Pink Tulips

To Protect - 33

Lilly was just waving goodbye to Rosie when Anne's car pulled up in front of their house. Lilly shared a quick glance, which she hoped portrayed "goodluck!", with Rose, and began her walk home. She had probably walked this route a million times these past few weeks.

Lilly noticed that as soon as she felt Rose's gaze lift off of her, that her heart dropped and nerves and anxiety filled her brain. What was going to happen with James? Would Rose get in trouble for hitting him? He could call the police and Rose would get into some deep water...even if he didn't there was no way he wouldn't make her life awful.

"It's fine Lilly." Rose's voice rang through Lilly's head.

"It's fine, it'll be just fine." Lilly whispered to herself as she rounded the corner onto her block.

"Ping!" Lilly felt her phone go off with a notification, so as she walked she took it out of her pocket to check.

"Lilliana-" It was definetly her friend Rachel. No one else called her by her full name. It was somewhat endearing but also very weird that she still did that, Lilly didn't mind though.

"I heard from Cassie that you and your girlfriend hit her neighbor?! Is that true? Honestly not mad at that."

Lilly smirked slightly, guess the news was spreading. Small town so within the day everyone and their daughters would know.

"Well kind of...I didn't hit him, but Rose really had reason too. He was just horrible."

"What'd he do?"

"He called us...names and was really homophobic." Lilly walked up the path to her house, waiting for Rachel's response.

"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry. If you need someone to beat him up for you I'm always here."

Lilly smiled. It felt good to have even her friends take her and Rose's side, she didn't know what she would do if the people she cared about ostracizied her and supported James.

"Thanks lol, see you!" Lilly put her phone back into her pocket and unlocked the front door.

It had been several hours but it was both of her parents day off, so they would still be home.

"Hey Lilly! How was Rose's?"

Lilly heard her mum call from the back deck, so she walked out there.

"Good..." She sat down on a patio chair across from her mum.

"Where's mom?"

"Oh just shopping, we're out of bread." Her mum answered, focused on her crossword puzzle in the Saturday newspaper.

"Mum, something happened that I need to tell you." Lilly suddenly became very interested by the wooden planks below her feet.

"What is it sweetheart?" Her mum put the paper down on the table beside her, and concernedly looked to Lilly.

"Well, this guy, Rose's neighbor, he was pretty rude and kind of homophobic towards Rosie and me."

Lilly's mum's eyes narrowed.

"What did he do?"

"He called us names and said we were, uhm...gross and that sort of thing." Lilly paused.

"He also called us the d-word."

Lilly looked up to see her mum's face full of fury and her eyes ablaze.

"He did?" Her voice asked, calm and even as ever.

"Yeah..." Lilly immediately felt full of worry that her mum would go and get involved. She didn't need everyone thinking she was a kid who needed her mum to defend her.

"I'm calling Rose's mom, we're going to figure something out to keep him away from you, and hopefully to get his parents involved."

Lilly nodded and her mum got up and went inside to call Anne.

Lilly felt a bit hopeful that nothing else would come of James hurting and bothering her and Rosie, but she knew that hope was poorly concieved as those kind of people didn't change just because their mom told them to.

All she could do was to try her best to protect Rose.