Locked Out

Little By Little

CONTENT WARNING
The final scene in this chapter contains a depiction of a character going through a depressive episode, and while there is no mention of self harm or suicidal thoughts, it does show a character in a bleak, hopeless mindset that could be disturbing to some who have been in similar positions.
The scene is separated from the others with a horizontal line, and is summarized in the ending Author's Note for anyone who wishes to skip it without missing the general contents. If this sounds like something that could put you in a negative mental space, please, take care of yourself and put your health first. The rest of the story will still be there for you.

School on Earth was blessedly uneventful that day, at least from a Ben standpoint. None of the teachers said a word about their early dismissal the day before, and everything was just about normal... with the exception of the whispers that had followed Luz and Amity around school.

When, upon entering the school that morning, a group of girls standing by the lockers had turned to stare at them, Luz expected the worst. The mean, nasty comments would be back in force, except this time Amity would be a target as well.

'I wish she hadn't put a target on her back for me.'

It wasn't that Amity couldn't handle herself. She absolutely could. But there was still the fact that she was the new kid in a strange new school, in a strange new world.

Luz knew Amity wasn't as invincible as she liked to present herself. Everyone had vulnerabilities, and Amity was no exception. Luz just hoped no one would find the right buttons to push...

Of course, Amity had immediately realized something was off—she knew Luz's body language well enough by now, it seemed, and had gently put an arm around her waist to comfort her as the two walked in while staring right back at the group of girls.

The girls erupted into a flurry of whispers and grins, one playfully punching the shoulder of another until the second girl begrudgingly pulled a wrinkled five dollar bill out of her pocket and handed it over.

As someone who was a frequent topic of discussion among the student body, Luz had learned to read the tone, if not the exact contents, of the things people whispered behind her back. And to her great surprise, it seemed that people were neither scornful, nor mocking, but instead... curious.

"See? I told you she has a girlfriend!"

Upon overhearing that particularly excited whisper, Luz almost walked into a wall—which was an impressive feat, given that she was right in the middle of the hallway.

She hadn't been sure what to expect when her classmate opened her mouth, but it sure as hell wasn't that.

"And she's cute, too! Whoa."

Luz and Amity's reactions—looking at one another, blushing bright red, and then looking away quickly, all while Amity's arm was still wrapped around her waist—had done little to quell the rumor, and it quickly spread throughout the school, popping up at every turn.

"I hear she beat Ben up and got away with it," in an awed whisper from one member of the football team to another, when the teacher had her back turned in Geometry.

"Imagine having a partner that picks fights for you! That's so romantic! Like something straight out of a movie," overheard in the lunchroom, followed by a dreamy sigh. "My boyfriend would never do that for me."

"You should have seen them yesterday. They were constantly hugging, touching hands and everything. In the middle of the school hallway! Who does that?"

By the time they had their English class together, people had foregone whispers and were just talking about it outright—seriously, Luz and Amity were two desks away from this girl, and she was talking about it on her phone.