"So she's basically free. I mean, she's not going to jail," Eya explained to Deanna as they walked back to the truck. "She's required to start seeing a therapist and some other special doctor, but that's about it. They said from her uncle's autopsy it was obvious that the gun had misfired. She must've been trying to get it away from him and pulled the trigger by accident."
"Damn," Deanna bit her lip, sliding into the back of the truck.
"Didi," Carly hummed happily, crawling into the back of Eya's truck and scooting right up next to Deanna. The five girls had decided to go out to dinner to celebrate Carly's acquittal. Deanna was on cloud nine.
Ivy slid into the back of the car next to Carly, with Riri and Eya in the front. Eya winked at Deanna in the rear view mirror, making Deanna's cheeks flush red when she realized Carly was practically sitting in her lap.
"Hi," Carly smiled widely, her face inches away from Deanna's. She didn't seem to mind that there were three other people in the car watching them.
"Hi," Deanna giggled, feeling the now-familiar feeling of butterflies in her stomach. Carly abruptly leaned in, kissing Deanna quickly and then turning around to make sure everyone had seen them.
"My Didi," she announced proudly. Deanna was taken aback by the kiss, and moments later Carly's lips were against hers again. This time Deanna caught up, and kissed her back gently. She felt Carly smiling against her lips and couldn't help but do the same. When the kiss pulled away, Deanna's face grew red as she felt everyone's eyes on her.
"Ewww," Ivy mumbled under her breath, sending Deanna a playful smirk through the mirror. Deanna shoved her playfully, which caused Carly to giggle. Ivy moved to push Deanna back, but Carly threw herself inbetween them to stop her.
"Be nice," Carly nodded once, taking Ivy's hands and moving them away. Ivy just raised an eyebrow.
"So Deanna can hit me but I can't hit her back?" her and Deanna exchanged glances. Deanna burst into laughter.
"Yes. Be nice," Carly let go of Ivy's hands and scooted into Deanna's side. Ivy rolled her eyes playfully.
Once they made it to the pizza place, Carly tugged Deanna out of the car and practically dragged her inside the restaurant. They were taken to a large booth in the back, where Carly insisted that she sit next to Deanna. As if the girls would allow them to sit apart from each other.
"What're we getting?" Riri asked, turning the menu over to continue reading it. Carly furrowed her eyebrows and reached across the table, taking Riri's menu away from her and placing it on top of her own.
"Pizza," she nodded once, pointing to the picture on the menu and smiling proudly. The other four girls exchanged glances and shrugged, figuring pizza would be all they needed. The waitress came and took their order, paying extra attention to Deanna the entire time.
Now Carly may be pretty special, but she wasn't stupid. She saw the waitress wink at Deanna and immediately scooted closer to the girl. By the time the waitress collected their menus and left the table, Carly was practically in Deanna's lap.
"What are you doing?" Deanna giggled, wrapping an arm around Carly. The smaller girl glared at the waitress across the restaurant and Deanna followed her line of vision, realizing what she was alluding to.
"Her?" Deanna asked, raising an eyebrow. Carly looked at her, concern evident in her features. This only made Deanna laugh and shake her head.
"Why would I want her when I've got you?"
Carly smiled shyly. Meanwhile, Eya and Ivy were making gagging noises while Riri looked at the other two girls affectionately. Deanna stuck her tongue out at them, which only made Eya flick water off of her straw at them.
"Hey!" Carly crossed her arms and glared at Eya across the table. "Be nice."
"Wait, Carly, didn't you have those clothes on when you left our apartment?" Riri spoke up, interrupting their conversation. Carly looked at her sleeves, thinking for a moment before nodding slowly. Deanna raised an eyebrow.
"You've been wearing those clothes the entire time?" she asked, turning to look at the girl next to her. Carly suddenly grew ashamed, but nodded her head.
"They didn't give you a change of clothes?" Deanna bit her lip, fighting the urge to get up and give the people who had been taking care of Carly piece of her mind.
"Mean," Carly shook her head, leaning into Deanna's side. The older girl looked at her roommates questioningly, wrapping a protective arm around Carly and holding her close.
"How were they mean?" Deanna asked, running a hand through Carly's hair to loosen her curls. Carly thought for a moment.
"They did not understand me," she replied slowly, tracing circles in the material of her jeans. Deanna took a deep breath to calm herself down. Carly noticed Deanna's agitation and turned to the other girl. "But I am here now, right?"
"Exactly," Eya spoke up, reaching across the table and squeezing Carly's hand. "And I don't think you're gonna leave anytime soon."
Carly nodded confidently, turning back to Deanna and kissing her cheek. "I stay with you, yes?" Deanna felt herself comforted by Carly's touch and she nodded slowly.
"Of course," she smiled, kissing Carly's forehead and earning more gagging noises from Eya's side of the booth. She kicked Eya under the table, causing Eya to reel backwards, tipping her chair over and landing on the ground with a thud.
"Ouch," Carly giggled from her side of the table, knowing what Deanna had done. Eya groaned, standing back up and brushing off her backside.
"Nice one, Wong," she joked, sitting back down. Ivy and Riri both struggled to hold in their laughter, but the moment Eya looked over at them questioningly, they both lost it.
Eya was about to rebut their laughter with a sarcastic comment, but their pizza was brought to the table before she could. Carly squealed excitedly, which earned a few questioning glances from the tables around them. The moment Deanna glared back at them, though, they averted their eyes.
"Woah," Deanna grabbed Carly's hand just as the girl reached for the entire pizza. She giggled and shook her head, grabbing a knife and beginning to cut the pizza. "Sharing is caring, Carly."
"Oh," Carly watched intently as Deanna cut her a slice, holding up her plate when Deanna asked her to. She giggled in anticipation when Deanna slid the pizza onto her plate, and immediately took a bite.
"I like pizza," Carly smiled widely. Deann giggled and cut herself a slice, passing the knife across the table to the other girls.
"I can tell," Deanna raised an eyebrow at Carly, who was already halfway done her slice before Deanna had even taken a bite.
"But I like Didi better," Carly added, setting down her food and reaching up to press her fingers to Deanna's cheek. Deanna shivered. Giggling, Carly withdrew her fingers and leaned up to kiss the same spot on Deanna's cheek.
"Damn, Deans, she chose you over pizza," Eya grinned from across the table. Deanna bit the inside of her cheek to hide her smile. Carly turned her attention back to her pizza, taking another bite and giving Ivy a thumbs up from across the table.
A little over an hour later, the girls all arrived back at the apartment. Carly stood hesitantly in the hallway, biting her lip when everyone else went inside. Noticing this, Deanna turned around and stood in the doorway.
"Are you coming?" she asked softly, tilting her head to the side. Carly took a step forward but still remained quiet. Growing concerned, Deanna took a step out into the hallway and took Carly's hand. "What's wrong?"
The smaller girl held onto Deanna's hand tightly, peering into the apartment and looking down at her feet. "It is scary," she nodded towards the doorway.
"Scary?" Deanna turned to glance back into the apartment, trying to figure out what could possibly scare the younger girl. "What's scary?"
"I do not want to leave again," Carly proceeded to free her hands, clapping her wrists together behind her back and looking at Deanna pleadingly. Deanna's heart dropped when she realized the smaller girl was referring to the handcuffs that had been put on her when she was taken from the apartment.
"Hey, no, that's not going to happen again," Deanna shook her head, stressing her words to make sure Carly believed her. She took a step forward, taking both of Carly's hands in her own and meeting her eyes.
"There's no more bad guys," she said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind Carly's ear. "I'm going to make sure of that."
Carly opened her mouth to speak, but Deanna already knew what she was going to say. She beat her to it, lifting her pinky finger. "I promise, Carly," she giggled. Carly crinkled her nose when Deanna took the words out of her mouth, but proceeded to lock their fingers together.
"Can I ask you something?" Deanna questioned, figuring now was a good of a time as any. Carly nodded softly, allowing Deanna to continue.
"How did you end up coming to New York? How'd you find us?" she asked, running a hand through her hair nervously. She watched as Carly furrowed her eyebrows, biting her lip in concentration and looking down at the ground. Deanna allowed her time to think.
"I..." Carly looked at Deanna nervously. "I remembered you."
Deanna brought her hand up to her lip, toying with her bottom lip nervously. "You what?"
"I remembered you," Carly said more confidently, reaching up and cupping Deanna's cheek with her hand. "Didi was in New York. I needed a friend."
Biting her lip, Deanna nodded and looked down at the ground. "Are you happy here, Carly?" she asked, wondering if maybe she wasn't enough for the girl.
"Yes!" Carly smiled widely, taking Deanna's hands in her own and swinging them gently. "I have you. I am happy." She thought for a moment before meeting Deanna's eyes. "Are you?"
Deanna giggled, feeling relieved from Carly's response. "Of course I am," she crinkled her nose playfully. "I have you, I am happy," she repeated what Carly had just said. Carly realized this and giggled.
"Thank you for being my friend, Didi," Carly pulled Deanna into a tight hug, taking the older girl by surprise. Deanna felt her heart melt right then and there, and she wrapped her arms around Carly gently.
"Thank you for being my friend, Carly," Deanna smiled as they pulled away from the hug. "Are you going to come inside now?"
Carly nodded softly. "We will watch Friends," she declared, shuffling past Deanna and into the apartment. Laughing, Deanna followed her into the living room, where Carly was already picking out an episode.
The other girls joined them halfway through the first episode. Halfway through their third episode, Riri fell asleep. By the time their sixth episode ended, Deanna and Carly were the only ones awake.
"Carly," Deanna giggled quietly when she saw Carly grab the remote to pick another episode. "We've watched six episodes already, I think it's time for bed."
Carly furrowed her eyebrows and set the remote back down.
"Do you think you can take a shower first?" Deanna asked, realizing that if Carly hadn't been given a change of clothes, she most likely hadn't been given an opportunity to shower, either. Carly nodded softly.
"Didi's pajamas?" she asked, tilting her head to the side with a hopeful smile on her face. Deanna giggled.
"Sure," Deanna got up quietly and held her hand out for Carly, who took it gently and pulled Deanna up the stairs. Once they reached the bathroom, Deanna handed Carly a towel and left a change of clothes on the sink.
"I'll be right across the hall, okay?" she said, squeezing Carly's hand. The smaller girl nodded in understanding, and Deanna closed the bathroom door quietly before slipping into her bedroom.
She heard the squeaking sound that indicated the shower was turned on just as she lay back on her bed. Having a moment alone made her realize how relieved she truly was. And just how painful losing Carly had been.
It scared her tremendously, knowing how much control one person could have over her emotions. But she trusted Carly.
Before Carly, Deanna had been considerably closed off. Her parents had always told her that she was in too much of a rush to grow up. Maybe Carly was exactly what she needed. The girl made her do things she never imagined she'd ever do. And surprisingly, she liked it.
About fifteen minutes later, she was brought out of her thoughts when her door slowly creaked open.
"Knock knock," Carly whispered, standing in the doorway. Deanna lifted her head, feeling her breath catch in her throat when she saw Carly. The smaller girl had on one of Deanna's oversized band shirts, and a pair of boxer shorts underneath.
"Who's there?" Deanna giggled. Carly smiled widely, padding into the room and closing the door quietly so she wouldn't wake the other girls. Walking over to the bed, Carly handed Deanna a hairbrush, which caused the older girl to raise an eyebrow.
"Braid, please?" Carly crawled up onto the bed, sitting cross legged. Deanna couldn't help but smile and she nodded softly. Patting the spot in front of her, Deanna began brushing through Carly's hair gently once she scooted backwards.
"Didi?" Carly said softly, keeping her head still as Deanna began to section off her hair.
"Yeah?"
"Am I bad?"
Deanna sat up straighter, pausing what she was doing and tilting her head to the side. "What?"
Biting her lip, Carly turned around to look at Deanna and looked down at her hands. "They think I am bad," she said softly, lacing her fingers together.
"Who does?" Deanna asked, reaching out and placing her hands around Carly's. She could tell the younger girl was feeling ashamed of something, and she intended on finding out what.
"Everyone."
"I don't," Deanna said softly. She shook her head and laced their fingers together. "Out of everyone I've ever met in my entire life, you are the furthest from bad. I promise." She held out her pinkie, but Carly didn't move.
"I killed him," Carly shook her head, sending droplets of water flying around them. "I am bad."
"Your uncle?" Deanna asked carefully. She'd never exactly addressed the topic with Carly. The smaller girl looked up and met Deanna's eyes, nodding hesitantly.
"C'mere," Deanna whispered, pulling Carly into her side and ignoring her wet hair. "Do you want to tell me what happened?" she asked cautiously. She felt Carly take a deep breath.
"He hurt me, Didi," she said quietly, looking up at Deanna with a look in her eyes that begged for forgiveness.
"I know, baby," Deanna nodded softly and ran her fingers up and down Carly's arm to soothe her. "What happened?"
"I was bad. And he was angry," Carly clenched her hands into fists and pressed them into the bed. "There was a gun. I was scared, and I tried to stop him." The smaller girl took a deep breath and Deanna squeezed her shoulder reassuringly.
"I did not mean to hurt him. I do not like hurt," Carly shook her head quickly, and Deanna reached out, cupping her cheeks to stop her.
"It is not your fault, Carly, do you hear me?" she pressed her forehead against the smaller girl's and looked her straight in the eyes. Carly nodded slowly, shocked by Deanna's reaction.
"All of that stuff that happened to you, that is not your fault. I promise. I'll promise a million fucking times if it will help you realize that," Deanna shook her head, pulling Carly into a hug and holding her tightly.
"And I'm so sorry I couldn't keep you from going through all of that. But I'm going to do everything I can to keep you safe from now on, I swear," Deanna took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.
"Thank you," Carly whispered, resting her head on Deanna's shoulder. For some reason, Carly's words reminded Deanna of the Carly she'd known in high school, and she shivered.
"I have something for you," Deanna remembered, jogging across the room to grab her backpack. Carly watched her questioningly from the bed.
The moment Deanna pulled the stuffed dog from her backpack, Carly's face lit up. She scrambled off the bed, taking the yellow toy into her own hands and smiling widely.
"Sunny!" she hugged it to her chest and looked up at Deanna. "You saved him."
Deanna giggled and walked back over to the bed. Carly crawled up as well, sitting down to Deanna and holding the stuffed animal in her lap.
"You remember it?" Deanna asked, pointing to the toy. Carly nodded.
"Yes. He was mine," she held the dog up for Deanna to see, before setting it down at the foot of the bed. "How did you find him?"
"I, uh," Deanna swallowed hard and pulled her bag up on the bed next to them. "I had to go back to your house... while you were gone." She pulled Carly's old journal out and sat it in front of her. Carly stared at it blankly.
"What is that?" she asked, running her fingers over the leather cover.
"You don't remember this?" Deanna asked, flipping the journal open and pointing to one of the many pages with writing on it. "This was your journal. At least, before the car accident."
"I do not remember," Carly hung her head down.
"Hey, you don't have to be ashamed," Deanna reached out and tilted Carly's chin up so she wasn't looking down. "I don't expect you to remember anything. What's past is past, right? It doesn't matter." She tossed the journal off of the bed.
Carly gazed up at Deanna and smiled softly before yawning. Deanna giggled and raised an eyebrow. "Tired?"
Carly nodded, and burrowed under the blankets without another words. Laughing, Deanna leaned over to turn off the lights and pulled the blankets over both of them. As always, the moment her head hit the pillow, Carly curled up at her side.
"Goodnight, Carly," Deanna whispered. In response, Carly yawned and nodded before pulling Deanna closer to her. Giggling softly, Deanna laid her head on her pillow, falling asleep shortly after. This was the first time she'd gotten much of any sleep in the past week. Now that she was comforted by the fact that Carly was safe, she soon faced the reality of her exhaustion.
She slept soundly for a fraction of the night, but was awoken by a set of nails digging into her arm. She rolled away groggily, lifting her head to see what was going on. The small whimpers from beside her quickly made her realize that Carly was having another nightmare.
"Carly," she whispered, tapping the sleeping girl. No response.
"Carly," she said louder, this time sitting up and shaking Carly's shoulders. The girl continued to cry out, but she was fully asleep. Unsure of what to do, Deanna lay back down and pulled Carly next to her. The small girl's hands immediately clung onto her shirt.
🎶Steal my heart and hold my tongue.
I feel my time, my time has come.
Let me in, unlock the door.
I've never felt this way before.
The wheels just keep on turning,
The drummer begins to drum,
I don't know which way I'm going,
I don't know which way I've come.
Hold my head inside your hands,
I need someone who understands.
I need someone, someone who hears,
For you, I've waited all these years.
For you, I'd wait 'til kingdom come
Until my day, my day is done.
And say you'll come, and set me free,
Just say you'll wait, you'll wait for me. 🎶
Deanna held her breath when she felt Carly stir. The smaller girl's eyes fluttered open and she gazed up at Deanna, a worried look on her face. Instantly, Deanna reached down and wiped the tears from her eyes.
"Are you okay?" she asked softly, pulling Carly closer to her. The smaller girl nodded and felt around under the covers until she found Deanna's hands, lacing their fingers together.
"More," she whispered, resting her head on Deanna's chest. A soft smile spread across Deanna's face and she nodded softly.
🎶In your tears and in your blood,
In your fire and in your flood,
I hear you laugh, I heard you sing,
"I wouldn't change a single thing."
The wheels just keep on turning,
The drummers begin to drum,
I don't know which way I'm going,
I don't know what I've become.
For you, I'd wait 'til kingdom come,
Until my days, my days are done.
Say you'll come and set me free,
Just say you'll wait, you'll wait for me. 🎶
Deanna bit her lip to hide her smile when she realized Carly had fallen back asleep. Taking a deep breath, she pulled the covers back over them and allowed sleep to overtake her for the second time that night.
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***TO BE CONTINUED***
a/n: Thanks for your reading and commenting and being adorable. i love you all endlessly.