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Carrying two cones of ice cream, Susie couldn’t help but let out a sigh as she strolled back towards the river of Hometown. Today was… weird. The big Festival and she didn’t even get to do a lot.
Plus, Noelle was acting off and Kris had this aura of feeling… worried? Or closed off? Kris was already not too emotive, but it still worried Susie.
Maybe that was why she got ice cream. To hopefully try and cheer her two friends up. Even if today was kind of a bust, she wanted to enjoy the last hours of the festival.
Finally reaching sight of the water, Susie put on a toothy grin as she held up her frosted delights. They dripped onto her clawed fingers but that was fine, she could lick them later. When they were together.
When they were… having… fun…
Susie saw something bobbing above the water. It was small, faint, she had to squint to make absolutely sure…
Then she saw Kris poking their head above the water with a gasp and trying to hold up Noelle’s. In an instant, Susie’s smile dropped and so did the ice creams.
She’d always been a bit of an impulsive person. The first idea often seemed like the best idea until she was already done and could see the consequences.
This was no different. Susie didn’t know why they were in the lake, she just knew they were in deep and needed to get out before they literally fucking died.
The water soaked her body as she dove down to grasp them both, but she didn’t care. She needed them to be okay, even if they fought against her grasp, even if she had to drag them out.
It was hard, but she eventually dragged them and let them flop on the floor. Then, she did the best impulsive choice.
She started shaking Noelle and Kris with her hands, trying to shake them awake.
”Hey! Dumbasses, it’s too late for a swim and you too looked terrible, get up! Please?”
There was nothing for a moment. And Susie felt a pit empty in her gut. Did she just lose her friends? Was she alone again?
Then, Kris started coughing. Then Noelle. Susie sighed, then punched Kris on the arm.
”Welcome back, dummy, she then turned to Noelle, switching in a softer direction. Noelle… liked soft, right? “And, uh, welcome back… smarty?”
Noelle’s face was blank, her voice hollow. She didn’t look mad.
“That wasn’t supposed to happen. You weren’t supposed to be here, it was meant to be just me and Kris, it was…”
Tears started flowing, like a dam had busted and a realisation had broken overhead.
”Oh, oh god…! Kris, Susie…! What was I… I’m… I’ve done…”
“Noelle…” Kris gasped in a wheezing voice, out of breath and strained. They slowly sat up, “It wasn’t your fault…”
Susie watched them have a conversation she didn’t entirely understand. She wanted to do something… so she wrapped her arms around them both and spoke seriously.
”Alright! I dunno what the hell you’re talking about or why you were in the lake, but now I’m promising to stick by your sides until I’m sure no crap like this is happening again, got it?”
They didn’t respond. But they didn’t say no. Susie decided to take that as a minor victory. She wasn’t gonna let her friends pull stupid shit like this.
Not as long as she was around.