Ceasefire {girlxgirl}

Onze

‘What were you thinking?!’ I demanded once we were outside and I was dragging Molly across the gravel, back in the direction of the school. I kept nervously glancing over my shoulder in case Twitch had sent a spectre after us.

                ‘What?’ Molly asked defensively. ‘I didn’t do anything to her that she didn’t do to me.’

                There was no point arguing about that; she was right. ‘Why did you even have those with you?’ I asked instead. I was unreasonably annoyed with her for doing what she’d done, and with a twist of irritation I realised it was because I was worried about her, and how Twitch was going to respond. I was mostly pissed because she’d put herself in harm’s way.

                Molly shrugged one shoulder. ‘I’ve been keeping them in my bag, just in case. Like a shield. I felt safer having some ammunition on her.’

                I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye but didn’t say anything further; I could understand wanting to feel safe when somebody like Twitch was gunning for you. Scaring her by pointing out that she’d probably just gotten herself in more trouble wasn’t going to do anybody any good tonight.

                ‘How drunk are you, anyway?’ I asked, changing the subject, as we snuck in through the propped-open first floor fire escape door.

                ‘Just a little tipsy. I was pretending, when I was the table. Really pretending,’ she added, and it felt like this might have some significance but I couldn’t see what it might be. We stuck to the shadows as we made our way along the hallway towards the dormitory stairs, relaxing once we reached the blind spot of the security cameras; the place I’d met Twitch that night on the stairs.

                ‘Well, come on,’ I muttered, feeling sorry for her and walking her back to her room. She unlocked the door and I followed her inside, leaning against her study desk as she started to take off her shoes and jewellery. Feeling slightly awkward, I glanced around for something to concentrate on and my gaze landed on the magazine I’d found under her pillow, now sitting on her desk under some worksheets. I picked it up and flicked through it lazily.

                ‘I don’t know what you see in girls like this,’ I murmured, scanning the pages and shaking my head. ‘Is this really what you like?’

                ‘No,’ Molly murmured, and I realised she really must be tipsy if she was willing to talk about it. She was facing away from me, looking in the mirror and taking out her earrings. ‘I didn’t know what I was doing when I bought it. I was just curious. But, those girls, they’re kind of... Fake. All hard and plastic and their nails are too long and their hair is too big. I like... More natural, you know? Softer and more real and more like...’

                I dropped the magazine on the desk and took a few steps towards her. ‘More like who?’ I asked, some of the things she’d said and done recently slotting into place in my mind suddenly.

                Molly smiled at me in the reflection and shook her head. ‘Nobody,’ she said.

                I stepped up behind her and caught her by the shoulder, pulling her around to face me. ‘More like who?’ I asked again, the heat from our bodies mingling in the tiny pockets of air between us.

                Molly swallowed nervously as her gaze flickered to my lips and back up, her eyes big and surprised and scared. ‘I-... I-’

                I lifted a hand a brushed her hair away from her face, and her breath hitched slightly as my fingers touched her skin.