An Adult's New Life

Mallory's life has been noted to be fairly unlucky in the past. But with the help of her guardians and her friends, she pushed through. But as feelings rise and tensions grow, can she push through?

Mallory was late.

Again.

For the fifth time this week.

For the same. God. Damn. F*****g. Class.

University life was a b***h.

As Mallory ran, nearly tripping over someone’s discarded skateboard as she left her dorm, she was splashed by a puddle as a biker rode past her, got her recently curled hair caught in a low-bearing tree branch, dropped her phone in the mud, and was scrapped by the door of her classroom once she reached her Psychology course.

Who everyone saw enter was a extremely tall girl with long, unevenly cut, permed brown hair that was pretty much ruined from the run over, a hazel left eye dilating to the room’s light, her right eye being covered in a simple black eyepatch with a small white smile emoji painted on it, and a tired expression with two teeth missing. Wearing her simple red t-shirt, torn jeans, and a rundown pair of black tennis shoes, some people assumed a homeless person had entered.

As she sat in the doorway, catching her breath, her professor, Dr. Bramble, gave her an understanding smile.

“Late night, Ms. Kroaft?” He asked as she nodded. He reached into his desk, pulled out his small first aid kit, and tossed it over to her. Of course she didn’t catch it. But no one expected her to. Everyone in her class, on campus really, knew her awful luck. It was basically her identity. That, and her hundreds of custom eye patches for her fucked right eye. As she nodded her thanks, opening it up for bandages (yes, it was that bad, no she was NOT going to the hospital. That cost money. She didn’t have money), Mallory walked over to her seat.

“Movie, homework, or talking with Vanessa?” Jane, Mallory’s friend and deskmate, asked. Jane knew Mallory well and had pinpointed exactly what would cause her to stay up. Mallory’s face flushed just a small bit at the mention of Vanessa, to which Jane smiled.

“Girl. C’mon. Again? Are you SURE she isn’t just as gay as your sorry a*s is?” Jane chuckled as Mallory blushed even harder. Goddamnit, why was she so obvious?

“I keep telling you, YES. She’s dated guys before.” Mallory hissed as she slid into her seat, putting her attention to Dr. Bramble. He was lecturing on disorders and had just reached the topic of depression. Mallory was well-versed in the topic, so she easily allowed herself to stop paying attention as soon as the word “stress” appeared.

Mallory’s past was one that she never talked about. Her parents leaving her, living on the streets, the cat attack on her eye (there was a reason she had the eye patches), the continuous streak of worse and worse luck, and the adventual want to end it all. And she almost did… had it not been for Vanessa.

After Vanessa found her lying on the river bank and performed CPR, saving Mallory’s life, the two became inseparable. Through all her therapy, all the talks of continuing school (being held back was absolutely worth it if it meant graduating with Vanessa, who was a year younger than herself), and throughout the guardianship process. Hell, Vanessa’s family were fully supportive to the point of BECOMING her guardians (not parents. When Mallory asked why, they just smiled at each other and told her not to worry about it). It was a wonder Mallory didn’t develop feelings for Vanessa earlier than she did.

Internally sighing, she wished she didn’t have those feelings.

Vanessa had decided to go into cosmetology and was going to a completely different school than Mallory was, which made hanging out a lot more difficult. Mallory, wanting to become a counselor or therapist (whatever one was easier, to be honest), applied and was accepted into a college almost notorious for the amount of psychology majors it pumped out. So that alone made it even harder than it already was to deal with her very, very, very inconvenient crush on her best friend.

“Ms. Kroaft? Are you paying attention?”

Mallory was startled out of her thoughts at the mention of her name. Looking up, she saw a worried Bramble and an amused Jane.

“We’ve been saying your name for, like, ten minutes, girl! What’s got your thoughts all tangled?” Adrian, a goofball of a football player, asked. Mallory’s face turned beet red, making Jane laugh.

“Oh, I know what thoughts have her all tangled, Adrian.” Jane teased. Mallory gave a half teasing, half warning punch to Jane’s shoulder, who got the message immediately. Mallory wasn’t technically “out of the closet” just yet, and this was for sure not the preferred location for such an announcement. 

“What? Tell us! Can’t be as bad as Hector’s freaky gayness!” Another guy, Robin, called out, making Mallory freeze. Jane did as well, but for entirely different reasons. Dr. Bramble sighed.

“Mr. Degger, such comments are not appropriate for a classroom setting. Please leave them outside.” He said. Robin scoffed but remained silent. A quiet thank you nod from Mallory gave Bramble the message, who smiled with an understanding nod.

“Anyways, as I was saying, Ms. Kroaft, do you perhaps know what part of the brain is affected by depression?” Dr. Bramble asks. Mallory nods.

“Trick question, as it can affect multiple parts of the brain. The hippocampus, the prefrontal cortex, the thalamus, among a few others. There are also studies showing that a decrease in the gray matter of the brain is directly correlated to depression.” Mallory states. She could go into deep detail about the subject but that would waste everyone’s time, so she simplified it. Dr. Bramble nodded, smiling at the fact that at least ONE student knew what they were talking about.

“Correct on all accounts, Ms. Kroaft.” He said as he turned back to the board. Jane smiled as she nudged Mallory.

“Did some research on your own, huh?” She whispered. Mallory shrugged.

“Something like that.” She responded when a small thud was felt on the back of her head. Turning around, she saw Robin giving her the middle finger, to which she did the same.

What a b***h.

Robin looked like your usual jock. Some sports team jersey was worn over a black t-shirt, torn jeans and huge work boots covered his legs, while a baseball cap with various insignias and sayings ironed on to it covered the mess that was his choppy brown hair. The only reason Mallory never had thrown a punch at the guy was the fact that he was ripped. He could easily destroy her whenever he felt like it. But the two always flipped each other off, so it was more of acknowledgement of each other’s dislike for each other. Mallory looked down and saw a piece of paper on the floor, one that looked like writing was on it. Picking it up and unfolding it, she froze in absolute fear.

I know. 

Mallory quickly turned to see Robin whispering to his deskmate.

It had begun. Mallory turned slowly to Jane, who looked over, first confused, then, noticing Mallory’s expression, fearful.

Jane quickly looked at the letter then to Robin, who had turned to the closest person to whisper to them. They looked at each other and then Jane gained a face that Mallory had never seen before.

Something cold.

Slowly getting up, Jane began to walk over to Robin.

“Ms. Livesay, where are you going?” Dr. Bramble asked. Jane shrugged, saying nothing. As soon as she reached Robin, she stood in front of him, waiting for a response. She didn’t have to wait long.

“What? Mallory’s a gay freak. I’m just making sure everyone knows.” He said snidely, as if he was some hero. Jane just sighed.

Then proceeded to choke him out.

“Next time you decide to try and f**k someone up, know who your dealing with.” Jane said coldly as Robin grabbed at Jane’s arms but couldn’t seem to pull them off. Oh, was it ever mentioned that Jane was a part of the women’s wrestling team?

“MS. LIVESAY! ENOUGH!” Dr. Bramble roared as he rushed over. Jane stopped as soon as the professor reached her.

“You, get out of my classroom. We’ll talk once class is over. And you…” He said, pointing to Robin, “go to your academic advisor’s office. You will wait for me or more… direct action will be taken.” He said with a cold authority. Robin froze, looking outraged.

“She nearly killed me, bro!” He cried out. Dr. Bramble nodded.

“Indeed she did. And she will be receiving punishment herself. But you’ve made many discriminatory remarks, remarks that according to school rules, aren’t excusable in anyway. I have made myself tolerable to such remarks from you, but discrimination directed towards one student as you try and undermine her will not be allowed. Now, get the hell out of my classroom.” Dr. Brambled spat out. Robin got up, looking over at Mallory with such hatred that she knew she’d see it again, over and over and over. As soon as the two left the room, the professor turned to the class.

“From this point on, if even one remark of discrimantion occurs in this room, you will be removed for the day and lose all credit on the next assignment. Do I make myself clear?” He said, and everyone nodded. Mallory remained frozen in her seat. What would everyone think? What about all the girls? She was on good terms with all of them. What would happen now? Would they avoid her? And how would the guys react?

Mallory hid her face in her arms.

Man, did she hate Robin.

____________________________________________________________________________

As soon as class ended, Mallory rushed out of the room, ignoring even Adrian, her best friend, as she ran to her dorm. She didn’t even notice the paint that had gotten on her shirt or the bird s**t that was on her shoulder. She flung open her room, slammed the door behind her, and flung herself into bed, hiding herself in the blankets. And there she stayed.

An hour later, there was a knock at the door.

“Mallory, you there?”

Mallory’s already shaken nerves began to quiver like a magnitude 9 earthquake.

“Come in.” She called out, hoarse from all the crying she had done for the last hour, and in came Adrian and his girlfriend, Sasha, the cheerleader captain.

Adrian was a tall, not-overly muscular guy with a buzzcut, nose piercing, and hundreds of tattoos all over his body. Wearing a polo shirt, slacks, and nice brown dress shoes didn’t fit his physical appearance, but nor did his bubbly, goofy personality.

Sasha, on the other hand, was gorgeous. Long blonde hair, perfect green eyes, a small freckle patch over her nose, and a fantastic figure. On top of that, Sasha dressed like she was going to a fancy restaurant or event everyday, with a perfect white dress that never got dirty, lovely red high heels, and a series of gold and red jewelry. She was kind to everyone, even Mallory, who was the direct opposite.

The two walked over and sat on either side of her, and Adrian wrapped his arms around her.

“You good?” He asked. Mallory had stopped crying not too long ago, but having Adrian ask that made it all come out as she broke down sobbing, almost lurching off the bed as she just shattered. Sasha quickly sprung into action, pulling Mallory close as she stroked Mallory’s back, trying her best to comfort the poor girl. It took a little, but Mallory eventually calmed down enough to start talking.

“Why did he have to go and do that? I… I haven’t even come out to… to my guardians… Jane only found out by accident! Not… not even Vanessa knows… god, I could kill him right now…” Mallory muttered with spite. Adrian nodded in agreement.

“Ever since Hector came out to us, the guy’s been a dick. And what he was trying to do was… well, how did he even know?” He asked. Mallory shrugged.

“I dunno. Maybe he saw me fawning over the girls in class…” She whispered, still shaken. Sasha sighed.

“Well, however he found out, I hope he gets what he deserves. Robin has always been a monster.” Sasha said with contempt. Mallory looked up at Adrian’s girlfriend. To be perfectly honest, she wondered why they weren’t the same. Why were they being so kind, so nice to her? Why weren’t they…

“Why aren’t you guys freaked out? How could you act as if nothing happened?” Mallory asked quietly. Tears were welling up again as she grappled with the aspect that not everyone was like Jane: understanding and supportive. She had only met one person who outwardly said they supported the LGBTQ+, and that was Jane.

Adrian and Sasha looked at Mallory as if she had clown makeup on.

“Why would we? So you like girls. I like girls! Why is that so weird to other people? Girls are hot!” Adrian stated matter-of-factly, as if the rest of the world should know it by now. Sasha nodded in agreement.

“My mom is married to a wondrous woman right now. And I think we all agreed that we were better off without my scumbag of a dad.” Sasha said with a laugh.

“But… what about everyone else? How can I enter that room without being stared at? What if they hate me? I… I don’t want them to hate me…” Mallory said. 

Right at that moment, Sasha’s phone rang. Excusing herself, Sasha stepped outside, answering the phone. She didn’t even close the door behind her as she turned around. Smiling, the girl pulled her phone down from her ear, stepped inside, and pushed a button.

“Your on speaker, Cass.” Sasha said and Mallory tensed up. Cassidy was one of the girls in her class, one of the friendliest and connected with pretty much every single girl on campus.

“MALLORY! Are you okay?! Do you need some food or drinks?! What do you need?! I swear I will sell my soul for whatever you need, Mal!” Cassidy’s voice screamed out of the phone.

“Cass, don’t overwhelm her. She’s probably traumatized.” Another voice, much farther away, called out, and Mallory recognized it as Ibara, the Japanese international student that just so happened to be Sasha’s roommate.

“WELL I CAN’T HELP IT WHEN MY FRIEND IS… what was the word Bramble used?” Cassidy quickly asked Ibara.

“Undermined?”

“YEAH! UNDERMINED! ROBIN IS A CREEP WHO NEEDS TO BE REMOVED! If you need something Mal, you better tell me so I can make sure you feel better!”

“Same.” Ibara called out. Mallory sat there, tears now basically erupting from her face.

“What did I do to deserve you guys?” She muttered.

“Uh, being a cool gal?” Cassidy answered.

“The fifty times you gave me a heart attack then the fifty times you apologized.” Ibara deadpanned.

“I mean, you and I WERE paired at orientation so I guess it just happened.” Adrian said, pondering it himself.

“I can’t help but be friends with all the pretty girls.” Sasha said lightly as she hugged Mallory. No one mentioned it then, but the smile that Mallory gave was enough to make everyone, even those who couldn’t even see it, smile.

“Thanks.”

____________________________________________________________________________

“Welcome home, Mallory!” 

Mallory smiled as Mrs. Kathie Belair quickly enveloped Mallory in a huge hug, one that Mallory returned. The two were so close that some people often mistake them as old college friends.

“C’mere, kiddo! You can’t forget your old man!” Mr. Ronald Ruel Belair (as he was often introduced as) walked over, his immense muscular body and height capable of bear hugging (correction: crushing) both Mallory and his wife.

The Belair family or, as Mallory liked to think of them as, the Belair Angels, were Vanessa’s parents and Mallory’s guardians, which made their home her home. It was a safe space for her and she enjoyed the comfort and peace this place brought her.

“Vanessa is at class right now but she’ll be home in about half an hour!” Kathie said happily as she sauntered over to the kitchen, Ronald following suit as he smiled a knowing smile towards Mallory. She chuckled as she pondered the meaning behind the smile. What did those two have planned?

Mallory followed them into the kitchen, only to be surprised by a small cake in the middle of the room, Jane, Adrian, Sasha, Cassidy, and Ibara all standing around the table, and a small pile of wrapped boxes and gift bags.

“Oh s**t, it’s my birthday!” Mallory exclaimed as everyone laughed.

“We knew you forgot, so we sort of informed the Belairs.” Adrian teased and Mallory gave the boy a small friendly punch in the shoulder.

Mallory opted to wait for Vanessa, as it was revealed that it was her idea to throw a surprise for Mallory. It just felt right to give Vanessa the chance to enjoy the party she worked hard to plan in the first place. As everyone talked, Mallory headed up to her room.

Despite living at college, Mallory routinely returned home, so her guardians always kept her room as it was.

It also just so happened to be Vanessa’s room as well.

One could easily tell who’s side of the room was who’s by just a glance. Vanessa’s side was full of bright colors, a bright blue wall covered in various k-pop band posters, flyers for big events, and tons of cute stickers; a bright pastel pink blanket over her bed with enough Squishmellows to supply the entire country of China, a small white desk vanity sat off to the side, makeup and hair care tools messily left on top of it; and, of course, a cork board with dozens of photos, mostly of her and Mallory.

Mallory’s side was a duller, with a mute gray wall, gray blankets and one singular pillow on her bed, a simple standing desk that Adrian got her for her birthday the year before, and a dry erase board with a couple of magnets holding a couple photos, all of her and Vanessa. Mallory tried to keep her side nice and neat, but the occasional sock was left on the floor along with quite a bit of trash.

The girl quietly sat down on her bed as she took a couple of breaths. Of course they remembered. Why wouldn’t they? They always supported her and knew more about her than she knew about herself. But why now? Why couldn’t they have waited a week or two? Mallory sighed as she laid down, her mind swirling with thoughts.

What if they found out? What if they kicked her out? Would she still be able to see Vanessa? What if SHE found out? What would she do? Would Vanessa begin to ignore her, berate her? What if…

“Mal! There you are!”

Mallory jumped up in surprise, not much unlike a startled cat, and quickly had to steel her nerves.

Vanessa was a couple inches shorter than Mallory (though most people were, as Mal had FINALLY gotten her growth spurt and was now towering over most people), but that didn’t make any difference to Mallory, as Vanessa, in her eyes, was always high on a pedestal. Her hair was a perfect, shiny, straight, black that Mallory always thought would be softer than the clouds in the sky as it reached past her shoulders. Shining ocean blue eyes looked at Mallory as a perfect smile with small dimples stretched across Vanessa’s perfect amber face. At that moment, she wore a plain white t-shirt with a black hoodie with her favorite band’s logo over it, simple jeans that had a chain attached to it, and black leather boots. Mallory knew that the large Japanese-oriental styled shark tattoo on Vanessa’s back was also there, but what was that to her? Nothing more than something that made Vanessa all the more unattainable. She looked good in anything, and was just so… cool? That seemed bland but it was a good word to begin with.

“Hey, Mal, you okay?” Vanessa asked, snapping her fingers in front of Mallory’s face, bringing her back to reality. Mallory shook her head for dramatic affect, as if to shake off something.

“Yeah, yeah I’m good! Just got lost in my head for a moment.” Mallory said, smiling, Vanessa giggled and that alone had Mallory’s heart stop beating. Goddamnit, this girl was perfect to a T.

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Now, come on down. We have to celebrate.” Vanessa said. Mallory nodded and the two began to head downstairs.

“You, um, look… good in that.” Mallory stuttered, kicking herself for being so awkward. But at least Vanessa smiled anyways.

“I’m glad you like it.” She said simply and Mallory smiled, her face turning a shade of pink that would probably give her away as soon as Vanessa looked over, so she simply turned to look the other way. 

As the party commenced, Mallory smiled.

Bad luck, good luck. It didn’t matter to her as long as she had these people to support her.

____________________________________________________________________________

It was a matter of time before Robin struck.

And strike hard he did.

He struck right where Mallory felt safest.

Which would explain why she had locked herself in the bathroom of her house as police were called and as Vanessa pleaded to let her in and as Adrian shouted curses and threats to Robin and as Jane was being held back by Ronald. Mallory clenched her head, the voices in her head beginning to get louder and louder.

They’ll leave you behind.

No one will love you now.

They hate you.

Everyone hates you.

SHE HATES YOU.

“SHUT UP!” Mallory cried as she clenched her ears, hoping to make them go away, to make it all go away, but her inner demons screamed and jarred at her, laughing, mocking, belittling, as they tore at her heart and soul.

And it all began with a simple. F*****g. Rock.

____________________________________________________________________________

*BEFORE S**T HIT THE FAN*

Mallory loved cake. It was perhaps the greatest food to be invented since the creation of cheese. And Mallory loved cheese as well. So when she found that the cake was triple chocolate with cream cheese frosting, she found herself in foodie heaven.

As the cake was divided amongst everyone, Mallory found her eyes wandering to Vanessa. Why? Why did she even care for her? Vanessa was her best friend, so perhaps that was why it was so easy to develop feelings, but it was more than that.

Vanessa had saved her life.

B***h slapped (literally) sense into Mallory’s then-suicidal mindset.

Pushed for the school to allow her to be brought back, even if it meant being held back.

Supported her throughout all her therapy with Mr. Bandura.

Answered every call Mallory made to her.

And was just an overall joy to have nearby.

Mallory must have been staring quite funny, as Vanessa turned to her and made a dorky face, one which Mallory was quick to return.

Of course, all good things come to an end.

Just as Kathie and Ibara were about to begin handing presents to Mallory, a sudden crash and the shattering of glass caught everyone off guard and gained everyone’s undivided attention. Mallory froze.

“What… was… that…?” Kathie breathed out as quietly as possible, as if there were people now inside.

“WHERE IS THAT F*****G GAY FREAK?!”

Everyone froze at that. But no one was as scared as Mallory was. She knew that voice. Almost everyone in the room did.

“What the hell is Robin doing here?” Vanessa hissed. Adrian shrugged as he and Ronald carefully made their way to the front door. Ronald slowly opened it, only to be hit by a rock.

“Ronald!” Kathie cried out, rushing to her husband’s side. Adrian threw open the door and as he did so, Mallory caught sight of what was going on as she peeked out the kitchen.

Robin and a dozen others, ranging from men and women alike, stood on the lawn. Robin’s family, Mallory guessed. And they all were holding rocks.

“YOU BETTER SEND OUT THAT LITTLE GAY BEFORE WE STONE YOUR ENTIRE HOUSE, OLD MAN!” Robin roared out.

“Our dear son was kicked off the team because of that hellspawn! We demand retribution, you w****s!” A woman cried out. Yep, this was Robin’s family alright.

“You will be receiving no compensation nor will you gain anyone. If you do not leave, I will resort to calling the police.” Ronald said simply. A couple of rocks would never hurt the large man. Hell, he had been a part of over twenty gangs over his lifetime. It was only fairly recently he wasn’t a part of one. But he still sported the hundreds of marks and tattoos to show for his time in the underworld. Robin, on the other hand, probably had never been harmed, meaning that a small cut would leave him balling like a baby, but he didn’t care.

Robin had come for compensation and he was going to get it.

“You scum. You harbor the product of Satan, the Antichrist, himself! You dare turn us away?! You dare allow filth and ruin to consume your home, to consume this community, to consume this country?! You are no man but a sinner!” A man roared out. Ronald’s eyes squinted in rage as he walked over to one of the cabinets that stood by the door, opened the doors, and pulled out his rifle.

“Get off my f*****g lawn, you lunatics.” Ronald grumbled.

Robin scoffed…

And caught sight of Mallory.

“THERE SHE IS! FATHER, MOTHER, THERE SHE IS!” Robin screeched and the family roared as they rushed the house. Mallory, feeling the adrenaline roaring, rushed to the bathroom and quickly locked the door.

The shot of the rifle was heard, as did the sound of a man crying out in agony.

There was another.

Then another.

Then Adrian began his cussing and cursing.

Jane instance of ruining their lives.

Ronald telling her to stop.

Kathie calling the police.

And Vanessa…

“Mallory?! Mallory?! Are you okay?! Mal, please answer!”

____________________________________________________________________________

“You’re lucky that all they did was throw stones to begin with. The Degger family is notorious for threatening queer youth with guns and explosives.” The responding officer told the Belair family as Mallory was taken to the hospital, still clutching her head, muttering for the noise to stop. It wasn’t lunatic ravings but her own thoughts speaking to her.

And Vanessa didn’t know how she could help.

Of all the ways for Vanessa to learn something about Mallory, this hadn’t been the way she would’ve wanted to learn of her friend’s sexuality (Adrian confirmed it after everyone was arrested).

“Is there anything you can do? If they were bold enough to launch a riot with a gun pointed at them, I’d hate to think what they could do when Mal’s alone.” Kathie asked. The officer nodded.

“I’ll post someone to watch over her. Don’t worry, she’ll be safe.”

____________________________________________________________________________

Mallory was slowly able to compose herself and silence her vices as she was continually visited by everyone. Cassidy always cried when she visited, having only Ibara to keep her from completely breaking down. Jane, Adrian, and Sasha usually visited together, Jane having all the notes and assignments that Mallory was going to need when she eventually left. Her guardians Ronald and Kathie would always bring a slice of cake or a new book for her to read.

And then there was Vanessa.

She visited every single day, bringing various little things and telling stories of what she had done that day. Mallory was content with listening to Vanessa’s dazzling voice, though she began to drift her eye to Vanessa’s lips, often wondering how it would feel to kiss them.

Trauma had a way to make Mallory go down bad for those she found attractive.

Mallory was released from the hospital a couple weeks later but was told to stay home for the rest of the month, just to make sure nothing could bring back another mental breakdown. It was during this quarantine of sorts that Vanessa and Mallory found themselves alone at home, sitting across from each other, both wanting to ask something but the awkwardness not allowing themselves to.

Vanessa looked at Mallory.

Mallory looked back.

They looked away from each other.

And this went on for about ten minutes.

Finally, Vanessa let out a disgruntled sigh.

“Damnit, this is going nowhere.” She muttered as she looked at Mallory directly, her blue eyes piercing Mallory’s soul.

“When were you going to tell me, huh?” Vanessa asked. Mallory’s rigid posture, while relaxing, became lurched over and cowardly, her arms hiding her face as she pulled her knees up to her chest. She knew this was going to happen eventually, but that didn’t make it any easier.

“I… I don’t know… I guess I just thought that maybe… maybe it would be better if no one knew. I mean, we’ve seen what people can be like if someone is different from them…” Mallory said, her eye looking everywhere but at Vanessa. The girl shook her head, almost disappointed.

“The Mal I know would never care about what other people thought of her.” She retorted.

“Well maybe in a world where people expect you to date the opposite sex having feelings for the same sex makes it a little harder to not care.” Mallory shot back. Vanessa, slightly shocked but unfazed, continued.

“Even so, you know I would never care. Mom and Dad would never care. Nor would anyone else in our circle of friends and family. I don’t understand why, even after everything, you still can’t find the courage to ask for help.” Vanessa said.

“I can’t find courage when the person I love is in that circle!” Mallory blurted out, blood boiling, standing up. Vanessa froze as she replayed those words in her head. But it didn’t end there.

“You know how hard it is to harbor feelings for someone you have known for a long time?! Do you understand how difficult it is when you were f****n’ raised to think that people like that were w****s and prositutes?! DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHY I COULD NEVER SAY ‘I LOVE YOU’ TO THE VERY PERSON I WANT TO BE WITH ME FOREVER?! I LOST ALL MY HOPE THREE YEARS AGO AFTER SHE STARTED DATING GUYS I WAS NEVER EVEN INTRODUCED TO! GOD! F*****G! DAMNIT! VANESSA, DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND THAT I LOVE YOU?!” Mallory cried out, tears in her eyes. Vanessa sat on her bed, frozen, staring in disbelief at her frie… friend? It slowly dawned on Mallory what she said and when she realized the magnitude of what she said, she took a step back.

“I… I’m… oh god it wasn’t supposed…” Mallory said.

And then she bolted out the door.

“Mallory!” Vanessa called out, quickly getting up and giving chase.

But Mallory had always been the more athletically abled of the two and Vanessa barely caught sight of her as she ran off down the road, far away, out of the house, into the night.

Mallory cursed herself over and over. Why?! Why did she have to lose her cool to Vanessa?! Why did she have to confess like that?! It would be a miracle if Vanessa even tolerated her now! Tears running down her face like a tsunami, Mallory tripped on the root of a tree, landing and badly cutting her knee open. But she continued to run. Run far away from her… was it even her home now? Would she be allowed in when she had eyes for their very daughter? Would anyone allow her into their lives knowing that she would fall for any women living with her? Damnit…

She doesn’t love you.

She never will love you.

She’s barely tolerated your f*****g presence.

W***e.

B*****d.

Freak.

You were never her friend.

“Shut up shut up shut up…” Mallory sobbed, her body slowing down as she collapsed to the ground, her chest tightening and seemingly taking the breath out of her. Crawling into a nearby ally, Mallory sobbed and cried. She let her tears out as she felt herself die inside. Once upon a time, she learned how to accept her bad luck, but this was so much more. This wasn’t just bad luck, but fate turning against her. Pulling her legs close to her, Mallory burst into wails, tears soaking her pants so much that eventually the jeans couldn’t absorb anymore water.

Freak.

Monster.

Abnormality.

Abomination.

Creep.

Stalker.

Lovesick, naive, ugly moron.

“Sh… shut… shut up…” Mallory could barely even tell the voices to stop and did they even listen? No, of course not, they were not real. Just her fears and hatred for herself taking form as the voices in her head.

As she sat there, crying, she felt something rub on her legs. Taking a chance to look, what she saw surprised her.

There, rubbing its head on her leg, was a cat. And not just any cat, THE cat. The black cat with the missing eye that once tormented Mallory but then was the reason Vanessa even found her and saved her. It was healthier looking now, and it wasn’t alone. Sitting nearby was an orange tabby, licking its paws as it watched. Mallory watched as the tabby got up, walked over, crawled into Mallory’s lap, and cuddled up with the crying girl. The black cat curled up on the side of her and fell asleep.

Mallory, still sobbing, slowly stroked the two cats, careful as to not upset them (after all, it was the black cat’s fault she even had to wear those eyepatches in the first place). Neither seemed to care, so Mallory continued to pet the cats as she slowly regained her senses. Sighing, she put her head back on the brick wall as she cursed herself.

“Why do I never do the right thing?” She asked out loud, not wanting an answer.

“Maybe because you never consider that other people have feelings too.”

Mallory whirled around to see a very tired and very flustered Vanessa standing in front of her. God did one thing right: even when she was sweaty, hair messed up, and tear streaks visible on her face, Vanessa still looked gorgeous.

“How…” Mallory began but simply received a slap to the face.

“Don’t you ever run off like that again, Ms. Kroaft.” Vanessa said menacingly, but her shaky voice made it hard to take it seriously. Mallory nodded, the two of them tearing up again. It was going to be a long night for the tear ducts.

“Why?”

“Huh?” Mallory looked into Vanessa’s eyes, confused.

“Why did you run?”

Mallory turned away.

“I…”

“Why have you never told me?”

“I just… I didn’t…”

“...” Vanessa stayed silent for a moment before she spoke up.

“How long?”

Mallory froze as she heard that. She knew exactly what she was asking but… did she have the guts to say it? Taking a deep, tremoring breath, Mallory told her.

“Since the 7th grade.” Mallory said. Vanessa’s breath hitched and Mallory let herself talk.

“You were the only person who talked to me, who took all the s****y luck I had and made it laughable, the one person I could count on to make me smile. You… I always thought you were much cuter than any of the guys but even I didn’t know what I was feeling. It… it wasn’t until my sophomore year when I saw you dance on stage for the talent show that I realized that I had… that I wanted to be more than just friends. And as we reached college, I found that it had grown to be much more than that… but I’ve seen you date other guys before, and… and I knew that I had no chance…” Mallory whispered the last part as she dared to look up at Vanessa.

The girl stood there, tears running down her face, her flabbergasted expression making Mallory wince.

“I’m… I’m sorry. I… I don’t want to make you uncomfortable… I can find somewhere else to stay… I… I just can’t stop looking and finding more and more reasons to fall for you.” Mallory said as she got up, opting to leave.

Just as she was about to pass Vanessa, the girl grabbed Mallory’s arm.

“Wait…”

Mallory froze as she turned to look at her, to find herself surprised to see the tearful smile on Vanessa’s face. Vanessa put her hands on Mallory’s shoulders and lifted herself to press her lips on Mallory’s.

Mallory could barely believe it as she felt herself melt into Vanessa, pulling the girl closer and found herself pressing her lips harder onto Vanessa’s. After what felt like forever, the two separated, making Mallory feel like they stopped too soon.

“I never liked guys, Mal. Those dates were them asking me out, not the other way around. I never introduced them because… well, I didn’t want you to think that I was straight. But I guess that just made it worse, didn’t it? God I'm a moron.” Vanessa chuckled as she pulled Mallory in for a hug.

“But you… you never showed interest in any girl! What…” Mallory stumbled over her own words, making Vanessa laugh.

“I had fallen too hard for you, of course. Why would I need to look at the other girls when the best one was with me all the time?”

____________________________________________________________________________

Ronald and Kathie sat at the kitchen table, waiting for the girls to come downstairs. When the two had gotten back that night, they found the two to be awake in their room, talking, faces very, very red. The two pushed it away, making the excuse of it being too hot.

It had been 40 degrees Farenheit in that room.

“Mornin’.”

Kathie turned to see Vanessa walking into the kitchen…

Wearing Mallory’s plain red t-shirt.

Mallory walked into the kitchen herself, groggy and barely conscious to notice that she herself was wearing Vanessa’s k-pop t-shirt she had gotten from a concert. Ronald and Kathie looked at each other with smiles as Kathie spoke up.

“Who was the top last night?” She asked.

Mallory and Vanessa froze as they looked at each other, realized their mistake, and then both turned so red that it put firetrucks to shame.

“Wha… there was… we didn’t…” Mallory stuttered as Kathie burst out laughing.

“C’mon, I see marks all over Vanessa’s neck. Did you really think we wouldn’t notice?!” Ronald laughed as Mallory looked at Vanessa only to just now notice the dozens of hickeys all over her neck.

Well, there was no need to hide their new relationship after all.

Author's Note

Things to keep in mind:
I wrote this as a sequel to a story written by me and two others. If there are details that seem to be missing, that's why. If you wish to update yourself, here is the link to it: https://aminoapps.com/c/conscripto/page/blog/an-adults-epigone/aVob_VVPc0uamR6b60bL7o87b0P277vandG
If you happen to be someone who does not support the LGBTQ community, I am not here to tell you otherwise but please keep biases out.
Things to review:
Dialogue (still struggle in this area)
Descriptions
Pacing


Also Note: Do I realize that Robin's action are extreme, yes, but I have my reasons so please, if you feel as if it is unrealistic, understand that I added it for a reason.