Cloverfield

25: Leap

"So when will you tell the other girls?" Spencer asked as they left the empty classroom.

"I don't think we should yet," Ali answered. "Hanna and Aria kind of have big mouths."

"Hmm..." Emily mumbled, thinking it was true but still trusting her other friends.

"There's nothing wrong with it, you know," Spencer said and Emily nodded.

Alison nodded, too. "Yeah, but the thing is how our parents will react. Em's mom screams conservative and her dad would probably understand it because he's in the army, but he's not here." She looked apologetically at her girl. Her girl... damn, that sounded good.

"It's okay, you're right," Emily answered.

Spencer thought about it a little more, but ended up agreeing. Shortly after, the bell rang and Emily went her way. She and Ali started walking together. "So who do you think will be the new field hockey coach?"

"Hopefully not a perv," Alison said. "By the way, Spence?"

"Huh?"

"Do you have an extra cellphone by chance? My mom took mine."

"Since I got the latest iPhone, my former phone is free for business."

Ali laughed. "So I can totally borrow it."

"Yes, just pick it after school."

"Thanks."

On the break, Alison told Emily about what had gone down with her mother and how dumb it would be to put her family together. Emily comforted her and promised she would always be her family, which had ended up on Ali kissing her behind a bookshelf in the almost empty library.

Later in the night, Alison had called Emily while being tucked in her beds, her door closed. "I'm gonna try to sleep early because I have an exam first thing in the morning," Ali complained.

"You? Sleep early? For an exam?" Emily joked.

"Shut up," Ali answered. "You should be proud."

"I am," Emily said. "Well, baby, sweet dreams."

"Dork. Goodnight." After hanging up, Alison hugged her pillow, sighing happily.

"What's got you all smiley?" her mom's voice rang from the door.

Alison hid Spencer's old phone under the pillow she'd been holding. Even though she had last argued with her mom, her mom was still the person she turned to for advice.... well, opinions, really. "Mom..." Alison motioned her to sit on the bed with her, feeling some quiet tension in the air. She stared at her hands.

"Yeah, sweetie?" Jessica asked with an uncertain tone, not expecting her daughter to want to talk with her at all. She had just came here to say goodnight... and maybe check on her.

"It's more like who... What if I told you I fell in love?"

Jessica's eyes widened. She definitely didn't expect this. "I would ask... if he loves you back."

"She does..." Alison looked up to see her mom's face.

"Oh?" Jessica let out with interest. "Then I say I'm happy for you."

"You are?"

Jessica nodded.

"You don't care about how it looks?"

"I can be harsh, but I'm not dumb. I don't let bullshit thinking through. It's Emily, right? She's perfect for you." Her mom sighed. "Even though I have your father, I don't feel like I'm in love and that's something I miss. So you go be in love with whoever makes you happy. Don't let anything come in between that. Love might just be the most powerful thing out there."

Alison smiled. She loved when her mom was like this. "You know... if you are not happy with dad anymore, you don't have to be with him."

"Won't that be hard on you?"

"Let's just say I don't feel happy with dad, either. He doesn't even talk to me, it's as if he were dead. I miss who he used to be, but he's just not here. And when he is, he just takes it out on Jason. No wonder why he's like that."

Jessica nodded and left the room, closing the door behind her. Quickly after that, Alison reached for her phone and called Emily. "Hey!"

"Weren't you gonna try to sleep early?"

"Fuck that. I told my mom about us and she was cool about it."

"That's great. Think my mom would be, too?"

"I don't know, my mom surprised me. She's wild, while yours is like... a chandelier. Wind could blow it a little bit and she'd start swinging."

"Huh, that's an interesting way to put it. Well, didn't you say this morning that we shouldn't tell anyone else?"

"It just happened. I caught her in a good mood and felt a leap of faith, like maybe we could fix our relationship."

Emily smiled. "If that's the case, then I hope you do." Because if it's not, you're just going to get hurt again, she wanted to add. But Ali clearly cared about her mom's acceptance and Emily didn't want to tell her her mom couldn't change because Emily herself believed anyone could. After all, it was just a hunch.

"Something everyone can understand eventually is love. Maybe your mom will accept us."

A leap of faith.