"In a minute, Mom!" replied Cassie as she focused in on her drawing tablet, making some last second adjustments to the project she'd been working on all day.
A few minor tweaks here and there, some quick checkups to make sure it was all good, then once she was content she'd press the export button and wait a moment. After which, she'd sit back in her computer chair and let out a long sigh of relief. It had taken her most of the afternoon, but it was finally done, even if it meant having to miss out on attending the homecoming dance. Not that she was all that fussed, probably dodged a bullet or two given that there was still a pandemic going on, instead choosing to spend her evening hard at work finishing a pet project of her's.
The end result? A cute gif of a chibi-style anthropomorphic rabbit, hopping up and down with a particular emphasis on it's long floppy ears. A little present for her friend Icicle, one of several fellow young animators she knew from the discord server she frequented.
After sending it over along with a Happy Birthday message, she'd slip off her chair and start making her way to her bedroom door, shifting her way past several piles of discarded clothes and errant plushies that littered the floor. She was about to pull on the door handle when her phone pinged again, her immediate assumption being that it was Icicle responding to their gift.
Much to her surprise however, it was a text from Dawn, one of the few girls at JEM she could really call her friend. Not quite as close as with her Discord crew, but she'd made bigger efforts to reach out to her than a lot of her classmates did, and slowly but surely they ended up hanging out a fair bit around school.
She'd look it over as she made her way down the hall towards the dining room, the corners of her lips curling upwards as she let out a stifled laugh. She couldn't believe what she'd read, having up to that point written off the homecoming dance as something not worth the hassle of attending, especially with god knows how many potentially unvaccinated students all dancing in close proximity to each other. From the sound of things it ended up being a lot more entertaining than she assumed it'd be, her smile slowly fading as she let out another sigh and entered the dining room.
Her family were all busy doing their usual thing as she sat herself down. Her older brother - still wearing the same t-shirt and pyjama pants he'd worn that morning - was teasing her baby sister like he always did. Her mother and grandma were arguing about her dad's cooking again, her father having attempted something new by throwing together what could be best described as Hong Kong style spaghetti and meatballs. Meanwhile, there she was, sitting quietly at the table pondering her thoughts as she usually did.
She wondered if she'd made the right call, focusing on finishing her animation instead of attending the homecoming dance. Sure, she wouldn't have gone there with anyone, but she still couldn't help but feel like she'd missed out on something special. That everyone else in her class just got to enjoy a big shared high-school memory, whilst she was stuck in her shady bedroom yet again, hiding away from the world like she always did.
There was still the niggling worry at the back of her head about the odds of there being someone there who'd caught something nasty, spreading it to all their classmates whilst they were all bunched up together like sardines. She still had painful memories about the Wendy's incident, granted she hadn't been hit by an attack nearly that bad since January, and everyone in her family were now double vaccinated. Maybe she didn't have to be quite so careful now? Maybe it wasn't too late to still make some memories she could think back on and laugh about...
Whilst her family was distracted with each other, Cassie would look down at her phone and start messaging another of her Discord friends, a Swiss artist named Rouge who had quite the passion for winter sports.
Casscade
Hey, you go skiing in the alps often, right?
Rouge
Hey! I wouldnt say often, but a fair bit yeah. Why?
This about the winter trip you told me about?
Casscade
Yah. Thinking i might go after all.
Rouge
Cool! I think you'd really enjoy it!
Casscade
Is it dangerous?
Ive never gone skiing before.
Rouge
It can be, but beginners tend to use safer slopes, you'd be fine i'm sure!
Casscade
MMm. Been wantint to try it for ages
Don't know if I'll ever get another chance to
Still worried tho
I havent left Salem in over a year
But I really, really want to do this. I dont want to let my stupid hangups keep me from missing out all the time.
hoping ive not left it too late >.<
Rouge
I feel that. Think you should be fine if you apply soon-as
I dunno, maybe this is exactly what you need to help yourself feel better?
I think you would really enjoy it, but dont let me pressure you or anything if you're still unsure.
Casscade
Nono, I think ive made up my mind now.
Going to ask mom in a min about it
Rouge
Cool! Let me know how it goes!
After that last message, Cassie would take a deep breath, before looking up at her mother.
"Mom? Can I ask you something?"