Capricorn

"Honestly, Capricorn, just sit with us!" Virgo exclaimed. "No," I reiterated, not budging from my seat. "Look, everyone's already forgotten about the incident, what with recent developments-"

"I don't care that I got caught in one of Libra's idiotic mean girl wars or whatever. I just don't want to sit at a table full of fake, ditsy people just like her. Especially since Scorpio doesn't sit there anymore."

"Capricorn, even you have to admit your judgement is a bit off. You respected Scorpio, and he turned out to be a teenage drug addict! And even though you said Leo wasn't worth anything, look at him! Top marks in PDHPE-theory included! They might be petty and a bit fake, yes, but they aren't all that useless. Not even Libra."

"Oh, please! She's the most useless of them all! She's an arrogant, vain, unnecessarily self-pitying, fake little-"

"Stop it! Just... stop! She's not that bad and she's been through a lot this year."

"I'm not saying she hasn't."

"Okay, then you'll come and sit with us."

"Fine, but only because I can't stand your yelling."

Virgo laughed, leading me over to the last place I wanted to be-sitting at a table with Libra. The airheaded idiot was currently reapplying her mascara, holding out a compact mirror. Scorpio sat one table away, watching her with a tragic expression on his face, before turning away. Libra turned toward him, sighing, before shutting her compact and putting away her mascara, chatting animatedly with Leo. "Hey, Leo, Leebs, Aries, Gemini, Sagittarius." Virgo smiled at those seated on one side of the table. They nodded at her, letting her squeeze in with the trio seated opposite them-Aquarius, Gemini and Cancer. Libra's gaze landed on me. She did not say anything-she turned toward her plate instead. I took a seat opposite Sagittarius, trying for a smile.

Sagittarius nodded rather coldly, turning toward his best friend. His girlfriend frowned, her arms crossed, and I noticed Sagittarius was paying her no heed at all. "So, Capricorn. What do you think of... all this?" Leo asked with the air of an interrogator. Libra turned toward me, gazing t me rather intently. "Well, I think that... it's tragic, how Cancer passed without being able to see the guy he was in love with one last time, and it's also horrible how Scorpio had to resort to drugs to cope with his father, but I think things will get better." Leo nodded, seemingly satisfied with my answer. Libra, however, had not lost interest in me just yet.

"Say, Capricorn, you used to respect Scorpio, if I'm not mistaken. What do you think of him now?"

"Well, I think... I think he was in a horrible situation and that perhaps narcotics were the only thing that could relieve his stress, since he could not say anything in fear of further abuse from his father which would put both him and his sister at risk... So, I guess it's horrible, what's been happening with Scorpio, but maybe it was just the circumstance..." Libra smiled slightly, looking impressed. "You're smart, Capricorn-you really are. I mean, to figure all that out in just moments when the rest of us haven't been able to put it all together for so long... you've got a good head on those shoulders."

Even though I hated myself for it, I found myself enjoying Libra's flattering statements. It was not a bad feeling at all to be recognised for your merits, and it definitely made you grow a liking for whoever had recognised those very merits-in this case, Libra.

Snap out of it, Capricorn. She's trying to manipulate you.

A sniffle brought me back to my senses. Turning toward Aquarius, I noticed her face buried in her hands. "Aquarius... are you okay?" Leo asked, standing up and putting an arm around Aquarius in the way a big brother would. "I'm sorry, it's just..." The blonde looked up, tears streaming down her face, ruining her makeup. "I still... it still hurts, you know? Losing Cancer..." Leo nodded, not moving his arm. The new Cancer looked away, abashed, while Gemini took Aquarius' hand. However, her tears did not slow. She only cried harder yet, burying her face in Gemini's shoulder. Libra and Sagittarius stood, Aries once again neglected by her two supposed best friends.

The two best friends smiled reassuringly at Aquarius, Libra trying to calm Aquarius down with her words. "... Cancer's still in there, in your heart, he's always going to be with you when you need him..." Her words, however, did no good. Aries stood up rather abruptly, turning to look at Sagittarius. "If you don't mind, I'm going to go somewhere that I'm not totally invisible." Sagittarius frowned as Aries left, turning toward Libra.

She nudged him, tilting her head toward Aries. Sagittarius shook his head, turning back toward Aquarius. "How about you go home, get some rest? Come on, let's take you up to the office..." Gemini and Leo, showing a surprising amount of emotional maturity for two rather dense party-going populars, stood and left, Aquarius in tow just as the bell rang. "Alright, we'll be off then..." Libra and Sagittarius left together. I turned toward Virgo, who was watching Aquarius leave with a rather concerned expression. "Come on, Virgo." She nodded, picking up her bag. Cancer still sat there, completely silent as he watched everyone left.

If I was being perfectly honest, I felt bad for Cancer. He'd arrived just as the school had been hit by a fatal tragedy, not receiving much of a warm welcome or a chance to adjust to Varsity High life, what with all the teachers on edge and all the students in an almost permanent cold, shaken trance. He'd started at a school where nobody was interested in making new friends, and yet here he found himself at a table with the populars, which was quite impressive for someone who shared the same name as a student who had passed away not long before he arrived.

"Hey, Cancer, are you okay?" I asked, unable to stop myself. He nodded, smiling as he stood. "Stellar! Come on; what class do you guys have?" I sighed, my thoughts returning to Aquarius.

Cancer's death broke her mind and soul. Could she even recover?