out, the others would soon follow.

"I have to try and act fine, though. There's nothing else I can do. It's either that or completely shut down." he said. "I have to at least try and move forward." he said. The more he thought about what happened, the more anger he felt. He kept getting sadder, yes, but as he thought about that day, and about that girl, Cadence, the sadness began to dull as a red hot anger began to bubble deep in his being.

Rose let out a slight huff. "There is always a third option you know.. you don't have to act fine, nor do you have to completely shut down.." She untucked herself from her sitting position, and leaned forward slightly, ignoring her car show. "It's okay to be.. sad.. or depressed.. or even take some time for yourself... but if you don't tell anyone.. or you don't get help for it somehow... it will eat you alive..." She explained. "It will just get worse and worse... until... well... bad things will happen, and you might.. end up hurting people you are close too.." She tore her gaze away from him, took a moment to collect herself, before looking back to Barry.

It already has eaten me alive. he thought. But he nodded. "I know.. but I don't know what to do. I just feel so dead inside." he admitted. "The only thing keeping me going right now is the anger that has built its way up." He made a mental note to talk to Ed and Magic later, to see if they would teach him how to fight properly. He needed an outlet.

"Well you aren't going to move back in a positive direction unless you get some sort of help. I know you probably don't want to hear it, but it's a good thing to do.." Her voice was slightly stronger, but it still had an underlying nervousness to it. She didn't want any help.. she didn't want people to be concerned with her or her issues, but people.. cared.. and they wanted her to get better.. to live a good life... "I have been... through similar issues myself..." Her voice returned to it's original volume..

"I know you're right, but I can't do that." he said, "And I'm not sure why. I just can't." If he tried to talk to Ed, he couldn't do anything, he doesn't know what its like. And Barry had no idea what he'd do. He'd probably try and go after Cadence himself. Not something the Autumn wanted the boy to do.

"You can, you just don't want to. You are only repeating what I said over a year ago." She said. "You don't have to seek out a friend, or family.. It could be someone who is qualified to help you, or maybe some person who cares.. People don't want you to deal with it alone.." She shifted in her spot, her hands messing with the ends of her sweat shirt.